01. Improvisation No.1
02. Perfum
03. Improvisation No. 2 [Master]
04. Improvisation No. 2 [Alternate Take]
05. Echoes of Spain
06. Naguine
07. Improvisation No.3, Pt. 1
08. Improvisation No.3, Pt. 2
09. Improvisation No.6
10. Improvisation No. 7 (Aka No. 2)
11. Improvisation 47 (Improvisation No.5)
12. Improvisation No.4
13. Belleville
14. Nuages
15. Two Improvised Guitar Choruses

Django Reinhardt – guitars

Poetically speaking, an entire album of unaccompanied guitar solos by Django Reinhardt seems roughly commensurate with the earth's magnetic field, its inner and outer atmosphere, the atomic weight of the sun and all of the elements in the periodic table, in addition to a few more that haven't yet divulged themselves. This is elemental stuff. It borders on the cosmic. Django Reinhardt's solo guitar recordings pop up here and there like will-o-the-wisps or Red Dwarves across the sky chart of his panoramically extended discography. Gathered together in one album for the very first time are 15 solos recorded between 1937 and 1950 in Paris, London, Chicago, and Rome. Some were waxed as warm-ups in recording studios, others were committed to acetates for radio broadcast purposes; one "Improvisation" was recorded live at Chicago's Civic Opera House while two extended pieces ("Belleville" and "Nuages") were intended for use as the soundtrack to a film that was never completed. For the closing track the producers stepped away from the otherwise immaculate chronology (or looped back to track one like a Möbius Strip) to include a three-and-one-half minute sequence entitled "Two Improvised Guitar Choruses," culled from a rare and terrifically scratchy broadcast acetate cut in 1937. None of these performances sound anything like the familiar, rhythmically pulsing proceeds of the Quintet of the Hot Club de France. "Echoes of Spain" recalls the landscape of Andalusia and the verses of Federico Garcia Lorca. "Naguine" is an intimate portrait of the guitarist's wife. "Perfum" (Also known as "Parfum") conveys something like the bouquet from a vial of essential oil, rose absolute, perhaps, or a carnation-scented love potion from a little shop on Royal Street in New Orleans. Django Reinhardt's complete recordings for solo guitar are subtle and potent, sanguine and ethereal, magical and down to earth. ---arwulf arwulf, Rovi

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1. Charleston 2:54
2. Chicago 3:27
3. You're Driving Me Crazy 2:56
4. I’ve Found  a New Baby 2:37
5. In a Sentimental Mood 3:02
6. Alabamy Mound 2:50
7. Minor Swing 3:17
8. Lady Be Good 3:18
9. Vipers Dream 3:16
10. Swingin’ with Django  2:52
11. Paramount Stomp 2:38
12. Bouncin’ Around  2:46
13. Saint Louis Blues  2:43
14. Swing Guitars 2:24

Django Reinhardt – Guitar, Arranger, Composer
Marcel Bianchi - Guitar
Andre Ekyan - Sax (Alto)
Pierre Ferret – Guitar
Stéphane Grappelli – Violin
Louis Vola - Bass, Sax (Baritone)

Django Reinhardt's legacy of great jazz records is so vast that some may feel intimidated by the sheer volume of material. Where to begin? What's the best? Did he ever make "bad" recordings? All of these questions quickly dissipate when the music itself starts to roll. Most of Django's music is delightful, which explains his continued popularity many years after his untimely death. It just so happens that this volume in the Reinhardt chronology is an excellent place to dive in. The year 1937 was a great one for jazz, both in the U.S. and in Europe, where this music was flourishing in a collective atmosphere of ethnic diversity not unlike that which had fueled its birth and development in the social cauldrons of Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis, Kansas City and New York. The Parisian jazz scene positively thrived during the 1930s, with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France quickly establishing itself as the definitive Continental swing unit. By April of 1937 this group had been making records together for more than two years. Their style had fully jelled into an exacting formula suitable for interpreting jazz standards and pop songs with impeccable ease. Within a few days 20 outstanding performances were waxed, and every single side is astonishing in its freshness and lyrical invention. In addition to defining the sound of the Quintet in its prime, this volume includes two unaccompanied guitar solos -- the stunningly virtuosic "Parfum" is one of Django's all-time greatest recorded achievements -- and a pair of guitar/alto saxophone duets featuring the great Andre Ekyan. ---arwulf arwulf, Rovi

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CD1

01.Dinah 02:37
02.Blue Drag 02:54
03.Ultrafox 03:22
04.Djangology 02:58
05.I Got Rhythm 02:57
06.Ive Found A New Baby 03:06
07.It Dont Mean A Thing 03:04
08.Oriental Shuffle 02:41
09.Limehouse Blues 02:47
10.Nagasaki 02:51
11.Swing Guitars 02:27
12.Georgia on My Mind 03:15
13.In the Still of the Night 03:07
14.Sweet Chorus 02:45
15.Charleston 02:52
16.You Re Drviing Me Crazy 02:54
17.Tears 02:39
18.Hot Lips 03:05
19.Rose Room 02:45
20.Body and Soul 03:28
21.When Day is Done 03:13
22.Chicago 03:24
23.Mystery Pacific 02:24
24.In A Sentimental Mood 03:03
25.The Sheik of Araby 03:05
26.Improvisation 1 02:58

CD2

01.Parfum 03:03
02.St Louis Blues 02:44
03.Bouncin Around 02:46
04.Bricktop 03:06
05.Speevy 02:55
06.Minor Swing 03:19
07.Vipers Dream 03:17
08.Swinging with Django 03:00
09.My Serenade 03:06
10.You Rascal You 03:09
11.Sweet Georgia Brown 03:18
12.Honeysuckle Rose 02:56
13.Night and Day 02:43
14.My Sweet 02:56
15.Souvenirs 02:47
16.Daphne 03:11
17.Black and White 03:07
18.Stompin at Decca 02:35
19.J Attendrai 02:35
20.If I Had You 02:50
21.Billet Doux 02:57
22.Swing from Paris 02:35
23.Them There Eyes 03:05
24.Appel Indirect 03:03
25.Louise 02:40
26.Improvisation 2 02:40

CD3

01.Hungaria 02:47
02.Jeepers Creepers 03:14
03.Swing 03:22
04.Twelfth Year 02:44
05.My Melancholy Baby 02:50
06.Japanese Sandman 03:09
07.I Wonder Where is My Baby Tonight 02:48
08.Younger Generation 02:27
09.Ill See You in My Dreams 02:37
10.Echoes of Spain 03:10
11.Naguine 02:30
12.Undecided 02:34
13.Hcq Strut 03:00
14.Tears 02:47
15.Daphne 02:53
16.At the Jimmys Bar 02:53
17.Rythme Futur 02:42
18.Blues En Mineur 03:11
19.Swing 41 03:11
20.Nuages 03:26
21.Pour Vous 03:09
22.Vendredi 13 03:04
23.Mabel 03:19
24.Les Yeux Noirs 02:15
25.Sweet Sue Just You 02:51
26.Stockholm 03:12

CD4

01.Swing 42 02:48
02.Belleville 02:32
03.Blues in Mineur 02:50
04.Douce Ambiance 02:23
05.Manoir De Mes Reves 03:20
06.Blues Clair 03:11
07.Echoes of France 02:48
08.Djangos Tiger 02:42
09.Melodie Au Crepuscule 03:14
10.Swingtime in Springtime 02:54
11.Del Salle 03:14
12.Folie A Amphion 02:56
13.Swing 48 02:47
14.Djangos Blues 03:10
15.Mano 02:58
16.Impromptu 02:49
17.Vamp 02:39
18.Nuit De St Germain Des Pres 03:08
19.Anouman 02:46
20.Blues for Ike 03:24
21.Nuages 03:17
22.Brazil 02:29
23.Confessin 03:40
24.Le Soir 02:59
25.Chez Moi 02:58
26.Deccaphonie 03:16

Django Reinhardt has astounded and thrilled numerous generations of guitar players and jazz lovers with his amazing command of the guitar. January 24th, 1910 at Liberchies Belgium, Django was born into the open air, rambling lifestyle of his gypsy parents. At the age of eight, his mother's tribe settled near the belt of fortifications that surrounded the old Paris, near the Choisy gate. He never wore a suit or lived in a real house until he was twenty years old. These French Gypsies or Manouches were a world unto themselves, medieval in their beliefs, and distrustful of modern science. Django grew up in this world of contradictions, one foot in the bustling big city of Paris and the other in the age-old life of the nomadic gypsy. Though born into poverty Django had the soul of a nobleman and this natural elegance of bearing and attitude expressed itself in his music.

It was at an early age Django became attracted to music. When twelve years old he received his first instrument, a banjo/guitar that was given to him by a neighbor who had noticed his keen interest in music. He quickly learned to play, mimicking the fingerings of musicians he watched. He was soon astounding adults with his ability on the guitar, and before he was thirteen he began his musical career playing with popular accordionist Guerino at a dance hall on the Rue Monge. He went on to play with numerous other bands and musicians and made his first recordings with accordionist Jean Vaissade for the Ideal Company. Since Django could not read or write at the time "Jiango Renard" was how his name appeared on these records.

On November 2nd, 1928 an event took place that would forever change Django's life. At one o'clock in the morning the 18 year old Django returned from a night of playing music at a new club "La Java" to the caravan that was now the home of himself and his new wife. The caravan was filled with celluloid flowers his wife had made to sell at the market on the following day. Django upon hearing what he thought was a mouse among the flowers bent down with a candle to look. The wick from the candle fell into the highly flammable celluloid flowers and the caravan was almost instantly transformed into a raging inferno. Django wrapped himself in a blanket to shield him from the flames. Somehow he and his wife made it across the blazing room to safety outside, but his left hand, and his right side from knee to waist were badly burned.

Initially doctors wanted to amputate his leg but Django refused. He was moved to a nursing home where the care was so good his leg was saved. Django was bedridden for eighteen months. During this time he was given a guitar, and with great determination Django created a whole new fingering system built around the two fingers on his left hand that had full mobility. His fourth and fifth digits of the left hand were permanently curled towards the palm due to the tendons shrinking from the heat of the fire. He could use them on the first two strings of the guitar for chords and octaves but complete extension of these fingers was impossible. His soloing was all done with the index and middle fingers! Film clips of Django show his technique to be graceful and precise, almost defying belief.

Django was influenced by jazz recordings of Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. This new music found a place deep in Django's heart. It provided the perfect vehicle for his prodigious talent for improvisation. Django rarely if ever played a solo the same way twice. Numerous recordings prove this to be true. His creative genius was not only that of the master improviser, but also that of the composer, and he can be credited with numerous pieces with beautiful melodies and sophisticated, subtle harmonic structures. However, Django could not read or write musical notation and he was at the mercy of others that could to get his ideas down on paper.

1934 proved to be the most important year of his life. The Quintet of the Hot Club of France was born! As the fates would have it, the Quintet was formed by a chance meeting of Django and Stéphane Grappelli. A band of fourteen musicians including Django, Stéphane, Roger Chaput, and Louis Vola were commissioned to play at the Hotel Cambridge at teatime. During intermission Django would find a corner backstage and play his guitar. One day Stéphane joined in and both were so pleased with the exchange they went on to play together more and more frequently joined by Roger Chaput (guitar), Louis Vola (bass), and eventually Django's brother Joseph (guitar). A small record company Ultraphone recorded their first sides Dinah, Tiger Rag, Oh Lady be Good, and I Saw Stars. These first records caused a sensation! The Quintet went on to record hundreds of sides and had a following on both sides of the ocean.

1939 found the Quintet touring in England when the war broke out. Django returned to Paris while Stéphane remained in England. Django played and recorded throughout the war years substituting Hubert Rostaing's clarinet for Stephen's violin. He somehow avoided the fate of many of his kinfolk who went to their deaths in the Nazi concentration camps. After the war he was rejoined by Stéphane and they again played and recorded. He toured briefly with Duke Ellington in America and returned to Paris where he continued his career until 1951 when he retired to the small village of Samois sur Seine.

On May 16th 1953 Django suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and died, leaving behind his wife Sophie and son Babik. His music remains as vital and exciting today as it was when he lived, a legacy of joy to all future generations that rediscover the genius of the Belgian gypsy Django Reinhardt. --- redhotjazz.com/django.html

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Disc 1 (Total Time - 58:57)

1. Topsy 	
2. September Song 	
3. Danse Nuptiale (Moppin’ The Bride) 	
4. Brazil 	
5. Anniversary Song 	
6. Swing 49 	
7. Django’s Blues 	
8. Mano 	
9. Blues Primitif 	
10. Gypsy With A Song 	
11. Danse Norvegienne 	
12. Blues for Barclay (Take 1) 
13. I’ll Never Smile Again 	
14. Confessin' 	
15. Night and Day 	
16. Fantaisie 	
17. Blues en Mineur 	
18. Manor de mes Rčves
19. Babik 
20. Swing 39 

Disc: 2 (Total Time - 58:02)	

1. Mélodie au Crépuscule 
2. Féerie
3. Dinette 
4. Minor Swing
5. Swing 40
6. Artillerie Lourde (Heavy Artillery)
7. Peche a la Mouche (Fly Fishing)
8. Stockholm 
9. Nuages 
10. Del Salle
11. Vendredi 13 
12. Sweet Chorus 	
13. Crépuscule 
14. Song d’Automne 	
15. Folie ŕ Amphion 	
16. Swing Guitars 	
17. Belleville 	Listen
18. Douce Ambiance (Sweet Atmosphere) 
19. Swing de Paris 	

Django Reinhardt: guitar; 
Hubert Rostaing, Gerard Leveque, Maurice Meunier: clarinet; 
Joseph Reinhardt, Eugene Vees: guitar; 
Emmanuel Soldieux: bass; 
Andre Jourdan: drums, 
Rex Stewart: cornet.

When Django Reinhardt switched from acoustic to electric guitar, his fans, feeling betrayed, called him "Judas." However, he later used this new instrument to record Blonde On Blonde, often considered one of the greatest rock records of all time.

Actually, that was Bob Dylan. But Reinhardt's electric period, which encompassed the last few years of his life, is certainly the black sheep of his catalog. Reinhardt was still in fine form and had even incorporated elements of bebop into his playing style. But many hold on to the earlier recordings of the Hot Club, with his sharp, rhythmic guitar alongside Stephane Grappelli, neither of which are present here. It's safe to say that of all the Djangophiles out there, not many have taken their cue from the late-forties Django to hone their attack.

However, this collection of recordings from 1947 is quite a treat. Like most Django Reinhardt material, this double-CD collection probably has some stuff that you already have, mixed in with some stuff that you don't. Whatever the case, most of this material is hard to come by; about half was available on the Peche a La Mouche collection (along with some other stuff that doesn't appear here). Whatever the reason, these recordings don't appear too often in circulation, and fans of Reinhardt will no doubt add a missing piece to their collection with this set.

But the music is the main draw, and Reinhardt doesn't disappoint. While still working with a sound that's similar to the recordings from the thirties, Reinhardt has added drums, taken away a guitar, and stuck with the clarinet as the other lead instrument. None of the other players are anything special, but Django's playing still crackles with exciting arpeggios and interesting rhythmic phrases, even if the sound of the electric is a bit jarring. Most of the selections are originals, many of them old chestnuts like "Swing 39, "Nuages, and "Stockholm, rendered with the same vim and vigor as the old days. Also of interest are a few tracks with Rex Stewart on cornet.

Django Reinhardt would die a few years later, still hailed as a guitar hero yet known primarily for the music of his past. For listeners who may be unfamiliar with his last recordings, this generously sized collection is definitely worth checking out. ---David Rickert, allaboutjazz.com

1947 was one of the most intriguing years for Django Reinhardt. Having survived World War II, and having had his first reunion with violinist Stéphane Grappelli and his only tour of the United States, the masterful guitarist began to seriously explore both the electric guitar and bebop. Not counting three sessions with Grappelli, Reinhardt recorded 65 selections (plus three alternate takes) during the five months covered by this two-CD set, Memorial. The music deserves to be reissued complete and in chronological order, but this is a strong sampling of 39 of the songs. Usually joined by either Hubert Rostaing, Gerard Leveque, or Maurice Meunier on clarinet plus guitar, bass, drums, and occasional piano, Reinhardt plays a few standards but mostly performs his own surprisingly boppish originals. At times the music is rhythmically awkward although there are some obscure and rewarding songs on this two-fer that are worth reviving. Reinhardt would sound much smoother by 1949, but these early bop efforts (which surprisingly include no Charlie Parker or Dizzy Gillespie songs) are intriguing and innovative in their own way; just do not expect the gypsy swing that Reinhardt performed in the '30s. A bonus is the two selections recorded by Reinhardt as a sideman with visiting cornetist Rex Stewart. Recommended. --- Scott Yanow, Rovi

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1.    "Blues for Ike" (Django Reinhardt) – 3:24
2.    "September Song" (Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson) – 2:35
3.    "Night and Day" (Cole Porter) – 2:52
4.   "Insensiblement" (Paul Misraki) – 3:10
5.    "Manoir de Mes Rêves" (Reinhardt) – 2:38
6.    "Nuages" (Reinhardt) – 3:18
7.    "Aquarela do Brazil" (Ary Barroso; Bob Russel) – 2:27
8.    "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" (Al J. Neiburg, Doc Daugherty, Ellis Reynolds) – 3:39
9.    "Le Soir" (Reinhardt) – 2:58
10.    "Chez Moi À Six Heures" (Paul Misraki) – 3:00
11.    "I Cover the Waterfront" (Edward Heyman; Johnny Green) – 3:27
12.    "Deccaphonie" (Reinhardt) – 3:15

    Django Reinhardt – guitar
    Pierre Lemarchand – drums
    Pierre Michelot – double bass
    Martial Solal – piano
    Maurice Vander – piano
    Jean-Louis Viale – drums

Part of the Jazz in Paris series by the Gitanes label, this compilation draws from Django Reinhardt's last pair of recording sessions in 1953 (the first eight tracks make up the original Nuages album and served as a precursor for a Norman Granz Jazz at the Philharmonic world tour), which were two of his strongest ever. Gone was the shimmering but funky acoustic guitar of his gypsy swing youth, and in its place was a spanking new electric Gibson that, with its extended quick action, allowed him further flights of fancy not only on the fretboard but also sonically. Along with bassist Pierre Michelot, pianist Maurice Vander, and drummer Jean-Louis Viale (the rhythm section was considered to be avant-garde at the time), Reinhardt was off and running, carrying his new depth and breadth of intonation and electric harmonics to funky extremes — check the end of "Night and Day," with its razor-wire chords and inverted arpeggios. Reinhardt's form was reckless and wild — and impeccable — on these sessions. He had thrown away his own songbook and turned to his restlessness to guide him to a new place musically — and it did. Here, "Blues for Ike," "September Song," the title cut, "Brazil," and "Confessin'" are reinvented harmonically. Reinhardt stretched intervals to make one or two notes, or perhaps a chord, fall on the seam, splitting the rhythm section in two between passages. Much like a singer improvising, he took the plectrum style to a new extreme, playing runs so extended one wondered where melody ended and improvisation began — particularly when he'd enter into an Eastern scale to branch out of the color palette. And all the while, his trademark high swinging style never once collapsed under the weight of his preeminent sophistication. The last four cuts feature a new band save for Michelot. The pianist was a very young Martial Solal, and Reinhardt engaged Solal's own gift for odd textures, phrasing, and tonalities on tunes such as "I Cover the Waterfront" and "Chez Moi," along with "Deccaphonie," where the band turns in a full-on loose-rail performance where rhythm is dictated by Reinhardt's falling fingers, hammering with both quickness and uncanny weight against a rhythm section that included vibist Fats Lallemand — check the end of the first minute where Reinhardt cuts into his solo with feedback! The sound on this CD is remarkably good considering that the last four tunes were recorded in a makeshift studio — the rest is excellent. The liner notes are sketchy but offer basic information, and the purchase price is fair. This may not be the place to start with Reinhardt, but it is a hell of a place to end up. ---itunes.apple.com

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1	Ise A-Muggin' 	3:08 	
2	I Can't Give You Anything But Love Baby 	3:27 	
3	Oriental Shuffle 		2:41 	
4	After You've Gone 		3:07 
5	Are You In the Mood? 		2:50 	
6	Limehouse Blues 		2:50 	
7	Nagasaki 		2:51 	
8	Swing Guitars 		2:28 	
9	Georgia On My Mind 	Django Reinhardt 	3:15 	
10	Shine 	Django Reinhardt 	2:56	
11	In the Still of the Night 		3:04 	
12	Sweet Chorus 		2:45 
13	Exactly Like You 		2:30 	
14	Charleston 		2:52 	
15	You're Driving Me Crazy 		2:54 	
16	Tears 	Django Reinhardt 	2:38 	
17	Solitude 		3:10 	
18	Hot Lips 		3:05 	
19	Ain't Misbehavin' 		2:55 
20	Rose Room 		2:46 	

Guitar Genius would seem like a good title for most any Django Reinhardt collection. Unfortunately, all Reinhardt recordings don't hold the same value, and this collection draws together several pieces of lesser value. Cuts like "I Got Rhythm" bury the Gypsy guitarist in a rowdy Dixieland band, obscuring whatever qualities he might have added to the session. "It Had to Be You" is equally noisy, and although it may qualify as a fine bit of swing jazz, reveals little more than a chugging guitar in the background, reportedly played by Reinhardt. Curiously, these pieces sit beside excellent fare, like spunky versions of "Lady Be Good" and "In a Sentimental Mood," capturing Reinhardt in Hot Club-like settings. Another problem with this collection is that there are no liner notes, so when, where, and with whom each of these recordings were made remains a mystery to the listener. Despite the collection's drawbacks, the listener, in a number of instances, still has a chance to hear the master guitarist at his best. There's a fine, extended version of Reinhardt's own "Nuages," and a pair of Reinhardt/Stephane Grappelli-penned tunes, "Swing Guitars" and "Sweet Chorus." The mixed bag of Guitar Genius could only be justified by a bargain price, but an unfamiliar Reinhardt listener would nonetheless be better off delving into any single album of his '30s' Hot Club work. ---Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi

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1 Nuages 
2 Daphné
3 Souvenirs
4 Honeysuckle Rose 
5 Please Be Kind 
6 H.C.Q. Strut
7 Love's Melody (Mélodie au Crépuscule) 
8 Sweet Georgia Brown 
9 The Man I Love 
10 Belleville
11 Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)
12 Vous et Moi 
13 Djangology
14 Anniversary Song
15 Swing '48
16 Night and Day

Django Reinhardt - Composer, Guitar, Vocals
Jos Aerts - Drums
Louis Billen - Clarinet, Sax (Alto)
Raymond Chantrain - Trumpet
Roger Chaput - Guitar
George Clais - Trumpet
Ladislas Czabanyck - Bass
Ivon de Bie - Piano
Émile Deltour - Vocals
Jack Demany - Sax (Tenor), Vocals
Paul D'Hondt - Trumpet
Chas Dolne - Vocals
Jean Douillez - Vocals
Walter Féron - Vocals
Coleridge Goode - Bass
Stéphane Grappelli - Vocals
André Jourdan - Drums
Jack Llewelyn - Guitar
Jo Magis - Clarinet, Sax (Alto)
Pierre Michelot - Bass
John Ouwerx - Piano
Arthur Peeters - Bass
Joseph Reinhardt - Guitar
Hubert Rostaing - Clarinet
Arthur Saguet - Clarinet, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
Emmanuel Soudieux - Bass
Sus Vancamp - Trombone
Maurice Vander - Piano
Jim Vanderjeught - Guitar
Jeff Van Herswingels - Sax (Tenor)
Eugene Vees - Guitar
Jean-Louis Viale - Drums
Louis Vola - Bass

This set, selected from representative portions of Reinhardt's impressive catalogue, offers a perfect introduction to the work of this phenomenal musician. JAZZ MASTERS plays like the world's most enjoyable textbook on swing guitar. The cuts here feature the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, solo work, duets, and pairings with the equally virtuosic Stephane Grappelli on violin. The interaction between Grapelli and Reinhardt on such tunes as "Daphne" and "Souvenirs" is a dazzling example of rhythmic fluidity.

Standards such as "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Night And Day," and "The Man I Love" alternate with superb Reinhardt originals like "Djangology" and "Swing 48." Reinhardt's music combines a clear, open-ended sound uncommon to early jazz with a powerful rhythmic intensity. His gypsy-flavored swing style-marked by flurried noodling in the high register, soulful stringbends, and looping melodic patterns (and all the more amazing since Reinhardt only had the use of two fingers)-transforms the guitar's fretboard into a field for acrobatics. This Verve collection of classic tracks by the guitar master is an excellent collection for fans and an essential purchase for the uninitiated. ---Rovi

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01. Limehouse Blues (2:46)
02. When Day Is Done (3:12)
03. Saint Louis Blues (2:42)
04. Minor Swing (3:16)
05. My Serenade (3:02)
06. You Rascal You (3:07)
07. Montmartre (2:25)
08. I’ll See You In My Dreams (2:33)
09. Naguine (2:29)
10. Nuages (3:19)
11. Blues Clair (3:05)
12. Place De Brouckere (2:57)
13. Manoir Des Mes Reves (aka Django’s Castle) (3:17)
14. Django’s Tiger (2:39)
15. Ol’ Man River (2:42)
16. Diminushing (3:17)
17. Lady Be Good (3:00)
18. To Each His Own Symphony (3:02)

Personnel: 
Django Reinhardt (guitar); 
Jim Hays (alto saxophone, clarinet); 
Joe Moser, Max Blanc, Robert Merchez, Robert Mavounzy (alto saxophone); 
Andre Louis, Charles Hary, Bernie Cavaliere, Bill Zickefoose (tenor saxophone); 
Ken Lowther (baritone saxophone); 
Alex Renard, Alex Caturegli, Maurice Moufflard, Herb Bass,
 Jerry Stephan, Lonnie Wilfong (trumpet); 
Rex Stewart (cornet); 
Maurice Gladieu, Pierre Remy, Bill Decke, Don Gardner, Shelton Heath,
 John Kirkpatrick (trombone); 
Barney Bigard, Alix Combelle, Hubert Rostaign (clarinet); 
Larry Mann (piano); 
Stephane Grappelli (violin); 
Joseph Reinhardt, Louis Gaste, Eugene Vees, Pierre Ferret, Jack Llewelin,
 Allan Hodgkiss, Challin Ferret (guitar); 
Emmanuel Sodieux, Louis Vola, Lucien Simoens, Eugene D'Hellemmes,
 Billy Taylor, Tony Rovira, Jean Storne, Bob Decker,
 Coleridge Goode, Fred Ermelin (bass); 
Pierre Fouad, Gaston Leonard, Bill Bethel (drums).

Recorded between May 4, 1936 and March 10, 1948.

Django Reinhardt was both the first great jazz-guitar soloist and the first European jazz musician to have a significant influence on American musicians. Just as Earl Hines had found a way to transfer Louis Armstrong's assertive solo style to the piano, Reinhardt did it with the acoustic guitar, mixing inventive melodic improvisation with a decorative gypsy-guitar idiom and vigorous rhythm. He did it most often with the Hot Club of France, a quintet including violinist Stephane Grappelli, two rhythm guitarists, and a bassist that created its own distinctive style, a lightly propulsive mix that was an ideal setting for Django's mix of drive, invention, and charm. The recordings here range from 1936 to 1948 and showcase Reinhardt with the Hot Club, clarinetist Hubert Rostaing, and trumpeter Rex Stewart. Included is a brilliant solo performance of his "Naguine." It's an excellent introduction to one of the most original voices in jazz of the period, to a fine composer as well as a unique guitarist. --Stuart Broomer.

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1. Sweet Georgia Brown 3:07 
2. You are driving me crazy 2:52 
3. Stomping at Decca 2:35 
4. Lambeth walk 2:47 
5. My sweet 2:56 
6. Aint misbehavin 2:55 
7. I have found a new baby 3:05 
8. Djangos tiger 2:38 
9. Georgia on my mind 3:15 
10. Billets doux 2:54 
11. St Louis blues 2:44 
12. You rascal you 3:06 
13. Daphne 3:11 
14. Belleville 2:59 
15. Souvenirs 2:46 
16. It dont mean a thing 3:04 
17. At Jimmys bar 2:50 
18. Brazil 2:25 
19. Swing 39 3:20 
20. Exactly like you 2:30 
21. Chicago 3:27 
22. Dinah 2:36 
23. Honeysuckle rose 2:45 
24. I got rhythm 2:56 
25. Black and white 3:04

Django Reinhardt was a jazz guitarist who became one of the first important soloists in the genre. Born on January 23, 1910, in Liberchies, Belgium, Django Reinhardt became famous for his unique musical sound, which blended elements of American jazz with traditional European and Roma music. Reinhardt's father was a musician and entertainer and his mother was a dancer, according to some reports; they were Manouches, or French gypsies, and they eventually settled in a camp near Paris. Raised without any formal schooling, Reinhardt was practically illiterate.

In his youth, Reinhardt learned to play an interesting instrument—a hybrid of a guitar and a banjo. He was largely self-taught, never learning how to write or read music. Later on, Reinhardt had to depend on others to transcribe his compositions. He was already playing in clubs in Paris by his early teens. Reinhardt started out playing popular French music, but he became interested in American jazz in the mid-1920s. He especially liked the works of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Joe Venuti. His promising career, however, was almost ended by a terrible accident in 1928.

In 1928, Reinhardt was injured in a fire in his caravan. A lit candle fell into some paper, or celluloid, flowers that his wife had made to sell, and the flames quickly spread throughout their home. Both Reinhardt and his wife made it out of the fire, but Reinhardt suffered bad burns to his right leg and left hand. Perhaps worst of all for this talented musician, he permanently lost the use of two fingers on his damaged hand. He would spend the next 18 months to two years recuperating.

During this time, Reinhardt taught himself how to play music again. It was a slow, painful process, but he devised an innovative style of guitar playing. With his two fingers and thumb, Reinhardt handled his instrument with remarkable speed and agility. He was back to dazzling audiences in the Paris nightclubs by 1930. By the mid-1930s, Reinhardt had joined forces with violinist Stephane Grappelli to form the Quintet of the Hot Club of France (Quintette du Hot Club de France). Their group, which grew to include Reinhardt's brother Joseph and others, became the first major European jazz band. Some of the band's early recordings included covers of American songs like "Dinah" and "Lady Be Good," and these tracks helped win them a following on both sides of the Atlantic.

Reinhardt also produced original music, which fused his musical heritage with the latest jazz and swing sounds. Some of his most famous works with the quintet are "Djangology," "Bricktop" and "Swing 39." His style from this period has been called "gypsy swing" and "le jazz hot." According to some reports, Reinhardt was in England touring with Grappelli in 1939 when World War II began in Europe. He decided to return to France, but his cohort remained abroad. The following year, the Nazis took control of France, a move that put Reinhardt in jeopardy. The Roma, or gypsies, were among those considered undesirable by the Nazis, and thousands and thousands of them perished in concentration camps during the war.

Remarkably, Reinhardt was allowed to play freely in the clubs of Paris during much of the war. It seemed that the Nazis viewed this famed city as their playground to some degree, and their military personnel enjoyed frequenting its nightclubs. Reinhardt expressed his melancholy over the occupation in one of his most famous compositions: "Nuages," which means "clouds." According to Contemporary Musicians, the musician made two attempts to flee France for Switzerland, but both of these efforts proved to be unsuccessful. After the war, Reinhardt became interested in electric guitar and experimenting with other styles of jazz. He toured the United States with Duke Ellington in 1946, but he failed to win over American audiences and critics. Reinhardt also started recording with a new version of his beloved quintet, but rarely gave public performances. Instead, he spent much of his time in the South of France.

In 1953, the famed improviser jammed with another jazz legend, Dizzie Gillespie. That same year, he made his final recordings. Reinhardt died on May 16, 1953, in Fontainebleau, France. He reportedly died after suffering a stroke, though some reports claim it was a brain hemorrhage. In any case, the music world lost a great talent that day. Reinhardt is regarded among the most prominent European performers to have heavily influenced American jazz. Additionally, his work has had a lasting impact on other guitarists in different musical styles, influencing such diverse artists as B.B. King and Carlos Santana. --- biography.com

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