Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt was born in Liberchies**, Belgium, on January 23, 1910. Even as a child, he played violin, banjo and guitar. In the years following World War 1, Django played with various bands in and around Paris. On November 2, 1928, his career seemed to have come to a premature end when his caravan went up in flames, seriously burning his left hand. After several operations and more than a year in hospital, he was able to play guitar again, although two fingers of his left hand remained permanently paralyzed. He continued working with today mostly forgotten musicians, but then began an association with singer jean Sablon, who used him as accompanist on several recording-sessions. By now, he was enjoying increasing contacts with jazz and hot-dance musicians, and was beginning to record regularly with some of the best French bands, notably those led by Michel Warlop and Guy "Patrick" Paquinet. Django's fame grew rapidly as a result of the first sessions by the 'Quintet Du Hot Club De France", and by the late thirties all visiting American jazz musicians were eagerly seeking the opportunity to record with him. His musical companion Stephane Grappelly spent the war years in England, whereas Django decided to remain in occupied France. Despite the persecution of gypsies, he was able to continue playing and recording. After the Liberation, he was still very much in favour with visiting American musicians, and in 1946 he even went to America to play with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. That same year also brought a joyful reunion with Grappelly. Django continued playing and recording, but gradually disappeared from the scene during the early fifties. Django Reinhardt died in Samois, east of Paris, on May 16, 1953.

** Pol Califice has asked me to point out to all Reinhardt devotees that Django was born in LIBERCHIES in Belgium - NOT Liverchies, which does not exist. The mistake has probably been perpetuated by the wrong spelling in the Delauney book. Our appologies to all Belgians!

DJANGO REINHARDT
1942-1943
Classics 905


Shortly after a tour through Northern France and Belgium, Django and his Quintet embarked upon another trip organized by Charles Delaunay. Delaunay remembered this tour, which included appearances at sea-side resorts in Southern France and Algiers, as a rather chaotic affair that came to an early end with the unexpected departure of the leader. Django had simply refused to play any matinee shows. Delaunay and the other musicians managed to return to the mainland just days before the Allied invasion of Morocco and Algeria on November 8, 1942….

This volume of the recordings of Django Reinhardt, presented in chronological order, opens with the remaining sides with Stan Brender's big band. These little-known, yet excellent tracks show the guitarist in top form. After the aforementioned tour, Django played and recorded again regularly in Paris. In the meantime, clarinettist Hubert Rostaing had left the quintet following a feud with the leader over money. His replacement, Andre Luis, proves a less suitable partner for Reinhardt, although Django's own playing is immaculate, "Manoir de mes reves" and "Blues Claire" ranking among his best recordings of the period. In March 1943, Django was able to cut some ambitious, yet fascinating sides with Fud Candrix and his big band, which also accompanied him on a series of concerts in Belgium later that year. In July 1943, Diango made his last recordings before the liberation of Paris. The fine "Melodie au crepuscule" also reunited Django with Michel Warlop for the last time in a recording studio. Django continued to play for the better part of the next year, but was also involved in several perilous situations, a state of affairs that kept him from the recording studios until October 1944.

This volume of the recordings of Django Reinhardt presented in chronological order, opens with the second part of "Welcome" by Noel Chiboust's orchestra. (Django does not play on part I). This track marks the beginning of post-war jazz in France as it was recorded only five weeks after the liberation of the French capital. The same day, Reinhardt was finally able to record under his own name again. In January 1945, a contingent from Glenn Miller's band plus Reinhardt turned in a number of fine performances, issued on the rare Jazz Club Francais label. In October 1945, Django often worked with "The European Division Band of the Air Transport Command", directed by Jack Platt. Better known as "Django's American Swing Band", this unit featured mostly little-known, yet highly competent musicians. One of Django's great admirers, trumpet player Lonnie Wilflong arranged some of the guitarist's best and most popular compositions for this big band. The resulting records are outstanding! Fortunately, more music by this band, featuring Django, has been preserved and is worth checking out at your CD-store. Tonic as these tracks are, they cannot be compared to the musical reunions with Stephane Grappelly in early 1946. The violinist had spent the war years in England and was now able to play and record With Reinhardt again. Considering the circumstances, next to "Belleville", a true masterpiece; "Echoes Of France" proves to be one of the most emotionally charged and heart-warming documents from this 44-46 period!

No studio recordings from Django's American trip exist. This volume of the recordings of Django Reinhardt presented in chronological order opens with a reunion session by the almost classical quintet with Stephane Grappelli. Although Django's playing had by now become a notch more modern, the old magic between the two main figures of the pre-war quintet is still evident. In April, Reinhardt recorded with the band that worked with him at the "Boeuf sur le toit" in Paris. After this residency came to an end, the guitarist accepted an oger to tour Belgium, for which he reassembled his 1941 quintet with clarinettist Hubert Rostaing. "Babik (BI-Bop)" from May 1947 proves that Django and his men were well aware of the new trends in jazz, while also still turning in the kind of music Django has played and recorded before the war. After this session for Decca during which he also used the electric guitar for the first time, the reshuffled quintet was recorded by the Blue Star label recently founded by Nicole and Eddie Barclay, The unusual 'Danse norvegienne" is followed by a particularly inspired "Blues For Barclay".

This volume of the recordings of Django Reinhardt presented in chronological order presents two main dates by the quintet featuring the clarinet of Hubert Rostaing. "I'll Never Smile Again" and "Django's Blues" are particularly fine pieces. Shortly after the first of these two sessions, Django Reinhardt left Paris to tour several cities and US Army Clubs in Germany. It was during an engagement in Mannheim Django composed "Tell Mozart" which he later renamed "Diminushing". Back from this adventurous and arduous tour the group, this time featuring Maurice and Gerard Leveque on clarinet, recorded scores of tunes for a radio show entitled "Surprise Party" aired on the National French Radio. Although the bulk of this "Souvenirs de Django Reinhardt" material was ultimately to be released on Long Play records, you will find here these that were issued on 78 rpm. Incidentally, these were the very last ones barring the famed "Swing" logotype. Nonetheless, all four tunes are among Django's best sellers With his extended piece "Gypsy With A Song" Django offers a pun to Ellington's 1938 "Gypsy Without A Song", and any similarity here, is quite intentional (See Classics 717). A week after the closing date of this album, Stephane Grapelly and Django appeared in concert at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, and subsequently were booked for a residency at the ABC Theatre. This CD ends with the first two sides of a session reuniting the quintet formula of pre-wartime, but with a new twist.