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Diango's guitarIt is rare in the guitar world for a player to be l inked throughout his career with just onecompany, let alone just one type of guitar. Yet, by u series of coincidences, a classicalguitarist and luthier with l itt le knowledge of the jazz world was to design a guitar thatgradually evolved to become the only guitar Django Reinhardt was ever to endorse.Thevast majority of his recordings and concerts were performed on this one model. and byassociation it has become the first choice for guitarists around the world seekins thatelusive Gipsy-jazz authenticity.

MARIO MACCAFERRIIn 1930 Mario Maccaferri was well known across Europe as a classical guitarist.having given recitals in his native Italy and in France. Switzerland and Germany.As a young man he had been apprenticed to the instrument maker LuigiMozzani in his hometown of Cento. FIe had learned to make guitars, harp-guitars, mandolins. violins and other stringed instruments. while simultaneouslystudying the guitar. He had been living in London for two years. teaching andgiving the occasional concert or touring. In his spare time he had built a fewprototypes of experimental guitars. intended to improve the range and projectionof the instrument. no doubt spurred on by the need to be heard at the back of thelarger concert halls.

He bel ieved that contact between the player 's body and the back of the gui tarrobbed the guitar of its tone. and devised a two part structure to fit inside theguitar and resonate unhindered by contact with the player. Firstly there was aninner box that f i t ted c losely inside the back and sides of the lower bout of theguitar, with an opening where it faced the soundhole. There was then addeda'reflector' that curved from the back of the guitar towards the oppositeside of the soundhole, so that sound emerging through the box openingwould be reflected out through the soundhole. This internal soundboxand reflector are the reason for the characteristic large D-shapedsoundhole on the original Maccaferri desisn.

THE SELMER MACCAFERRIIn 1931, Maccaferr i , an astute businessman as wel l as a music ianand inventor. showed his plans to Ben Davis, the manager of theSelmer shop in London. He in turn suggested a meet ing wi thHenri Selmer in Paris to discuss setting up a workshop at theSe lmer fac to ry to manufac ture gu i ta rs under Maccafer r i ' sdirect ion. As a c lassical p layer. the designer 's main interest was ingut-stringed guitars, but Davis was kcen to compete with hisbusiness r ivals who werc import ing steel-str inged Epiphones.Gibsons and Martins from the LJSA. As he ran a shop frequented

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by all the best jazz players in England he was also aware of the shift away from

banjo towards guitar in jazz groups. Seeing a business opportunity, he requested

that the product l ine be expandcd to include steel-str inged instruments.

In seeking inspirat ion for th is addi t ional gui tar , Mario turned to the

mandol in, an instrument he knew to be loud relat ive to i ts s ize and capable of

good art iculat ion and rcsponse. He took some elements of gui tar design - eg, an

arched top - and combined them with the bent down shape that was tradi t ional in

mandol in design, where the top angles toward the back of the instrument behind

the br idge, which is held in place by the downward pressure of the str ings, rather

than glued. The soundbox and ref lector were part of th is gui tar design too, which

meant i t a lso had the D-shaped soundhole.

Manufactur ing gui tars in the 1930s was a semi- industr ia l process. Lathes and

cutt ing machines were used to prepare wood and metal parts, and dies needed to

be made for stamping out parts such as the bent metal ta i lp iece and tuner covers.

Workers at Selmer. wor ld leaders in brass and woodwind instruments.

were expcricnccd in both metalwork and woodwork and Maccaferri had

superv ised produc t ion in Mozzan i ' s workshop as a young man.

Production quickly gathered pace during 1931 and the first guitars were

shipped in IL)32. almost all going to London.

The level of commitment f rom the Selmer Company to i ts new role

of gui tzrr mzrker is shown by the inclusion of no fewer than f ive

models in the catalosue in that f i rst vear.

THE GUITARSThe guitars fall neatly into two types. There were the classical

models, intended for gut str ings. which were cal led Concert ,

Espagnol and Classique. Then there were two steel str ing models:

the Orchestre ( later known as the Jazz) and the Hawai ian. Al l were

marked inside 'Henr i Selmer. Par is ' . in i t ia l ly by means of a bakel i te

platc; later ar labcl was glued to the inside ol the gui tar showing the

serial number. The Selmer logc-r was also engraved on the face ol themodel name and

headstock along with one of Maccaferr i 's var ious patent numbers.

The ConcertThc Conccrt model c losely resembled the more f amous Orchestre or Jazz model, and

was probably the design closest to Maccaferr i 's personal idea of gui tar heaven. The body

was largcr than usual 1 'or a c lassical gui tar and of a shzrpe ent i re ly thc designer 's own,

part ly to give a greater volume but also to make room for the inner soundbox. I t had a

deep cutaway to the l5th f ret . a feerture that is not universal ly accepted on classical

gui tars even today. The heel was f lat where the neck jo ins thc body. rather than pointed

as normal. There were 12 frets to the body on the wide f lat ebony f ingerboard. wi th

24 frets under the hieh E str ins accommodated bv an extension over the largc

D soundhole.

Django Reinhardt - Il|t MI|$IC

The head. neck and heel were made from three pieces of walnut and glued togetherwith the head and neck strengthened by a curved tongue- l ike tc-non jo int under the

f ingerboard. The wider than usual g lued-down classical sty le br idge was made of cbony

and had a two-part saddle to improve intonat ion. The internal ' fan' strut t ing of th isgui tar was simi lar to the normal pract ice for c lassical gui tars. and the European sprucetop was f lat . wi thout the arch of the jazz model. Thcre was el d ist inct ive t rapezoidheadstock wi th an ebony veneer and a zero f ret , the lat ter being common to al l thegui tars in the range.

The EspagnolThis gui tar had a more convent ional appearance, wi thout the large D soundhole orcutaway, and had a convent ional c lassical headstock. In other respects i t retained theother essent ia l features of the Concert . The soundbox was modif ied to al low for thesmal ler round soundhole.

The ClassiqueMaccaferr i or Selmer seems to have decided that

complete the range. and this gui tar had none of

standard c lassical instrument in every respect.

a convent ional sui tar was essent ia l to

the innovat ion of the others. I t was a

The 0rchestreThis was the instrument that came to be known as the Jazz model. I t was the same shapeand size as the Concert though it could be ordered without a cutaway. There were 24frets on the same f ingerboard extension and the same f lat heel . I t a lso had the internalsoundbox, D soundhole and three-piece neck. Four lateral struts replaced the fanbracing of the 'c lassical ' Concert model and a central strut was added to strengthen theglue jo int where the two halves of the top met.

The arch in the spruce top was obtained by curving the struts and then gluing the topto f i t : the gu i ta r was no t an 'a rch- top ' in the sense o f be ing carved l i ke a typ ica l 1930sarch-top gui tar . The top was bent down behind the br idge. mzrndol in sty le. and the backand sides were usual ly made from a three-ply combinat ion of mahosany on the insideand rosewood on the outside. The centrc laminate was usual ly poplar. la id wi th i ts grainat a r ight angle to the outer woods. Maccaferr i had discovered that correct ly madeplywood can be both strons and l ight . a l though today i t is of ten wrongly associatcd onlywith cheap guitars.

The str ings were at tached to the mandol in-sty le ta i lp iece screwed to the bottom ofthe gui tar , which could take ei ther loop or bal l end str ings. The br idge was not glued butheld in place by the downward pressure of the str ings and had wooden extensions ei therside. which were glued in place and helped with locat ion as wel l as being decorat ivc. Theslot ted headstock of the Concert model. wi th i ts t rapezoid shape. was st i l l present but thetuner spindles were made of steel to take the steel str ings. Maccaferr i 's innovat ive tunerswere encased in a screwed down box. protect ing them and ensur ing a t ight f i t . and thctceth of the cogs were cut at an angle so that more were in contact wi th the sear. The

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mechanisnt was lubr icated permancnt lv at the point c l f matnufacturc: these featurcs havesince become standard on mctdern manufacturers ' tuners.

The Hawai ianA modif ied version of the Orchestre modcl was made to sat isfy the demand for gui tarsthat could be played f lat on the lap wi th a steel bar. Herwai ian music wzrs very popular inthe LISA. and had also caught on in France and Br i ta in. The soundbox was retained. butthc cutarway was remclved as unnecessarv. Tl ' rc str ings are hclc l o1' l ' the I ' ingcrboard by ahigh nut. the f rets servins only as mzrrkers. A seven-str ing version was of fcred. but i t isesscnt ia l l y thc same as thc s ix -s t r ing w i th a la rger nu t tc t take thc cx t ra s t r ing and fourtuncrs on the top s ide of the headstock.

New ModelsIn the lo l lc lwing veelr some new models werc added to t l - rc range. including a hzrrp gui tarwi th threc extra str ings (Maccafcrr i was zr dcvotee). a four-str ing tcnor gui tar . the four-s t r ing tenor 'Grand-Modd le ' and the Edd ie Frceman su i tz r r . wh ich a t tempted to mod i f l ,the tuning of a tcnor banjo to obtain the sonor i ty of a gui tar . The lat tcr sui tar isnoteworthy only in that i t speci f ical lv excluded the soundbox zrs inef f ic ient .

SUCCESS AND FAILUREI t is l -er i r to say that the range as a whole wzrs not a success. Players did not take to theinncr soundbox. which seemcd tc l choke the dvnamics of the c lassicar l n-rodels andcontr ibuted l i t t le to thc steel str ing models. I t d ict s ive the c lassical gui tars a very evenresponse throushout their range. but consider ing the addi t ional t ime and expensc i tcztused dur ing manul 'ercture i ts inclusion in thc c lesign could hardly be just i f iecl . No morcthan a I 'ew clozen of most of the models wcre mardc. the cxcept ion being the Orchestremodel. wi th up to 200 being shipped to England in the f i rst vcars. where they wcrecerut iously ardopted by some prominent players. The Eddie Freemarn was macle in somcnumbers. though anv surviv inq examples tcr-rd to herve becn convertecl to 6-str ing use.

I f sales were s low in E,ngland. however. they began to pick up in France, not lcastbecause a certain sui tar p laying sensat ion. Django Rcinharcl t . had discovcred the gui tarand been widcly photographed playing i t . As the Quintet te du Hot Cl lub de Francebecame morc and more famous. so did thc Selmer gui tars wi th which i t was associated.1934 wt ls the vear the Quintet te made i ts recordins brezrkthrough. but by thenMaccaferr i had severcd al l connect ion wi th the Seln ' rer Company and with the gui tartha t he had des igned.

SELMER WITHOUT MACCAFERRIDuring thc course of 1933. a dispute developed bctween Maccalerr i and Hcnr i Seln-rer.I ts fu l l dctai ls czrn only bc suessed at . but the designer was unhappv with certain c lausesin h is cont ra rc t . and Se lmer mav have been unhappv w i th the su i ta r is t ' s in te res t in o therarspects of h is business. (Maccaferr i latcr lounded a highlv successful woodwincl reecl-n-raking business in America. compet ins direct l l ,wi th Selmer.) product ion wars wcl l

Django Reinhardt - Tllt MU$IC

establ ished in the gui tar workshop and could cont inue without the designer 's presence,but there were some immediate problems, not least that Maccaferri had taken outpatents on his soundbox design and it could no longer be used without his permission.The result was that during the years 1934 to 1936 the exact appearance of the Selmerguitar varied widely. D-holes, round holes and small oval holes, classical and trapezoidheadstocks, cutaway and non-cutaway bodies, and 12- and 74-fret necks all appeared onthese guitars in random order. Output fell steeply and gut-stringed models werediscont inued.

The new Moddle lazzDuring the course of 1936 a standard guitar was gradually developed which was toremain in product ion, apart f rom a few years dur ing the war, unt i l l952.The D-hole wasgone for good, as was the soundbox and the 12-fret neck join. Players had come to expecta 14-fret neck. which together with the cutaway gave excellent high fret access. Theoriginal shape tailpiece, bridge and headstock were kept. but a small oval soundholereplaced the now unnecessary D-hole. The fingerboard extension was discontinued and21 frets were fixed to the board, which ended curved round the oval soundhole. Thesame woods were used as before, although there are occasional minor variationsparticularly during wartime.

Django had publicised the Orchestre model and continued to be photographecl withthe new Jazz mc-tdel. Over the years he was to own and play many Selmers, as in exchangefor his support he was encouraged to visit the Selmer shop and equip himself and hismusicians as he wished. Guitars were often subsequently given away to friends, familyand col leagues. However he eventual ly set t led on one part icular instrument. number503,made in 1940, and kept i t unt i l h is death in 1953. In 1964 Django's wi fe Naguinedonated this gui tar to the Ci t6 de la Musique, Par is, where i t can st i l l be seen.

In 1939. hoping to exploit Django's growins success and association with the Jazzmodel, Selmer began to inscr ibe 'Moddle Django Reinhardt ' on the face of theheadstock between the string slots. This was mostly in flowing script, but some, includingDjango's own No 503, just have 'Django Reinhardt' in capitals. These guitars are in everyother respect standard Jazz models, however, and the practice was discontinued within ayear. The only other variation on the now established Jazz model was when a maple neckwith a flat. rather than slotted, headstock was fitted to a run of about 20 guitars duringthe years 1941 to lg42.These gui tars also had maple bodies and may wel l be the resul tof shortages of the usual materials due to the war. Some suitars made near to the end ofproduction can be found with rosewood necks.

THE DEMAND FOR COPIESBy 1952, gui tar product ion was a minute and i r re levant part of the act iv i ty of the Selmercompany and the decis ion was taken to shut down product ion. The ent i re contents of thegui tar workshop were sold to the Par is-based luthier Jean Beuscher. Many unf in ished ordamaged gui tars were completed or repaired in his workshop. and many parts were soldto other makers to be used on copies. In fact , the Selmer copy industry was already wel l

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Django Reinhardt - 0JAItlE||'$ E|IIIAR

under way in France. with many independent builders, often of Italian extraction,

offering Selmer-inspired instruments often at more affordable prices. Busato and Di

Mauro were among the most prolif ic imitators, though their instruments are rarely exact

copies and tend instead to have Selmer-l ike features such as the abrupt cutaway and the

oval soundhole.

In the ear ly 1970s. the Engl ish publ isher and instrument importer Maurice

Summerfield arranged for around 1,300 Selmer copies to be made in Japan for the IJK

market and sold under the CSL brand. These were good quality instruments and have

since become valued by guitarists. All had I 2-fret necks but both D and oval soundholes

were featured. In 1979 he instigated a further run of about 400 D-hole guitars under the

Ibanez brand, this time with Maccaferri 's approval and signature on each one, unti l

Maccaferri became unhappy with the quality of the product and refused to sign any

more labels. Japan's Saga company was next in l ine, with a series more closely based on

the Selmer tradition, including both l2-fret D-hole and 14-fret oval hole guitars.Thanks

to the spread of Django's music around the world and to his many followers there are

now countless makers producing copies of varying levels of accuracy.

THE SELMER LEGACYThe Selmer company made guitars for just 20 years and probably produced fewer than

1000 instruments in that t ime, mostlv steel-string guitars of a type not really intended by

the original designer. That they were innovative is beyond dispute, and though many of

the features that go together to make a Selmer can be found individually on other

guitars it is the combination of headstock. tuners, body shape, woods and construction

methods that makes them unique both in appearance and sound quality.

Most gui tar bui lders would not set out to create an instrument wi th the qual i t ies of

the Selmer Maccaferri. The bass is powerful without being boomy. the trcble can be

incisive or sweet, depending how the guitar is played. The deep cutzrwav ar-rd fast sharllow

neck cry out for a virtuoso to exploit the entire fingerboard. but in thc \\ 'rons hands its

immediacy of at tack and responsiveness can sound dry and br i t t le. A strctng vibrato is

required to preserve i ts sustain, though i ts saving grace is i ts abi l i tv to projcct : s ince the

only way for Django to ampl i fy his gui tar in the ear lv 1c)30s \ \ ' i is to play into a

microphone he seems to have appreciated this qual i tv rnore than anv othcr.

The Selmer captures the spir i t of the age in which i t rvzrs invented. and has become a

design icon in much the same way as the Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul . One

photo on a CD cover conjures up the era of swir-rg. of Gipsv jazz. of 1930s Par is and

London. when gui tar ists were emerging I ' rom the rhvthm sect ion to play s ingle note and

chord solos at the f ront of the band. The Selmer Mzrccaferr i grew out of the same need

for loudness that. across the At lant ic. had created the Mart in Dreadnought and the

Dobro Resonator l gui tars which have also found their 'n iche' ( in bluegrass and blues)

because of qualit ies that in other fields would be viewed as faults. Mario Maccaferri

never met Django, and Django was a phenomenon on any guitar, but it is fortunate for

us al l that the Selmer came along at exact ly the r ight t ime for Django to explore his

creat iv i ty to i ts l imi ts. and in doing so to create and popular ise an ent i re genre ol 'music.

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Play IANYONE LISTENING TO DJANGO REINHARDT play on the classicHot Club rccordinss can probably te l l he was one of the most remarkable gui tar iststherc has cver been. Even a casual look through the transcr ipt ions in th is book wi l lconf i rm thc extent of h is mastery of both the gui tar and the improvisat ion that isesscnt ia l to the Gypsy iazz sty le. Is i t possible to play l ike him? The fact that i t is notgoing to be easy does not discourage thousancls of people around the wor ld f romcnjoying the at tempt. With some suidance. bzrsed on careful analysis of what Djangoactual ly does. i t is possiblc to play some great. and sty l is t ical ly appropr iate music.

THE SOUNDA steel str insed acoust ic gui tar is ideal . and though i t c loes not have to be a Selmer-sty legui tar i t does need to be sui tablc for p lcctrum playing.A fair ly high act ion is preferable,for a cf ean buzz,- l }ee sound and lots of c lynamic range, though the str ings don' t need tobe part icular ly hcavy. Django used'Argent ines' which are relat ively t ight and have a sof ts i lver-plated copper wrap on a steel core, lending them a responsive but mel low qual i ty.LJse a st i l f p ick and get used to playins nearer the br idge than normal for an incis ivetonc. moving nearer thc neck for the warmer tones needed for bal lads and thoseexpressive momcnts. Idcal ly vou should keep vour whole picking hand of f the gui tar ,moving frcely f rom the whole wr ist and arm rather than rest ing the f ingers on the gui tartop. You shoulc l a lscl a im to pick v i r tual ly evcry note. as Django uses relat ively fewhammer-ons and pul l -of ls (or s lurs. ars they wi l l be cal led f rom now on). For the lef t hand.apart f rom strensth. spced, agi l i ty and co-orcl inat ion. an intense vibrato would be useful .Concentrate c ln 'wiggl ing' the str ing f rom side to s ide very rhythmicat ly to develop this.

DJANGO'S TRICKSMaster ing a few of the fo l lowing wi l l makc your playing morc authent ic: they also comein handy i f you run out of melodic inspirat ion.

Rakes and sweepsHere's a s implc sweep frctm 'Minor Swing' . bar 36:

ike Django

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Hold the first 4 notes down and play them with one

then add the last note wi th an upstroke.

This one from'Bouncin 'Around' is less easy. though

fingers down on the E and A strings beforc making a

str ings and sl id ing down onc fret to arr ive on E. Use

str ings. Good luck!

Django Reinhardt - PIAY lllfi I|JANB0

downstroke across four str inss.

again you need to start wi th thc

quick jump to thc D, G. and B

one downstroke across al l f ive

73) the -5 th o f A

BendsMost of Django's bends are of one

minor is bent up to the f lat tened 6th

semi tone . I n 'M in r t r S ' , ' n ' i nq ' ( ba r

and re l eascc l :

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Django Reinhardt - Tllt MI|$IG

In 'Minor Swing' . bar 59, the minor 3rd of D minor is bent up to the major 3rd, F#:

You wil l f ind many other examples in the following pages.

0ctavesDjango plays octaves in two ways, with either a one-string gap or a two-string gap, withthe middle strinss muted with the left hand. Both are i l lustrated here:

'Djangology' bars 53-57

'Minor Swins' bars 77-78

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Octaves are a powerful sound: use downstrokes for the downbeats in the first version.

and alternate down and up strokes in the second.

GlissandiYou can slide along the frets to a new note in either

you can pick the note again when you arrive or not.

expressive glissandi of all types; here is an excerpt

demonstrates just a few.

upward or downward directions, and

Django's playing is full of subtle and

from'Djangology' (bars 42-44) thal

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Tremolando or t remolo pickingEssentially this technique is the creation

al ternate picking. Django uses this on

Grappell i 's solos, such as in 'Sweet Chorus

of a sustained sound

chords, part icular ly'. bars 48-49:

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Django Reinhardt - Tllt MI|$IG

Tremolo gl issandoAs wel l as the rcgular gl issandi ment ioncd above, Django somct imes zrppl ies t remolando

picking as he sl idcs. creat ing a romernt ic mandol in- l ike 'sostenuto' . This can be heard in

th is example a lso taken f rgm'Sweet Chorus ' . bars 16- lB :

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(Tremolo pit'k slide.s)

Fast chromaticsDjango uses just onc f inger when playing fast chromert ic

picking (as above) wi th the gl issando- l ike movement over

impress ive examplc f rom'Bounc in ' Around ' :

scales. cc-r-ordinatir-rg tremolc-r

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HARMONY/MELODYAll the above are in the end just tricks, however, and without a good understanding of

the melodic possibil i t ies of the chords of a song you're going to be left without any true

substance to your improvisation. Here's an analysis of Django's playing from a harmony

viewpoint.

ArpeggiosGenerally speaking Django does not use scales at all.The odd melodic passage may refer

to a scale but his runs are based on arpeggios. (An arpeggio is a chord played one note

at a time.) If the chord is minor, use the minor 6th arpeggio and emphasise the 6th. This

example is f rom'Djangology' , bar1 9:

If the chord is major. use the major 6th arpeggio, emphasise

occas iona l l y too ( 'D jango logy ' . bar 111) :

the 6th and add the 9th

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Django Reinhardt - Tllt MU$IC

I f the chord is a 7th,also f rom'Djangology' ,

Frequently on a 7th

7th of the chord andor

Django sometimes uses a 9th chord arpeggiobar 30:

(A?)

as in th is example,

chord Django bui lds a diminished 7th arpeggio on the 3rd,5th,uses that, as in th is extract f rom 'Djangology' , bar 18:

A 7 e

above

Gypsy

Note that Django often plays arpeggios with some open strings.In a minor key, wi th songs such as 'Minor Swing' and 'Bouncin ' Around' , the

substitution wil l give you notes from the harmonic minor scale, for that authenticflavour.

It is important to remember to play melodically and not slavishly follow the chordswith one arpeggio after another. One way of making arpeggios sound more melodicallyinteresting is the 'decorated arpeggio'. Here you play a note above or below, or both,before or after playing the chord tone, as in these examples from'Minor Swing':

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does l ikc the sound of

Finally, make a conscious effort to use the whole guitar. for exantplc br ;rlaving 'call

and response' phrases in al ternately high and low registers. as in sevcral p laces in'Bounc in 'Around ' .

RHYTHM GUITARIf all this is too much for you, stick with the hard plectrum and tl-rc high action and plav

rhythm. At i ts most fundamental , Hot Club rhythm gui tar is l ike a pi le dr iver hi t t ing al l

four beats in a bar, each sl ight ly staccato and with a s l ight accent on thc second and

fourth beats. Make no at tempt to play any eighth-notes at a l l . Var iat ions on this can be

heard in 'M inor Swing ' and the much more expans ive and ' f i l l ed in ' 'Bounc in 'Around ' .

Use the kinds of chord shape found in the following pages. avctiding the bland bar-chords

that guitarists so often fall into using. With careful l istenins. the rhythm parts can be

heard qui te c lear ly on the CD, so just p lay along and inr i tate.

Which brings us to the most important piece of advice of all: to l isten. Keep going

back to the CD and l is ten to the tone. the phrasing. the notes. the accompaniment and

anything else you can think of. Learning to l isten makes us all better musicians. Play

along with the solos and then try making up vour own in the spaces left for the violin

solos. If you l ike what you hear. do it some more; if you don't, experiment unti l you find

something you do l ike. There are no rules, so just be guided by your own taste and

experience. That, after all, is how Django learned.

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Django Reinhardt - Tllt M||$IE

The TranscriptionsIn this section of the book you wil l f ind complete song transcriptions of six important

Django Reinhardt recordings. There are two medium tempo tunes, one in a major key

and one minor, and two slower tunes. again one major and one minor. The fifth tune is'Honeysuckle Rose' , a fast tempo example of the Quintet te 's abi l i ty at interpret ing the

work of other composers, and the sixth is the classic 'Nuages', representing the later

wartime period of recordings without Stdphane Grappell i.

NOTATIONAll of these tunes feature sections in 'swing' t ime. and some have sections in 'straight'

t ime too. Both ' feels ' are notated the same, but in 'swing' the quavers are played as the

outer two of a triplet (below). If you find this confusing just l isten to the enclosed CD

and copy what you hear.

Written: Played:

TABLATUREThe usual 'tab' conventions are followed, rhythms being found only on the notation

stave. Fingerings have not been included, as Django's own fingerings are rarely

appropriate for the four-fingered guitarist. It is possible, however, to play all of Django's

single-note guitar parts as found in the tab with just f ingers one and two, and trying this

can reveal a deeper understanding of his style. For example. using only the strongest two

fingers of the fretting hand can produce a more powerful tone than that produced with

fingers three and four by the normal player. Also certain arpeggio shapes become more

logical when this fingering l imitation is applied. Tiy it: you may wish to alter the tab to

suit in some places. Remember that a note can be found one string lower by moving five

frets higher, except between the G and B strings, where the interval is four frets.

SlursPlay the first note with the pick and sound the others with the left hand by pull ing-off or

hammering-on as appropriate.

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Rising slur orhammer-on:

Fall ing slur orpull-off:

Combined slurs:

Sl ides or g l issandiThese are notated using a straight l ine (below). Play the l i rst note and sl ide along the

string holding it down against the frets.

Slides or glissandi: Single note and chord tremolando:D

TremolandoThis is rapid alternate picking, either on single notes or on chords (above right).

Double bars mark the ends of sections. These are usually, but not always, eight bars in

length. The tab for each song is followed by a chord chart showing the basic structure,

with diagrams showing the chord shapes as played by the rhythm guitarists. The chord

name above the staves refer to th is under ly ing harmony, rather than to the passing

harmony generated by the soloist. Where Django plays chords as part of his solo their

names are shown between the gui tar staves to avoid confusion. Al l rhythm chords are

assumed to be in root posi t ion. 'Slash' chords are used where this is not the case. For

example. DT lA means a D7 chord wi th A in the bass.

Django Reinhardt - Tltt MU$|C

DjangologyIn this tune. f itt ingly named for the study of all things Django. the guitarist takes us on aromp through a selection from his endless repertoire of guitar effects and tricks. Thewhole piece is characterised by fast arpeggios and the free use of the entire fingerboard.we also find rapid alternate picking (bars 2il2g and 36/37), the occasional ,rake, orsweep (bars 30 and 59), ' t remolo picking' s l ides (bar 114) and regular s l ides or .g l isses,both up and down. Django also throws in some chord fi l ls (bars 56 and 62) anda passagein octaves.

INTRODUCTIONFirst, however we are treated to a virtuoso display of parallel arpeggios on guitar andviolin, based only loosely on the chords of the theme. The first two bars are based on 49,fol lowed by cmaj13 with an F#. (suggest ing the Lydian #1 1) provided by rhe viol in. Foriazzin 1935. th is is impressively modern. BbdimT then leads to an F#7 chord in bar 6,which is the start of a chromatic descent passing through a held F7. to arrive on E majorin bar 9' we have come a long way from the opening chord of 47 and the home key ofG major is sti l l nowhere in sight. The solo guitar then brings us first to 87, thenchromatically again to Bb7 and finally back to A7.and the start of the theme, though themelody is only hinted at in the first eight bars as Django improvises freely throughouthis choruses.

STRUCTUREThere is an eight bar A' section, which is repeated, with a 'B' section followed by oncemore through the 'A'. This is a common form for jazz and popular songs of the time andis of ten referred to as'AABA'. Each t ime through the form is cal led a.chorus, . Normal lythe B section would be the same length as the A, but here it is only four bars, giving alength of 28 bars for the whole chorus. Django and Stdphane take two choruses each, butin the f inal chorus Django takes the'B' sect ion, leaving Steph to f in ish the last e ight bars.The opening arpeggios then come back. modified to end on a held F#dim7 in bar 128before the arrival back on G and the conclusion with Django's guitar harmonics. It,sworth noting that the violin notes at the end can only be played on a guitar with at least23 frets' (An early D-hole Maccaferri, with 24, would do nicely.) The best alternative isto take the last four notes down an octave.

RHYTHM GUITARDjango was capable of coming up with strange and quirky chord sequences; .RhythmFutur ' or 'Black and white ' spr ing to mind but there are many examples to choose from.There is something so r ight and logical about th is one. however, that i t is easy to ignoreits originality. Note how the shapes flow from one to the next on the fingerboard, thereis deep guitar logic in this unusual progression. It also reveals how Django was able toplay fully f leshcd out rhythm parts despite the injury to his left hand. The notes on the

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Django Reinhardt - l|JfftlE0l0EY<

{ sixth and fourth strings are played with fingers one or two, whilst the injured fingers

three or four are wedged in to play the G string. The Ab and A major chords in the B

sect ion would be played' thumb over ' , ie, wi th the lef t hand thumb holding down the low

E string, a technique which Django used a great deal to compensate for the lack of

flexibil i ty in his third and fourth fingers.

HARMONY AND ANALYSISIn soloing on this tune Django begins wi th a melodic idea based on the arpeggio of the

,A.7 chord in the accompaniment. r is ing to the 9th. B natural . He repeats the B over the

Cm6 chord too; the strength of the melodic invent ion mzrkes l ight of such dissonances.

As usual arpeggios tend to be favoured over scales: C#dim7 is regular lv used over the

A7 chords (resul t ing in an A7b9 harmony) and Cm6 arpeggios occur in bars 11,19.47

but other devices include chromat ic f ragments (bars 15 and 22) and the use of the'blues'

minor 3rd, Bb, over the G major chord in bars 16 and 24.Django also puts in some of his

trademark decorative turns. based on notes above and below a chord tone. such as those

in bars 33,41, 48, etc. Not ice also how in bars 76171 , and more obviously in bars 33/35, he

creates tension by repeating the same short phrase again and again over the descending

chord sequence. Django imitators hoping to develop their ' two-f inger ' abi l i ty should

look closely at bars 28-29, a classic Django lick played with rapid alternate pick strokes

and just f ingers one and two.

For its variety. breadth of expression and sheer effortless mastery, Djangology is a

very worthwhile subject for study.

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Sweet ChorusDjango plays a typically quirkv solo introduction before bringing in the band for thisslow tune in G major. There are fewcr spectacular guitar gymnastics in this piece. Andal though there are some sect ions of fast arpeggios. Django prefers to elaborate on thebluesy chromat ic ism of the melodv with f rcquent bends and intense vibrato.

STRUCTUREAfter the intro there are just two choruses of the standard 32 bar 'AABA' form. Djangoplays the tune in the f i rst chorus. taking the opportuni tv to improvise beaut i fu l f i l ls andf lour ishes whenever possible. The viol in takes over the lead for the f i rst two .A' sect ionsof the second chorus, with Django providing some of his trademark tren-rolar-rclo chordsas accompan iment in bar 49 .The second 'B 'sec t ion invo lvcs bo th S tephane and D jango.but is in other respects a repeat of the f i rst 'B ' wi thout the sui tar i i l ls . The f inal e ight-barA' is a l l v io l in. but i t does give us an opportuni ty to examine Django's rhvthm plaving,and his str ik ing r is ing arpeggios at the end as the rhythm sui tars and bass drop out forthe last three bars.

HARMONYDjango has once again come up with a dist inct ive chord structurc. bui ld ine tension as theminor 6th chords r ise chromat ical ly and then releasing i t as the chords move to D7 andresolve to G. The 'B' sect ion or br idge is a masterpiece of understatement. s implyal ternat ing between chords G and D7 ( I and V7) before the convent ignal ' turnaround'

of Em. A7 and D7' (or VI. I I7 and V7). Not ice the use of the dissonanr sharpened fourthunder the D7 chord here. balancing the sweetness of the melody yu, i th some morequirk iness.

The G major chords in the rhythm part are played using the lef t hand thumb over theneck to hold down the sixth string, leaving fingers one. two and three to fret theremaining notes; th is is a common shape in hot c lub rhvthm plaving and wel l worthmaster ing as i ts sound is more transparent than the al ternzrt ive fu l l s ix-str ing bar chord.Django also uses this ' thumb-over ' technique to hold down the sixth str ing for the G6lgarpeggio at the end. He stops the fourth and f i f th str ings wi th his second f inger. leavingthe in jured third and fourth f ingers to hold down the top two str ings; i f you've everwondered how he managed to play chords with only two undamaged fingers this is wellworth studying.

MELODYBoth Reinhardt and Grappel l i seem to have been aware that there was a unique qual i tyto the melody of this piece, as they both remain faithful to its spirit throughout theirrespective choruses. Django sti l l manages to fit in some glorious fi l ls, such as themandol in-sty le t remolando in bars 16117 and the spectacular arpeggio-based re-interpretation of the tune from bar 38 to bar 40. He also seems to be able to come up

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Django Reinhardt - tlfi M||SIC

with an endless var iety of ways to decorate the opening'bend' mot i f of the piece, addingextra notes or chromat ic t r ip lcts each t ime i t re-appears. Bars 31 to 33 are a goodexample of Django's use of three and four note chords to create melody; the E minorchord appears in several different inversions leading to the A9 shape, which isapproached chromat ical ly v ia a G#9.

RHYTHMThere is a good opportunity to hear the Hot Club piledriver effect in action in this tune.The rhythm guitars simply play the downbeats (with downstrokes) for much of the time,though occasionally the upbeats after the second and fourth beats are ghosted in withupstrokes. The bass plays ' twos' ; ie, most ly only the f i rst and third beats, though i t 's notuncommon to add a four beat l ine, particularly at the ends of sections. This sort ofrhythm playing is an essent ia l part of the authent ic Hot Club sty le ancl c lose l is tenins ishighly recommended.

'Sweet Chorus' was the last of the six tracks recorded for the Gramophone label ofFrance on October 15th 1936.I t was one of two or ig inals recorded that day: the otherwas the classic 'Swing Guitars ' . Session records show that there was only one take, a s ignof the relaxed confidence of the band under recording conditions. This was the year inwhich they undertook their f irst international tours, to Holland and Spain, and althoughthe personnel was consistent on recording sessions and tour s, jazz was sti l l not thatpopular in France and work for the Quintette was intermittent. All the more remarkable.then, that their casual approach should produce a work of such beauty and depth.

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Django Reinhardt - Tllt M||$IG

in'AroundThis slow tune in G minor was written by the French trumpeter Gus Deloof and

recorded in Paris on September gth 1931 for the Swing label. It is not one of Django's

most famous performances, yet it features some of his most technically bri l l iant and

expressive playing. I t a lso has a s l immed-down rhythm sect ion. just one gui tar and bass.

which gives us the opportunity to hear the superb rhythm guitar of Louis Gast6

unclut tered by other instruments.

INTRODUCTIONDjango introduces the tune with some of his typical ly quirky arpeggios: a r is ing G minor

is answered by a fa l l ing diminished 7th, then back to G minor. emphasis ing as so of ten

the 6th of the chord, E. The C major 6th chord sounds strange, as the normal chord IV

in this minor key would be C minor. The two bar pattern is then repeated. this time

ending on a chord of D+ or D augmented. the dominant chord to G minor with the 5th

sharpened. The song is a standard 32-bar form. AABA, and Django takes two choruses

before finally returning to the introduction with a characteristic ending, again on a G

minor 6th chord.

THE SOLOThe tune is played with typical f lair and invention, using rapid decorative slurs, poignant

bends and galloping arpeggios. There are also some amusing interjections. such as the

open E and fret ted E together in bar eight and the absurdly fast ' rakes' in bars 14 and

30. The fast chromatic run in bars 59 and 60 should be played with the first f inger of the

left hand, with a glissando-like action along the frets co-ordinated with extremely fast

al ternate picking from the r ight hand. This may take a great deal of pract ice. but i t is

possible! Not ice also the change to a low register for the start of the second chorus. and

the subsequent use of the very highest register in bar 61. a good example of Django's use

of the whole gui tar . Other key moments include Django's str ident use of octaves in bars

43 and 44 (use only downstrokes with the pick to play these), some two-fret bends (eg.

in bar 53) and the desolate sound of the tune played in paral le l 4ths in the second chorus.

Rhythm and HarmonyThe rhythm parts give us a chance to examine Django's favourite and most versati le

chord. The same shape is used for both Gm6 and Am6. However. when used as Gm6 it

is chord I , the key-chord or ' tonic ' of the piece. When used as Am6 i t is ef fect ively chord

V the dominant chord. This is because this Am6 shape consists of the notes A, C and F#,

the 5th (E) being omit ted. The chord could be seen as D7, which should be D. F#, A and

C. but in th is case the root is omit ted ( in fact i t is suppl ied by the double bass). The same

shape is then used for Cm6, and can easi ly be added to in the'middle-eight ' or 'B ' sect ion

to create F9 for the key change to Bb major.

Few of Django's contemporar ies had such a grasp of gui tar harmony that they could

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play most of a song with just one chord shape, and it maybe partly due to his injured lef t

hand that he discovered and developed this technique. Django treats the first four bars

of the solo as all Gm6, preferring to view the Am6 chord as a passing chord. For once

there is a strong hint of 'blues scale' in much of the single note playing. He often uses a

diminished arpeggio (F#, A, C and Eb) to suggest D7b9 over the next two bars (eg, bar

18), and this diminished f lavour ing peppers the whole piece.

On this session one other t rack was recorded. a c lassic rendi t ion of 'St Louis Blues' .

The two were released as A and B sides of a 78 rpm record for what was then the world's

only dedicated jazz label. They wouldbe re-issued time and again on other labels.

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Minor SwingTiuly a Hot Club classic, this is arguably the most famous Reinhardt/Grappell icomposition of them all. At f irst sight it appears to be a tune of remarkable simplicity.There is a chord sequence involv ing chords I , IV and V7 in A minor. ( that 's Am, Dm andE7) and a melody based on a rising arpeggio of each chord.

Look a l itt le deeper and the form is not so straightforward: the theme is just eightbars long and played twice. Unusually, it is not re-stated at the end, there being a new'riff ' based eight-bar'outro' with violin and guitar in unison. rather than in harmony asat the beginning. Neither of these two chord sequences is used for the solos, as guitar andviolin take repeated choruses (four each) of a different sequence, 16 bars long this time.Nevertheless, the structural integrity of the whole piece is so strong that many musicianshave played it without even realising they are using three different chord sequences!

INTRODUCTIONDjango characteristically puts the minor 6th, B natural, in his D minor arpeggio thatunderpins Grappell i 's. Other jazz musicians of the time would have favoured C, the 7th,but Django's Gypsy heritage seems to come through in the use of this 'clarker' interval.Note also Django's typical use of a one-fret bend on the D minor chord. and that foronce the bass player gets a moment to shine with two simple but classic fi l ls.

RHYTHM GUITARThe strumming pattern during the solos is slightly unusual here, the regulation Hot Clubpiledriver effect being abandoned for a more complex mix of a short downstroke on thefirst and third beats, with an accented downstroke on beats two and four, and a l ighterupstroke on the following quavers. The resulting 'chack changa-chack' may need carefulpractice from even the most seasoned Hot Club aficionados.

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THE SOLODjango's dramatic chordal entry involves the use of his third and fourth fingers;obviously not a problem when playing chords. The first note of the following pull-off isalso l ikely to be played with finger four;it seems Django could use his injured fingers forsingle notes if he wished, though mainly on the E and B strings. Harmonically speaking,many trademarks can be found. The guitarist avoids the more common '1azzy' Dorianmode and instead goes for the dramatic-sounding harmonic minor scale. He also uses thediminished 7th chord built on G# to play over the E7 chord, creating a harmonyconsisting of E, G#, B, D and F, which make an E7b9 chord. Typically, we find the 6th, B,used on the D minor chord and its counterpart F# used on the A minor chord.

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A harmonic minor A Dorian mode

There are a few things in th is solo that wi l l cause even the rnost technicer l lv competent

gui tar ist to break into ar sweat. The 'swept ' i i rpeggio in bar 36. the l ' rcqucnt bends andgl isses. and the rapid arpeggios are standard stuf f for Django. as is thc chromat ic scale.probably played with one lef t hand f inger. in bars 4.1 to -16. The tre mol:rndo chord s l idefrom the 1Oth fret to the l5th and back down to the 3rd mav ci luse prroblcn-rs. hou,ever:

t ry gett ing the r ight hand up to speed on i ts own. f i rst . And the I 'o l lou' ing l 'ast chrontat ic

scale in t r ip lets, wi th an even faster arpeggio at the end. mav induce l ' rustrat ion nndresignation in equal measure.

The band recorded four t racks dur ing the November 25th 1937 session that included'Minor Swing', three of which were Reinhardt/Grappell i compositions. Beforc the end

of the year they had recorded seven more or ig inal composi t ions in var ious l ine-ups.

ranging from l3-piece band to the usual quintet. This was one of the most fruit l 'ul periods

for Django, and clearly composition had become a significant part of his creative l ife.

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Honeysuckle RoseThis recording was made at Decca recording studios in London, at the start of one of the

Quintette's most successful tours of England. where the band so often received a

rapturous welcome. The melodv of 'Honeysuckle Rose' would have been wel l known to

audiences in the 1930s so the Quintet te du Hot Club de France approach the song with

character ist ic f reedom. and Django prefers to quote onlv the opening bars of the vocal

refrain before launching into his solo. First . however. wc are t reated to a r i f f -based

introduct ion wi th a blues-t inged f lavour plaved in hatrmon) ' by Django and St6phane

Grappe l l i .

STRUCTUREThe song fol lows the standard jazz-tune'AABA'format of four eight-bar sect ions.

making 32 bars al together, preceeded by an eight-bar introduct ion in which the v io l in

and gui tar p lay in harmony. Django takes the f i rst two choruses and there is then one

chorus of Stdphane Grappell i 's violin. In the fourth and final chorus. violin and guitar

play a riff similar to the intro over the A sections, and, urged on by Django. Stdphane

solos on the last B section. The intro is then used as the outro, bringing the arrangement

to a satisfying symmetrical conclusion.

THE SOLOThe first two bars of Django's solo quote the melody of the song, but from there on he

improvises freely, and occasionally playfully, over the harmonically straightforward

changes. He plays a cute chromatic l ine in bars 79-2I, and avoids being bogged-down in

the otherwise simple harmony by using devices l ike a GdimT arpeggio in bar 23, even

though the underlying chord is F major. This chord is one of Django's favourite tricks.

GdimT consists of G. Bb, Db and E (or to be precise, Fb), which can be reorganised into

a chord of C7b9 with the root omitted: C,E,G,Bb and Db. He is therefore playing over

the F major chord with a C7b9 arpeggio. A similar diminished arpeggio can be found

over C7 in bar 45, (starting on C# this time) and over F7 in bar 59.

In bar 43 there is a different use of a diminished arpeggio as Cdim is played over a

C7 chord. This arpeggio gives the root (C), the #gth (Eb or D#), the #l1th (F#) and the

13th (A) and thus contains most of the dissonant, more interest ing notes of an extended

dominant chord. Notice how Django also delays the resolution of this C7 line to F major,

as in bar 46 he continues with C7 harmony even though the chords have moved on to F.

All in all he is able to mix up chromatic l ines. arpeggios. and octave passages into a

seamless whole as though every note was in place before he even began to play.

RHYTHMThe rhythm guitars play Hot Club at its simplest;downstrokes on the downbeats, slightly

staccato and with beats two and four slightly accented. This is the most common

approach to Hot Club rhythm and grew out of the swing feel found in the rhythm

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sections of bands of the 1920s, such as Duke Ell ington or Louis Armstrong.Django is such a great player that it is easy to lose sight of the importance of the

ensemble playing in these tracks. we take it for granted that the band is .t ight,, but we

should notice the l ively bounce of the rhythm section and the originality of thearrangement in the intro and outro (often copied note for note by Hot club-inspiredbands the world over). Adcl the subtle blues-inflected su,ing of St6phane Grappell i andDjango's relaxed and inventive solo and once again we have a classic. This was the firstof eight tracks recorded on January 31st 193u.The others include exemplary renditionsof the standards 'Sweet

Georgia Brown' and 'Night and Duy'. and no fewer than fiveReinhardt/Grappell i originals. A good day,s work.

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With the outbreak of war, in 1939. Stdphane Grappell i stayed in England, where theQuintette du Hot Club de France had been on tour, whilst Django hurried back acrossthe Channel to Paris. Gradually over the next few months he formed a new Quintette.wi th a sound more clear ly inf luenced by the American iazz of Benny Goodman. Gonewere the second rhvthm gui tar ist and the viol in. and in their p lace came the drums ofPierre Fouad and the clar inet of Hubert Rostaine.

With the fa l l of Par is and the German occupat ion camc a th i rst . in France. for thefreedom associated with al l th ings American. Django could hardlv have been betterplaced, and was in great demand as a performer and recording art ist .

'Nuages' was f i rst recorded with the band's regular instrumentei t ion on October lst7940, but the record, though only slightly different in form from the versign heard here.was never issued. On December 13th 1940, Django and his new qroup tr ied asain. th istime with the addition of a second clarinet, played by Alix Combelle. The record was aninstant success, has become an icon of French jazz, and is Django's most famouscomposition.

INTRODUCTIONThe track begins with a scurrying, edgy introduction, f irst centred on 89, then slidingchromatically up a step to C9, with the first clarinet providing the tension through a riffusing the flattened 5th of these chords. The solo clarinet then brings in the melody overan implied Db7, the contrast with the intro made more dramatic by the rest of the bandjoining in a bar later as the harmony moves through Gdim, C7 and finally to the homechord of F major.

Progressions using variations of II, V, I are common in jazz, but here the II chord issubstituted by a dominant built on the bVI, allowing Django to create an unusuallychromatic melody. The fact that Django does not himself play the melody is nodisadvantage to us, as we have a chance to hear his delightful f i l ls and tremolandosbehind Rostaing's expressive playing; both are transcribed, so you have the full picture.

Interestingly, this version of 'Nuages' is slower than the earlier one, adding to theominous portent of the introduction, and the extra clarinet allows for a thicker textureboth here and on the later big-band inspired riff section.

STRUCTUREThough the melody of 'Nuages' is 32 bars in length, the commonplace AABA form is notused here, as each eight-bar section is different from the others, giving us a form bestrepresented as ABCD. The only repeated material is found in the A section. which ismade up of two identical four-bar phrases. This same four-bar phrase also makes up thesecond half of the D section, though altered to bring the melody to a close. The structureof the whole track is even more complex, as we shall see.

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s0L0Django's solo begins with artif icial harmonics; the left hand frets the note as usual. butthe right hand thumb plucks the string whilst the index finger touches it 12 frets abovethe fretted note. Some players sound the harmonic with the pick by holding it betweenthumb and middle finger and again using the index finger on the octave; there may beother ways: experiment and see which works best for you. The resultant sound is oneoctave higher than written, with a charming, bell-l ike quality. There is also a natural ,12thfret harmonic to be found in bar 55, as Django punctuates a long, f luid phrase with abr ief moment of added sparkle.

RIFFSThe solo is followed by a great piece of arranging. Instead of re-stating the tune, as sooften happens after the solos in a iazz record, the two clarinets and Django's guitar joinin three-part harmony to play a riff based on the chords of the opening four bars.Essentially Django has shared out the three-note chords that he might have played onthe guitar between the three musicians to excellent effect. These chords, and Django'sthinking, can be seen below:

For the next section the form is now shortened slightly, the B section and first fourbars of C being omitted. as the clarinets play in thirds on the second half of C andDjango plays rhythm. For the first half of D the roles are reversed as the clarinets playa sustained supporting figure and the guitar plays a variation of the melody, before thesolo clarinet returns to finish the tune accompanied by Django's arpeggios and finalchordal comments.

With 'Nuages' . Django came up with a beaut i fu l and classic melody, a start l ing andoriginal introduction and a solo of typical inventiveness. He also managed to include aninteresting piece of harmony writ ing for guitar and two clarinets and to maintain interestby tinkering with the form. At this point in his career Django's mastery of compositionand arranging as well as of the guitar could hardly be more clearly demonstrated.

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The CD contains recordings of the s ix Django Reinhardt t ranscr ipt ions in th is book,including lead gui tar . two rhythm gui tars and bass. Th"y are model led on avai lableDjango recordings.vou can track c lown using the session dates and catalogue numbers.

The CD was recorded using a technique known as 'miclc l le and side' . in which a pairof ' f igure of e ight ' microphones are f ixed at r ight-angles. A Coles 4040 r ibbon mic facinginto the room captured the 'middle ' image, whi le a Coles 4038 provided the .s ide' or lef tand r ight imaqes. al lowing control over stereo width.

Rod Fogg plaved al l the parts, beginning with rhvthm sui tar onc. to the r ight of themics. He then moved to the lef t s ide to play rhythm gui tar two. thel added bzrss. in thecentre and back from the mics. Final ly the lead (Django) parts were plaved in monoimmediatelv in f ront of the Coles 4040. The recordings capture the acoust ic cf fect ofmusic ians grouped together around a microphone in a l ive room. as in the or ie inat l HotClub recordings. but al low the prominence of the lead gui tar and the dcsrce o1 slerccrspread to be determined at mixdown. This method was devised bv Huw pr ice. whorecorded. mixed and co-produced the cD with Rod Fogg.

TRACK 1: TUNING TONES

TRACK 2: 'DJANGOLOGy' (Reinhardr, Grappel l i )Based on P77540, recorded September 1935 by Django Reinhardt, guitar; St6phaneGrappell i. violin: Joseph Reinhardt and Pierre Ferret, rhythm guitars; Louis Vola. bass.

TRACK 3: 'SWEET CHORUS' (Reinhardt , Grappel l i )Based on OLA 1295-1, recorded October 15th 1936 with the same l ine-up.

TRACK 4: 'BOUNCIN' AROUND' (Gus Deloof)Based on OLA 1953-1, recordecl September 9th lg37 by Django Reinhardt . gui tar :Louis Gast6, rhythm gui tar ; Eugdne d'Hel lemmes, bass.

TRACK 5: 'MINOR SWING' (Reinhardr, Grappel l i )Based on OLA 1990-1, recorded November 25th 1937 by Django Reinhardt, guitar; StephaneGrappell i, violin; Joseph Reinhardt and Pierre Ferret. rhythm guitars; Louis Vola. bass.

TRACK 6:'HONEYSUCKLE ROSE' (Waller/Razaf)Based on DTB3s23-I,recorded January 3tst 1938 by Django Reinhardt, guitar;St6phaneGrappell i, violin' Roger Chaput and Eugene v6es, rhythm guitars; Louis vola, bass.

TRACK 7: 'NUAGES' (Reinhardt)Based on OSW146-I, recorded December 13th 1940 by Django Reinhardt, guitar;Joseph Reinhardt , rhythm gui tar ; Hubert Rostaing, c lar inet ;Al ix Combel le. c lar inet :Tory Rovira, bass; Pierre Fouad. drums.

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Django Reinhardt - BlBLl0GRAPllY

Bibl iographyManv books anc l ar t ic lcs on thc sub jcc t o f

Djz ingo. thc Hot C ' lub Quintc t tc i ind Cl ipsv

iaz. r , in senera l havc bcen publ ished ovcr the

vcars in sevcra l lanuuagcs. J-he l 'o l lowinq arc

p i r r t i c u l l r ' l v i n t e r e s t i n c .

Django Reinhardr by C'harlcs [)e launzrv

( A s h l c v M a i r k . 1 9 E l )

English translat ior-r of a mernoir [-r1, thc French

cr i t ic anc l co- founc ler o f thc Hot Club dc

France. who knew D. lango throushout l t is

career. Tiro ane cdotal to bc a true biogri iphv.

bu t f u l l o l ' i n t e r cs t .

D.jango's Gltpsies bv I i in Cruickshank (Ashlcy

Mark . 1994 )

Subt i t led 'The ntvs t ique of D. j : rneo Rcinhardt

and h is Peoplc ' . th is co l lcc t ion o f rncntorz tb i l ia .

c luota t ions. press cut t ings anc l phct toeraphs

presents a v iv ic l p ic turc o f D jangc ' r 's wor lc l .

then and nc lw.

Stiphane Grappelli b1,' Gcol'l 'r'ev Sr-nith

(Pav i l i on / M i chae l Joscph 1987 )

Exemplarv b iographv of D jango 's long- t inre

par tner . w i th a great deal about Djarnecr

hirnse l f .

La Tristesse de Saint Louis bv Michael Zwcrir-r(Qua r te t . l 9 [ J -5 )

The sub t i t l c . 'Sw ing [ Jnc l c r t he Naz i s ' .

descr ibcs the contcnts ner l 'ec t lv .

Jazz Awal: From Home by Chris Gedclarcl

(Paddington Press. 1971))

The ear ly impact o l - iazz on Europc.

par t icu lar lv Francc.

NOT E- fhe

term Ci ipsv (or Gvpsv) is I ' rowncd upc ln in some quar ters nowadavs. : rnd thc word Roma is

coming l rore in to favour . I have s tuck to Gipsy. not out o f c l is respect but becausc Roma has notyet a t ta ined un iverszt l cur rencv and mav not be undcrs tc tod by son le reac lcrs .

Tcr learn ntore ztbout todav's f lourishing Gipsv-jazz scenc. try wwwjazzpartout.com or. i l 'youhave p lenty o f t i r -ne. jus t tvpc "Djaneo Rein l ' r i i rd t " or "Hot Club" in to vour scarch engine. - l -heamount o f mi i ter ia l . in Engl ish. French. ( ic rmi in . Dutch. e tc . is qu i te aston is l - r ing.

recordingsSuggestedDjaneo 's rccord ings i t rc constant lv bc ing

cornp i led. re leascd. de le ted and repackaged by

rccord lz rbc ls around the wor lc l . Because o1

th is . i t i s imposs ib le to draw up a permancnt .

def in i t ive l is t o f the bcst avz i i lab le se lect ion.

Thc mzi tc r ia l l i s tcc l bc low was a l l cur rent in

Junc 2(X)4. nnd aclve rt isecl on zrt least one ol '

thc b ig mai l -order wehs i tes .

Sing le CD compi la t ionsQuintessentiol: Le Quintette du Hot Club de

France 25 Classics 1934-10

ASV L iv ing Er t r 5267

(A wel l -chosen sc lcc t ior r l ' rom thc c lass ic

pe r i od . )

Djangology (1934-35)

Naxos 8120 -51 -5

(The f i rs t l8 rc lcascd t rz icks bv the Quinte t te .

Thc fo l lowing two Naxos CDs covcr the rcs t

o1 ' t hc o r i g i na l Qu in te t t e ' s l i f c . )

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Swing Guiturs (I 936-37)

Nuros 812061i ( r

HCQ Strur (1938-39)

N a r o s 8 l 1 8 7 0 7

AII-Stur Ses.rinrrs

B l u c N o t c . l l . s 7 7

( lnc ludcs ntus ic I ' ronr Rcx Stcwi i r t anc lC 'o l cn l rn Hau k i ns scss io r r s . )

Doub le-CD packsPdche d Ia .llouche

Vc r r c S3 -5 + lN - l

( Post - r iar rccord ings. inc lud ing the contp le tc\ l l r r c l t 19 . i 3 31u " S ta r a l bun i . )

Gipsl' Jazz School: Django,s Legacl,I r i s \ l L r s i c 3 (X ) l 8 -+5

(Fasc ina t i ng co l l c c t i o r . r con ta in i ng a f ewD.januo tracks ulor-tgsicle er wclnclcrful paraclc o1'n ru t c r i a l bv o the r C i i psv . j azz eu i t a r i s t sFcrrc t . Vccs. Rose nberg. Joseph and Bahik

Dja n go Rei n hardt - A0lfltl0wLtl|0tMtNl$

Rcinhardt and cve n a shor t 1 t ) -52 rac l io

i n te r v i cw w i t h D jango h imse l l . )

Four-CD boxesDjango 50th Anniversary Memorial

EPM 1602()2

(Frenc l - r a tn thokrsv featur ins two CDs by thec l r is ina l Quin te t tc anc l one each f rom thewar t ime anc l post -war pcr ic lc ls . )

Django & his American Friends I93q-45

De l - i n i t i v c | | 167

(Scss ions I 'ca tur ins Colcntar r Halvk ins. D ickvWcl ls . Rex Ster ,v i i r t . Lar rv Ac l lc r . ( i l cnn Mi l lc rs i d c m c n - 1 0 I t r z r c k s i n a l l . )

Swing de Paris

Pnrper PROPERBX 53

(No l .cwer- thnn 103 t racks. f ront thc rc icc ted( " t oo mode rn " ) Odeon sess ion o1 ' 1934 t o t heClub St ( lermain qu in te t o l ' l9 -52. A gooc l

sc l cc t i on r cp rcsen t i ng cve rv phase . )

AcknowledgementsVIanV k ind ar ld scnerous o l ' fc rs o f hc lp were rcce ivcc l c lur ing thc rnak ing o l ' th is book: p lc .scacccpt I l rv thanks and apolog ies i l ' I have missec l vou l ' l rm th is l is t .

For thc lo i l l i o f qu i tars . and va luable backgrcunc l in formzr t ion on Sc lmers: N i ls Solbers a 'c lRcbccca Br t lwr t : Roger Pearce; Wurr jo Gui tz i rs . Lonc lon (www.wun. joeu i tars .com): B i l l pup le t t .

For record i r - rg the CD: Huw Pr ice.

For his esscntial boctk. - l-he

Strtrt ,o.t ' 'selnter-Muc't 'ufetr i Gtr i turs: Franqois Charlc(www. lu the r i e .nc t ) .

Davc Alexandcr (www.hotc lub.co.uk ) .

St r ings by Newtonc St r ings (www.newtonest r inss.cr - r rn) . Gui tars bv.krhn Le Voi(www. levo i . f recserve.co.uk ) .

v is i t www.rodfogg.com for morc on p lav ine Dj i ingo Rcinhar .c l t .