Reinhardt, Django (Jean Baptiste Reinhardt), 1910–53, Belgian-born Gypsy jazz guitarist. Reinhardt began playing the guitar professionally at 12. He was severely burned in a fire in 1928, leaving two fingers of his left hand useless, but adapted his guitar style to the disability. Reinhardt, who had roots in France's popular dance-hall music, first encountered (1931) jazz in a Louis Armstrong Armstrong, Louis "Satchmo" (Daniel Louis Armstrong), 1901–1971, American jazz trumpet virtuoso, singer, and bandleader, b. New Orleans. He learned to play the cornet in the band of the Waif's Home in New Orleans, and after playing with Kid Ory's orchestra he
..... Click the link for more information. recording. He immediately began to experiment with jazz playing, often jamming with violinist Stéphane Grappelli Grappelli, Stéphane, 1908–97, French jazz violinist, b. Paris. Trained at the Paris Conservatory as a classical violinist, he became enamored of American jazz and devoted himself to the idiom, successfully melding African-American and European forms.
..... Click the link for more information. . The two worked intermittently (1934–39) with the Quintet of the Hot Club in Paris, where they both gained recognition. Reinhardt toured the United States with Duke Ellington Ellington, Duke (Edward Kennedy Ellington), 1899–1974, American jazz musician and composer, b. Washington, D.C. Ellington made his first professional appearance as a jazz pianist in 1916.
..... Click the link for more information. in 1946 and spent his last years in France, touring and recording. His clear, percussive playing style, strongly influenced by his Gypsy background, was notable for its virtuosity and improvisation. He was the first foreign musician to exert an influence on American jazz.
(born Jan. 23, 1910, Liberchies, Belg.—died May 16, 1953, Fontainebleau, France) Belgian-French guitarist. Of Roma (Gypsy) parentage, Reinhardt learned guitar at an early age, adapting his technique to accommodate the loss of the use of two fingers burned in a caravan fire in 1928. With jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli (1908–97), he formed the Quintette du Hot Club de France in 1934. He toured the U.S. with Duke Ellington in 1946. Reinhardt was one of the first important guitar soloists in jazz; his blend of swing and the Roma musical tradition as well as his unconventional technique made him a unique and legendary figure.
..... Click the link for more information. recording. He immediately began to experiment with jazz playing, often jamming with violinist Stéphane Grappelli Grappelli, Stéphane, 1908–97, French jazz violinist, b. Paris. Trained at the Paris Conservatory as a classical violinist, he became enamored of American jazz and devoted himself to the idiom, successfully melding African-American and European forms.
..... Click the link for more information. . The two worked intermittently (1934–39) with the Quintet of the Hot Club in Paris, where they both gained recognition. Reinhardt toured the United States with Duke Ellington Ellington, Duke (Edward Kennedy Ellington), 1899–1974, American jazz musician and composer, b. Washington, D.C. Ellington made his first professional appearance as a jazz pianist in 1916.
..... Click the link for more information. in 1946 and spent his last years in France, touring and recording. His clear, percussive playing style, strongly influenced by his Gypsy background, was notable for its virtuosity and improvisation. He was the first foreign musician to exert an influence on American jazz.
Bibliography
See M. Gregni, Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend (2004).
Reinhardt, Django
orig. Jean-Baptiste Reinhardt)
Django Reinhardt, 1947
(credit: Courtesy of down beat magazine)
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