Reinhardt, Django

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==Biography==
 
==Biography==
  
Born in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, [[Belgium]], Django was named after the Romany word meaning, "I awake." Reinhardt spent most of his youth in [[Roma people|gypsy]] encampments close to [[Paris]]. Gypsies, frequently on the road and often with much time to fill with the pursuit of art, were perfect conduits for the world music spirit. Django's father was a talented musician and it was from him that he leanred his first instrument, the violin, as a young child around camp fires. His mother, also, was a talent in her own right, often performing in song and dance on the tailgate of the caravan.  
+
Born in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, [[Belgium]], Django was named from the Romany word meaning, "I awake." Reinhardt spent most of his youth in [[Roma people|gypsy]] encampments close to [[Paris]]. Gypsies, frequently on the road and often with much time to fill with the pursuit of art, were perfect conduits for the world music spirit. Django's father was a talented musician and it was from him that he leanred his first instrument, the violin, as a young child around camp fires. His mother, also, was a talent in her own right, often performing in song and dance on the tailgate of the caravan.  
  
Django later picked up several more instruments, the banjo, guitar, and a hybrid of the two, called a guitjo, and profited from his rising talent at county fairs and on town streets. In addition, to help support the family, Django earned money by fixing musical instruments and weaving baskets. When he was 14, the young artist began his professional career accompanying
+
Django later picked up several more instruments, the banjo, guitar, and a hybrid of the two, called a guitjo, and profited from his rising talent at county fairs and on town streets. In addition, to help support the family, Django earned money by fixing musical instruments and weaving baskets. When he was 14, the young artist began his professional career accompanying accordionist, Guerino, in underworld, working-class Parisian dance halls.
  
 +
Reinhardt's talents and reputation as a musician in the city rose steadily, until, at the age of 18, Django knocked over a candle on his way to bed after returning from a performance late one night. The fire ravaged the caravan and Django, in addition to losing all of his possessions, was seriously injured. With first and second-degree burns covering half of his body, the doctors warned Django that he would never play the guitar again due to his badly burnt left hand, and what more would have to amputate his paralyzed right leg. Luckily, the young artist recovered unexpectedly well and within a year was able to walk again with the use of a cane.
  
when he was 14 hired to play in an underworld working class dance halls of paris accompanying classical parisian accordianist
+
Even more miraculous was that Django, with a new guitar given to him by his brother Joseph Reinhardt—an accomplished guitarist, as well—fought through painful rehabilitation and non-stop practice to relearn his craft. Such a feat would only be possible if Django could form a completely new method developed around the permanently paralyzed third and fourth fingers of his left hand. To accomplish this, Django would use his index and middle fingers to manage the fretboard, while his other two fingers in the form of a claw could only occassionaly be used for some chords. It was this new method centered around his deformed hand that, in part, contributed to Django's unique style full of the wildly choreographed arpeggios that he is famous and loved for now.
  
playing [[banjo]], [[guitar]] and [[violin]] from an early age professionally at [[Bal-musette]] halls in Paris. He started first on the violin and eventually moved on to a [[Guitjo|banjo-guitar]] that had been given to him and his first known recordings (in 1928) were of him playing the banjo (a banjo guitar has six strings tuned in standard guitar tuning).
+
With his persistant nature and dedication to his craft, Reinhardt, despite the odds, transitioned from prodigy to rising virtuoso by his early twenties. It was then, in 1932 or 1933, that a friend of his invited him up to his apartment to listen to some records. One song in particular, [[Louis Armstrong]]'s "Indian Cradle Song", stirred Django to the point that he muttered in awe to his friend, "Achmon, my brother, my brother..." This was Django's first encounter with jazz music, and his impression of it was that it represented incredible freedom. From that day, Reinhardt would play jazz music for the rest of his life.  
  
At the age of 18 Reinhardt was injured in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared with Bella, his first wife. They were very poor, and when the fire broke out they lost what little they had. She made imitation flowers out of celluloid and paper for her living.  Consequently, their home was full of this highly flammable material. Returning from a performance late one night, Django apparently knocked over a candle on his way to bed. While his family and neighbors were quick to pull him to safety, he received first- and second-degree burns over half his body.  His right leg was paralyzed and his left hand was badly burnt. Doctors believed that he would never play guitar again and intended to amputate the leg. But he left the hospital after a short time and within a year could walk with use of a cane. 
+
In 1934, Louis Vola formed the "[[Quintette du Hot Club de France]]" with Reinhardt, [[violin]]ist [[Stéphane Grappelli]], Reinhardt's brother [[Joseph Reinhardt|Joseph]] and [[Roger Chaput]] on guitar, and [[Louis Vola|himself]] on bass. Occasionally Chaput was replaced by [[Pierre Ferret|Pierre "Baro" Ferret]]. The concept of "lead guitar" (Django) and backing "rhythm guitar" (Joseph Reinhardt/Roger Chaput or Pierre Ferret) was born with that band. They also used their guitars for percussive sounds, as they had no true percussion section.
 
 
His brother Joseph Reinhardt, an accomplished guitarist in his own right, bought Django a new guitar.  With painful rehabilitation and practice Django relearned his craft in a completely new way, even as his third and fourth fingers remained partially paralyzed.  Hence, he used to play solos with only two fingers, and managed to use the injured one for some chords.
 
 
 
 
 
index finger and long finger on his fretting hand, other two fingers formed into a claw
 
 
 
pre-fire recordings? yes, but mostly where he's backing up the accordianist on the banjo...you here the viruouso, but not the arpeggios
 
 
 
friend took him upstairs and played him a record...1933, 1932...indian cradle song by louis armstrong turned achmon, my brother, my brother, stupifaction at this music that represented incredible freedom...played jazz for the rest of his life.
 
 
 
In 1934, Louis Vola formed the "[[Quintette du Hot Club de France]]" with  
 
Reinhardt, [[violin]]ist [[Stéphane Grappelli]], Reinhardt's brother [[Joseph Reinhardt|Joseph]] and [[Roger Chaput]] on guitar, and [[Louis Vola|himself]] on bass. Occasionally Chaput was replaced by [[Pierre Ferret|Pierre "Baro" Ferret]]. The concept of "lead guitar" (Django) and backing "rhythm guitar" (Joseph Reinhardt/Roger Chaput or Pierre Ferret) was born with that band. They also used their guitars for percussive sounds, as they had no true percussion section.
 
  
 
Reinhardt later formed bands with more conventional instrumentations as with [[clarinet]] or [[saxophone]], [[piano]], [[double bass|bass]] and [[drums]]. He produced numerous recordings at this time with the quintet. But he played and recorded also with many American Jazz legends such as [[Coleman Hawkins]], [[Benny Carter]],  [[Rex Stewart]] (who later stayed in Paris), and a jam-session with jazz legend [[Louis Armstrong]]. Reinhardt could neither read nor write music, and was barely literate.  Stéphane took the band's downtime to teach him.
 
Reinhardt later formed bands with more conventional instrumentations as with [[clarinet]] or [[saxophone]], [[piano]], [[double bass|bass]] and [[drums]]. He produced numerous recordings at this time with the quintet. But he played and recorded also with many American Jazz legends such as [[Coleman Hawkins]], [[Benny Carter]],  [[Rex Stewart]] (who later stayed in Paris), and a jam-session with jazz legend [[Louis Armstrong]]. Reinhardt could neither read nor write music, and was barely literate.  Stéphane took the band's downtime to teach him.

Revision as of 12:28, 7 July 2007

Django Reinhardt
Birth name Jean Baptiste Reinhardt
Born January 23, 1910 in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium
Died May 16, 1953 in Fontainebleau, France
Genre(s) jazz
Occupation(s) guitarists, composer
Instrument(s) Guitar
banjo, clarinet

Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt (January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953), the legendary gypsy jazz guitarist, is one of the most innovational European musicians of the twentieth century, having contributed to the transformation of early straight jazz into "hot jazz" with his masterful improvisational skills and long, dancing arpeggios.

Born into and raised along the caravan trail traveled by a tribe of French gypsies, or Manouches, Reinhardt developed a taste for music early on, falling heir to the stylings of a nomadic culture that was a rich melee of world music tastes. Django would later incorporate his unique musical upbringing into the already thriving jazz scene, introducing to the world an interpretation of the genre which still holds present sway. Today, there is no other jazz musician who has a whole genre developed in his wake. Django remains a cultural hero to maverick guitarists world-round who play his music as an homage to the legendary originator of the "gypsy jazz" sound.


Biography

Born in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium, Django was named from the Romany word meaning, "I awake." Reinhardt spent most of his youth in gypsy encampments close to Paris. Gypsies, frequently on the road and often with much time to fill with the pursuit of art, were perfect conduits for the world music spirit. Django's father was a talented musician and it was from him that he leanred his first instrument, the violin, as a young child around camp fires. His mother, also, was a talent in her own right, often performing in song and dance on the tailgate of the caravan.

Django later picked up several more instruments, the banjo, guitar, and a hybrid of the two, called a guitjo, and profited from his rising talent at county fairs and on town streets. In addition, to help support the family, Django earned money by fixing musical instruments and weaving baskets. When he was 14, the young artist began his professional career accompanying accordionist, Guerino, in underworld, working-class Parisian dance halls.

Reinhardt's talents and reputation as a musician in the city rose steadily, until, at the age of 18, Django knocked over a candle on his way to bed after returning from a performance late one night. The fire ravaged the caravan and Django, in addition to losing all of his possessions, was seriously injured. With first and second-degree burns covering half of his body, the doctors warned Django that he would never play the guitar again due to his badly burnt left hand, and what more would have to amputate his paralyzed right leg. Luckily, the young artist recovered unexpectedly well and within a year was able to walk again with the use of a cane.

Even more miraculous was that Django, with a new guitar given to him by his brother Joseph Reinhardt—an accomplished guitarist, as well—fought through painful rehabilitation and non-stop practice to relearn his craft. Such a feat would only be possible if Django could form a completely new method developed around the permanently paralyzed third and fourth fingers of his left hand. To accomplish this, Django would use his index and middle fingers to manage the fretboard, while his other two fingers in the form of a claw could only occassionaly be used for some chords. It was this new method centered around his deformed hand that, in part, contributed to Django's unique style full of the wildly choreographed arpeggios that he is famous and loved for now.

With his persistant nature and dedication to his craft, Reinhardt, despite the odds, transitioned from prodigy to rising virtuoso by his early twenties. It was then, in 1932 or 1933, that a friend of his invited him up to his apartment to listen to some records. One song in particular, Louis Armstrong's "Indian Cradle Song", stirred Django to the point that he muttered in awe to his friend, "Achmon, my brother, my brother..." This was Django's first encounter with jazz music, and his impression of it was that it represented incredible freedom. From that day, Reinhardt would play jazz music for the rest of his life.

In 1934, Louis Vola formed the "Quintette du Hot Club de France" with Reinhardt, violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Reinhardt's brother Joseph and Roger Chaput on guitar, and himself on bass. Occasionally Chaput was replaced by Pierre "Baro" Ferret. The concept of "lead guitar" (Django) and backing "rhythm guitar" (Joseph Reinhardt/Roger Chaput or Pierre Ferret) was born with that band. They also used their guitars for percussive sounds, as they had no true percussion section.

Reinhardt later formed bands with more conventional instrumentations as with clarinet or saxophone, piano, bass and drums. He produced numerous recordings at this time with the quintet. But he played and recorded also with many American Jazz legends such as Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Rex Stewart (who later stayed in Paris), and a jam-session with jazz legend Louis Armstrong. Reinhardt could neither read nor write music, and was barely literate. Stéphane took the band's downtime to teach him.

nazis were rounding up gypsies, nazis liked jazz, paris was the nazis brothel...greatest star was django so they spared him.

owned his own club in paris during second world war

As World War II was declared, the original quintet was on tour in the United Kingdom. Reinhardt returned to Paris at once, leaving his wife behind. Grappelli remained in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war and Reinhardt reformed the quintet in Paris with Hubert Rostaing on clarinet in place of Grappelli's violin.

Reinhardt survived World War II unscathed, unlike many other Gypsies who perished in the concentration death camps of the Nazis. It was especially hard for Django's people because jazz itself was not allowed under Hitler's regime. He had the help of a Luftwaffe official named Dietrich Schulz-Köhn, also known as "Doktor Jazz," who deeply admired his music. In 1943 Django married Sophie Ziegler in Salbris, with whom he had a son, Babik Reinhardt, who went on to become a respected guitarist in his own right.

After the war, Reinhardt rejoined Grappelli in the UK, and went on to tour the United States, opening for Duke Ellington, and playing at Carnegie Hall, with many notable musicians and composers such as Maury Deutsch. Despite Reinhardt's great pride in touring with Ellington (one of his two letters to Grappelli relates this excitement), he wasn't really integrated into the band, playing only a few tunes at the end of the show, with no special arrangements written personally for him. He was used to his brother, Joseph, carrying around his guitar for him and tuning it. Allegedly, Reinhardt was given an untuned guitar to play with (discovered after strumming a chord) and it took him five whole minutes to tune it. Also, he was used to playing the Selmer Maccaferri, the guitar he made famous, but he was required to play a new amplified model. After "going electric," the results were not as much liked by fans. He returned to France with broken dreams, but continued to play and make many recordings.


one visit to u.s. and the great myth is that it was a complete disaster....1946 with duke ellington's orchestra as a special guest soloist....media couldn't fine enough superlatives for his music...was a dreamer, and thought he would become a great american star...but this didn't happen so he considered the tour a failure...came to america playing swing, returned to paris thinking of beebop and modern jazz which is the new direction he took

After returning to France, Django spent the remainder of his days re-immersed in gypsy life, having found it difficult to adjust to the modern world. He would sometimes show up for concerts without a guitar or amp, or wander off to the park or beach, and on a few occasions he refused even to get out of bed. However, he did continue to compose and is regarded as among the most advanced guitar players of jazz music.

In 1948, Reinhardt recruited a few Italian jazz players (on bass, piano, and snare drum) and recorded one of his most acclaimed contributions, "Djangology," once again with his compatriot Stephane Grappelli on violin. However, his experience in the U.S. made him a different person than what Grappelli had known, influenced greatly by American jazz. But on this recording, Reinhardt switched back to his old roots, once again playing the Acoustic Selmer-Maccafferi. This recording was recently discovered by jazz enthusiasts and is now available in the U.S. and Europe.

In 1951, he retired to Samois sur Seine, France, near Fontainebleau. He lived there for two years until May 16, 1953, when, while returning from the Avon train station, he collapsed outside his house from a brain hemorrhage. It took a full day for a doctor to arrive and Django was declared dead on arrival at the hospital in Fontainebleau.


The Nature of the Music and the Man

sometimes jaunty, sometimes sad ...long,glorious arpeggios of notes using two fingers dashing up and down the fret board

nuage means clouds, bittersweet melancholy, ersatz anthem for the french, invoking the days before the war

didn't talk much in general, similar to harpo marx when on stage, talked through his guitar, french was his second languge, romany his first

would vanish from time to time, heard the call of nature, disappearing for a week or two weeks to play at gypsy campfires, played when the spirit moved him

was definitely a family man, gypsies are famous for extended family...was around his family all the time...his brother was his rhythem guitarist

wherever he stayed became an encampment for his extended family...had difficulty moving into normal apartments...would leave water running to sound like a stream, hated electric lights and preferred lanterns

  • Reinhardt and other guitarists of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France used a Selmer Maccaferri acoustic guitar.
  • The Quintet of the Hot Club of France was one of the few well-known jazz bands to have no drums or percussion section. The percussive sounds were played on a guitar.
  • Reinhardt was known by his band, fans, and managers to be extremely unpredictable. He would often skip sold-out concerts to simply "walk to the beach" or "smell the dew."


Influence on and admiration by other musicians

Many musicians have expressed admiration for Reinhardt, including guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, classical guitarist Julian Bream; country artist Chet Atkins, who placed Reinhardt #1 on a list of the ten greatest guitarists of the 20th century (he placed himself fifth); Latin rocker Carlos Santana; blues legend B.B. King; the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia; Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi; Jimi Hendrix; Shawn Lane; Stevie Ray Vaughan; Mark Knopfler; Les Paul; Joe Pass; Peter Frampton; Denny Laine;Jeff Beck; Steve Howe; Charlie Christian; George Benson; Wes Montgomery; Martin Taylor; Tchavolo Schmitt; Stochelo Rosenberg; Biréli Lagrène; John Jorgenson; Michael Angelo Batio; Richard Thompson; Robert Fripp; and Jeff Martin. Willie Nelson wore a Django Reinhardt T-shirt on tour in Europe in 2002, stating in an interview that he admired Django's music and ability. The British guitarist Diz Disley plays in a style based on Reinhardt's technique and he collaborated on numerous projects with Stéphane Grappelli;

Reinhardt also had an influence on other styles and musical genres, including Western Swing, notably in the work of Bob Wills.

Musicians have paid tribute to Reinhardt in many other ways, such as by invoking his name in their own work or personal life. Jimi Hendrix is said to have named one of his bands the Band of Gypsys because of Django's music. A number of musicians named their sons Django in reference to Reinhardt, including David Crosby, former Slade singer Noddy Holder, Jerry Jeff Walker, Richard Durrant, and actors Nana Visitor and Raphael Sbarge. Jazz musician Django Bates was named after him.

Songs written in Reinhardt's honor include "Django," composed by John Lewis, which has become a jazz standard performed by musicians such as Miles Davis. The Modern Jazz Quartet titled one of their albums Django in honor of him. The Allman Brothers Band song Jessica was written by Dickey Betts in tribute to Reinhardt — he wanted to write a song that could be played using only two fingers. This aspect of the artist's work also motivated Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, who was inspired by Reinhardt to keep playing guitar after a factory accident that cost him two fingertips.

In 2005, Django Reinhardt ended on the 66th place in the election of The Greatest Belgian (De Grootste Belg) in Flanders and on the 76th place in the Walloon version of the same competition Le plus grand belge.

Reinhardt in popular culture

Movies

  • Reinhardt is the idol of the fictional 1930s guitarist Emmet Ray (played by Sean Penn), who passes out upon meeting Django in the Woody Allen film Sweet and Lowdown (1999).
  • Reinhardt is portrayed in the opening sequence of the 2003 animated film Les Triplettes de Belleville. The third and fourth fingers of the cartoon Reinhardt are considerably smaller than the fingers used to play the guitar.
  • He is portrayed by guitarist John Jorgenson in the movie Head in the Clouds.
  • The song Johnny Depp plays in the river party scene in Lasse Hallström's Chocolat was Django and Grapelli's hit, "Minor Swing."
  • Reinhardt's music has been used in the soundtrack of many films, including the oracle scene in The Matrix; Rhythm Futur (95 minute mark) and I Can't Give You Anything But Love (41 minute mark) in The Aviator; Nuages in Gattaca; the score for Louis Malle's 1974 movie, Lacombe Lucien;the background for the Steve Martin movie L.A. Story; the background for a number of Woody Allen movies, including Stardust Memories, where Woody's character plays a Django record; Honeysuckle Rose in the background of the Central Park carriage ride scene in Kate and Leopold; during the Juilliard audition in the movie Daltry Calhoun; Minor Swing and Blues Clair in Metroland for which Mark Knopfler wrote the score; his rendition of Brazil can be heard on the "Something's Gotta Give" soundtrack; and Minor Swing in the scene in the painter's house in the Italian film "I Cento Passi." Reinhardt's work also figures heavily into B. Monkey and The Pallbearer.
  • Reinhardt is the idol of the character Arvid in the movie Swing Kids. The character loses movement in two of his fingers, but is inspired to continue by Reinhardt's example.
  • An extended discussion of Reinhardt takes place among several characters in the novel From Here to Eternity by James Jones.
  • The character Andre Custine has a double bass that had been played by Reinhardt in the novel Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds.
  • The 2002 video game Mafia used many of his songs on the soundtrack.
  • Sealab 2021 paid tribute to Django in the episode "Bebop Cola." In it, Captain Murphy comments on a drink dispensed from the Bebop Cola machine: "Ahh, Mango Reinhardt! The thinking man's pop!"
  • Harlan Ellison's short story "Django" is a fantasia about a guitarist, with similarities to Reinhardt.
  • The Django web framework, a Python web framework, was named after Reinhardt.
  • Author William Kotzwinkle's 1989 collection, The Hot Jazz Trio stars Reinhardt in a surrealistic fantasy also featuring Pablo Picasso.
  • In the classic Italian western, "Django," the titular hero is presumably named after Reinhardt. In the climax of the movies, his hands are smashed by his enemies and he is forced to fire a gun with his wounded hands,
  • The song Django from the 1973 Lindsey Buckingham / Stevie Nicks self-titled debut album is presumably a tribute to Reinhardt.
  • The song "Muskrat Love" by America (band) makes a comment about Django, though spelled "Jango" in the lyrics.

Discography

Releases

  • 1945 Paris 1945
  • 1951 Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club Quintet
  • 1951 At Club St. Germain
  • 1953 Django Reinhardt et Ses Rythmes
  • 1954 The Great Artistry of Django Reinhardt
  • 1955 Django's Guitar
  • 1959 Django Reinhardt and His Rhythm
  • 1980 Routes to Django Reinhardt - Bireli Lagrene, www.jazzpoint.de
  • 1996 Imagine
  • 2001 All Star Sessions
  • 2001 Jazz in Paris: Swing 39
  • 2002 Djangology (remastered) (recorded in 1948, discovered, remastered and released by Bluebird Records)
  • 2003 Jazz in Paris: Nuages
  • 2003 Jazz in Paris: Nuits de Saint-Germain des-Prés
  • 2004 Le Génie Vagabond
  • At least eight compilations have also been released.


External links

Credits

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