Django Reinhardt
January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953
Django Reinhardt was one of Europe’s earliest jazz musician’s to gain fame on the international level. His style of choice was Gypsy Jazz on the guitar, spending much of his youth in gypsy camps near Paris. By the mid ’30s he was playing alongside the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter and Louis Armstrong. During WWII, Reinhardt escaped the fate of many other gypsies who were sent to their deaths at the hands of the Nazis. It has been reported that Reinhardt had an influential fan in the Luftwaffe. His popularity soared in post war Europe and beyond thanks in part to his musical partnership with Stephane Grappelli. Reinhardt retired in 1951 and died in 1953 after collapsing outside his house from a brain hemorrhage.
What You Should Own
Imagine if he’d had the use of those 2 dead fingers… probably wouldn’t have needed those back-up rhythm-guitarists in The Hot Club! This handicap made him the MASTER of single-string improvisations… like Charlie Christian… only FASTER! Never hit a bad note on record… a true jazz immortal!
Wow! I didn’t know that, Dennis. Thanks for pointing that out!