Django and Bach

spatzo

Unlike Jazzaferri I do appreciate this one above all because Django's harmonization is great!

Michael published an interesting article by Ben Givan Esq. here: http://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/1645/the-south-grappelli-recordings-of-bach

Shemi

Interesting stuff... I really enhoyed that Bach arrangement, thanks Kimmo. I know that a lot of serious Jazz players poo poo Jaques Loussier but I've enjoyed listening to some of his Bach renditions, as well as his take on other classical composers.

I might get around to having a go at arranging some of the cello suites one day. I can envision the Prelude to the first suite working when I play it through in my head.

Teddy Dupont

spatzo wrote: »

Unlike Jazzaferri I do appreciate this one above all because Django's harmonization is great!

I agree. I love Django's rhythm playing here. He imparts tremendous drive and swing but, there again, he always did.

I do not think the two takes were the failures that seem to have been suggested.

Be careful taking too seriously anything Steph said at various times in his life. At one stage he was quoted as saying he wished he had never worked with Django because he was so unreliable and difficult. Later in his life, he said "If ever I had a friend, it was Django".

Teddy Dupont

...... and there have also been suggestions that Grappelli was a bit jealous of Eddie South during these sessions so perhaps that effected how he felt about the music they produced.

Shemi

Teddy Dupont wrote: »

...... and there have also been suggestions that Grappelli was a bit jealous of Eddie South during these sessions so perhaps that effected how he felt about the music they produced.

That's interesting. Any ideas why?

Maybe South was one of the few violinists Grappelli met that had the technique to play the virtuosic classical pieces, but then could also swing/improvise faithfully to the same level as Grappelli.

spatzo

It was told that Grappelli often went to the bar to have some drinks when South was playing with Django. Grappelli has almost always swing and a great sound that can't be even compared with South's one or even with many today's "modern" fiddlers.

The theme Grappelli plays on "After You've Gone" with the HCQ is a key to understand how Stephane's musical skills were developped.

Personnaly I really prefer Grappelli to South as South isn't really a jazzman - for me at least. In fact South himself soon dropped jazz for mambo music already in 1947.

He played in the Café Society Uptown just before Django, they might have met there in February 1947.

spatzo

I think that the violinist that Django really prefered was Michel Warlop

spatzo

According to ethnomusicologist John Storm Roberts in "The Latin Tinge" the flautist Alberto Soccaras, good friend of Dizzy Gillespie, should have even played with Eddie South AND Django Reinhardt at Café Society Uptown in 1947.

We know very little on Django in the States ...

spatzo

Here's the source (The Latin Tinge: The Impact of Latin American Music on the United States by John Storm Roberts):

spatzo

More infos on Soccaras at http://the-folk-who-feel-jazz.blogspot.fr/2009/02/alberto-soccaras.html