Born January 23rd 1910 in the Ville of Liberchies, Belgium, Django Reinhardt spent most of his childhood living on the Manouche caravan site in La Zone on the outskirts of Paris. His first instrument was the violin then the banjo and then the guitar. He learned music from his musician father and uncle. He was also strongly influenced by Gitan gypsies as can be heard in an early recording of Echoes of Spain. In particular he learned much from the banjo player and composer, Auguste ‘Gusti’ Mahler, the flamenco picking style of Jean ‘Poulette’ Castro, Laro Castro and Matteo Garcia. He played duet with his brother Nin Nin.and became so good on the guitar he turned professional by the age of twelve!(Dregni, 1961)
From 1922 to 1928 Django Reinhardt played at the Bals Musettes in Paris. At this time new types of music were being created in the halls. Dance music, such as the musette waltzes, paso dobles, tango music, were being played by ‘gypsies mixing them with dark minor keys and chromatics’ (Dregni, 1961). The music evolved from a blend of immigrant music including goat-herd laments, Auvergnat dance music suffused with Italian accordion tunes. Tziganes, Flamenco, Russian Balalaika and cymbalom music also flourished.
Early days
Django Reinhardt heard American jazz for the first time in 1926. It was the Billy Arnold’s Novelty Jazz band at the l’Abbaye de Theleme, Place Pigalle. He liked it so much he incorporated the improvised free style into his own playing of musette. Later he was invited to join the Englishman, Jack Hylton’s jazz band in 1928.
Then tragedy occurred when his caravan caught fire and he was injured losing the full use of his fingers. Over 18 months he relearned how to play in a new way using a fret technique he developed which involved playing vertically instead of horizontally. Amazingly once again he could play swing with ‘fast chords, arpeggio runs and chromatics’.(Dregni, 1961)
He acquired amazing dexterity with those two fingers, but that did not mean he did not employ the others. He learned to grip the guitar with his little finger on the E String and the next finger on the B. That accounts for some of those chord progressions which was probably the first to perform on the guitar… at least in the jazz idiom.‘ (Stephane Grappelly.’ Melody Maker 1954)
Up to that time Jazz was associated with black bands. (Wilson, 1985) A steady flow of African Americans began to reach Europe in the 1930s, notably Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, settling in Paris. Django first heard recordings of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington in 1931. Charles Delaney said that “Louis overwhelmed him. He took his hands into his head and began to sob, ‘Ache Moune! My brother’.”(Delaney, 1961) Django Reinhardt was inspired by their music incorporating it into the dance bands he played with at that time. In 1932 the jazz society called the Hot Club de France had begun.
In 1934 he met the violinist, Stephane Grappelly. This was a meeting that was to change his musical path. The pair had a great rapport and regularly jammed together. Later they were joined by Roger Chaput on guitar, Louis Vola on bass and Nin Nin the Hot Club de France became The Quintette du Hot Club de France with Django as band leader. At the Hotel Claridge the band held regular jam sessions with American musicians including Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter and Eddy South.(Wilson, 1985) In the same year he had the rare opportunity to accompany Louis Armstrong at the hostess ‘Brick Top’s place in Montmatre. (Delaney, 1961)
Their talent was recognised by Pierre Nourry and Charles Delaney who helped promote them. However, the bands’ first commercial recording failed because they were too modern! At the same time their innovative improvisation was gaining them popularity and Django.s unique and fresh playing led to a growing following. Later that year they had greater success with Dinah, Lady be Good, Tiger Rag and Stars. (Dregni, 1961)
During the war
At this time he was working on available gigs. Regular recording and session work came along in 1937 with Charles Delaney’s ‘Swing’ label. Django was by then composing his own jazz tunes, including ‘Minor Swing’ and ‘Bolero’. In 1938 Decca gave them a recording session. This was at the height of their success and in 1939 they went on a tour of Great Britain and Scandinavia. But the tour was brought to a halt with the Nazi invasion of Europe. Under Nazi rule Jazz had become the ‘cultural symbol of depravity made by gypsies and Jews’ (Dregni, 1961). Yet Django was asked to perform for the Gestapo. Six hundred thousand gypsies were murdered by the Nazis. Django probably survived because of his music.
Once back in France they resumed playing at the Hot Club. Duke Ellington’s orchestra had also arrived soon after. The band played to Irving Mills and Duke Ellington at the club. After the gig, Django had a playing session at the Hot Feet cabaret in Montmatre and was joined by the Duke in an impromptu improvisation session.(Delaney, 1961)
Meanwhile, in 1940, Gus Viseur, an accordionist who earlier had worked with Django, was one of the first to combine traditional Valse melody with a swing jazz beat. This music was to become Swing Musette. Other accordionists were to follow, including Antonio Murena and Jo Privat. Later to be joined by the guitarist Ferret brothers playing Valse bebop. During the war, despite nazi propaganda, Swing musette was popular with the people, even the German soldiers. (Dregni, 1961)
In 1940 Django Reinhardt added a Benny Goodman style clarinet player, Hubert Rostaig, a drummer Andre Jordan and a vocalist, Josette Dayde. Although Josette did not stay with the group. The music became lighter and the band became known as Nouveau Quintette du Hot Club du France. Charles Delaney said that ‘Paris no longer offered the quintet enough scope’ and in order to get more work, the band had to tour France. (Delaney, 1961) Swing dance was now all the rage in Paris. This gave Django Reinhardt the opportunity to fulfill an ambition by setting up a popular Ellington style 15-piece swing band called the Grand Orchestre Swing.
In July 1943 Django married Sophie Ziegler (Naguine) and by 1944 they had a son, Babik. Paris had been liberated and Django was free to travel abroad again.
Django was wakened to the modern sound of jazz when he heard ‘Salt Peanuts’ in 1945. It was the start of bebop, played very fast by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Bebop introduced the new melodic ideas, such as playing extensions, flat dives and new drum beats. He introduced playing in this style through his own compositions Cabal, Cabal, Duke and Duchy and Batik in his Nouveau Quintette.(Dregni, 1961).
America
When Ellington was giving a performance in Paris he fell in love with Django’s great guitar work and had him sit in with the band. And as soon as the war was over Ellington began the search that brought the famous musician in to the US and into the Duke’s band. The Chicago Defender 1946
In 1946 Django Reinhardt had a brief band reunion with Stephane Grappelly before going to the United States. Duke Ellington had invited him to a 5 week tour as a guest soloist. He also had a small quintet spot during the band interval. In Cleveland and Chicago, he wowed the American audience with his deft playing. But the New York critics were not as happy. There was to be two concerts at the Carnegie Hall. The first night went down well. The second night was a disaster due to his accidental late appearance. Deflated and homesick, he returned home in 1947. (Delaney, 1961)
Home
Back in Paris he reassembled a quintet with Hubert Roosting, Emmanuel Soudieux, Eugene Eves and Pierre Fouad. They went back on the road, touring Belgium, Germany and back to Paris.
In 1948 Dizzy Gillespie arrived in Paris with his big band where he and Django had the opportunity for a jam. (Delaney, 1961)
Django’s sound developed with the times. Changing from traditional jazz on to bebop and then on to cool. Rising to a new height in 1953 when he played with Dizzy Gillespie (Dregni, 1961).
‘S’wonderful featured a trumpet-guitar chase that showed these musicians to be of the same exceptional class’. Jean Louis, Jazz Hot 1953
He was about to record an LP with Oscar Petersen and Ray Brown but that was not to be. In Samois, May 15th 1953, he died of a brain hemorrhage at the age of just forty-three.
This article was taken in its entirety from gypsyjazz.org.uk, a comprehensive study of Django Reinhardt by Trish Elphinstone. All references may be found on the website. This article was reprinted with permission.
