- Reinhardt, Django
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orig. Jean-Baptiste Reinhardtborn Jan. 23, 1910, Liberchies, Belg.died May 16, 1953, Fontainebleau, FranceBelgian-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.
Django Reinhardt, 1947By courtesy of down beat magazine* * *
▪ Roma musicianoriginal name Jean-baptiste Reinhardtborn Jan. 23, 1910, Liberchies, Belg.died May 16, 1953, Fontainebleau, Franceguitarist who is generally considered one of the few European jazz musicians of true originality.Reinhardt, who was of Gypsy parentage, traveled through France and Belgium as a boy and young man learning to play the violin, guitar, and banjo. The loss of the use of two fingers of his left hand after a caravan fire in 1928 did not impair his remarkable aptitude for the guitar. In 1934 he became coleader, with violinist Stéphane Grappelli, of the Quintette du Hot Club de France, a group whose many records are greatly prized by connoisseurs. In his only visit to the United States, in 1946, Reinhardt toured with the Duke Ellington orchestra.For most of his career Reinhardt played in the swing style that reached its peak of popularity in the 1930s. Perhaps his most lasting influence on jazz was the introduction of solos based on melodic improvisation, at a time when guitarists generally played chorded solos. His inimitable improvisations, particularly those in slow tempos, were often a curious but beguiling blend of Gypsy and jazz sounds. Among his guitar compositions transposed into orchestral works are “Nuages” and “Manoir des mes rêves.Additional ReadingC. Delaunay, Django Reinhardt (1961, reprinted 1982).* * *
Universalium. 2010.
