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Jazz Articles about Django Reinhardt
Chapter Four: The Name on the Marquee
by Alan Bryson
Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 Back in Amsterdam, the crisp Belgian Acte de Naissance for “Willem Bakker" felt like a heavy gold coin in Django's pocket--valuable, but not quite him. He and Dirk celebrated quietly in the back room of the shop with a bottle of decent ...
Continue ReadingChapter Three: The Uncle and the Ghost
by Alan Bryson
Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 The back room of Dirk's record shop had become more than just a place for Django to occasionally crash; it was a sanctuary, a classroom, and the crucible where his new musical identity was being forged. Stacks of LPs formed precarious towers ...
Continue ReadingChapter Two: The Flood
by Alan Bryson
Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 Initially, his survival instincts had kicked in. As the disorienting shock of this new world sank in, he grew increasingly numb and cautious. The days blurred into weeks, the sheer, unadulterated strangeness of 1967 Amsterdam began to erode Django's hastily constructed defenses. ...
Continue ReadingChapter One: The Dam Square Shuffle
by Alan Bryson
Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 One minute, Django Reinhardt, seventeen years of raw Manouche talent and nervous pre-nuptial jitters, was breathing the familiar fug of his caravan, the scent of woodsmoke and Gauloises thick in the air, his beloved Naguine's laughter still echoing in his ears. The ...
Continue ReadingBe-Bop Django and a Whole Lot More
by Marc Cohn
A show for you? Of course. We start with twenty-first century music from pianist Andy Adamson, trumpeter Farnell Newton, saxophonist Troy Roberts, and guitarist Jocelyn Gould. Not enough guitar? Well, Joe Pass plays Django Reinhardt, and then Django plays bebop from his last recording session before his death--quite a revelation if the only Django you've heard is his 'Hot Club Swing.' We celebrate the centennials of Dave Brubeck (duets with Paul Desmond) and Carmen McRae (with strings). Then it's off ...
Continue ReadingDjala Michto At Ketje, Nice
by Martin McFie
Djala Michto Quartet Le Ketje Nice, France September 20, 2019 Manouche or Gypsy Jazz started when Django Reinhardt first heard American jazz musicians in France during the interwar years. Django blended gypsy tunes and his compositions with Swing rhythm. In Paris his music reached a zenith in the Hot Club of France quintet which Django led with violinist Stephane Grappelli. Le Ketje (Belgian slang for Street Kid) is a double fronted bar near ...
Continue ReadingSmall Groups of the 1930s – Benny Goodman, Django Reinhardt, and John Kirby (1934 - 1941)
by Russell Perry
In the last hour we heard from prominent Swing Era soloists Chu Berry, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Hodges and Lester Young, featured in small group settings. Continuing in the small group vein, in this hour we'll hear from the Benny Goodman Trio, Quartet and sextet, Django Reinhardt and le Quintette Du Hot Club de France avec Stéphane Grappelli and the influential, but less well-known sextet led by bassist John Kirby. For U.S. readers, listen here:
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