Django Legacy – The Music of Django Reinhardt & the Birth of...

Jazzaferri

@Homzy ...... Ellington is quoted as saying that Django was the best improviser he ever worked with.

Jeff Moore

The thread of the article seems to be: First Django happens, then the Sinti hold DR's musical legacy, then a world wide splintering of Django's influence into sub genre's and along the way the word Gypsy Jazz becomes the uneasy umbrella over most of Django's "children".
Thanks Dennis
Holding DR's music front and center has been the ticket for me and a thousand others. There are only a few greats who seem to hold the gold. I've never understood how Django fell out of fashion in France. You don't really have to be a "swinger" to receive his value. His solo recordings alone (sans swing) are no less masterful than many famous classical pieces.
Both elements of the term Gypsy Jazz are so problematic. Never mind "Gypsy". The "Jazz" part doesn't describe Django's playing very well either even though the rhythm section is usually playing jazz. Is that really what DR is playing? Maybe.
Let's call it French Impressionist Guitar or just Impressionist Guitar. Though long on the tongue, it doesn't throw off largely false or stylistically limiting signals like GJ. The allusion to the world of art isn't perfect but "impressionist" isn't justhis style doesn't seem to relate purely to music either, or if it does, it might be called FlamenPagaGypSachmojazz. But that's a little hard to remember?

When DR plays guitar untethered to other musicians, his real legacy is at its clearest. He isn't tethered to anything genre or any specific legacy, and the connection of his playing to jazz, when he's alone, is really tenuous. I'd call it more classical, but it isn't that either, just that the movements are more classical in their form than they are jazz. It's a stand alone style and a purely descriptive name may suit it best. Like "Freedom Fries. Just joking!

Jazzaferri

I suspect that if Django hadn't died so early he would have made a resurgent comeback. The last few years of his stuff was right back at the top'of the heap.

I also beleive that by the mid 50's he would have changed his outlook on travel more and probably made another sojourn to the states.

If he had hooked up with Bird and Dizz and Miles and Gil Evans and and ohhhhhh....

Teddy Dupont

It is fascinating how times change because I was saying essentially the same things about Django and Gypsy jazz on the internet over 10 years ago and I used to receive the most vitriolic abuse. %-(

dennis

i used to get shit for talking about the history of gj rhythm guitar, and still do ;-)...

mind you i say "HISTORY" of rhythm guitar , but people ignore that word and go on to infer that i am talking about how rhythm guitar should be played .

klaatu

Denis, in an otherwise masterful piece of work, you neglected one important point. Other than a passing mention, there's no real analysis of the influence of Justin Bieber on Django. Not to mention Selena Gomez. I'm really surprised at this omission.

Svanis1337

Don't forget Jazzaferri, that Django's 1953 LP album was advertising his upcoming tour with the Jazz at the Philharmonic troupe, with one of the destinations being Japan! Imagine what kind of influence he would have had on the people there! Oscar Peterson played an incredible version of "Tenderly" in Japan, which was recorded. And in Finland parts of the concert was filmed. We missed out on a lot of good stuff. If only he had lived at least a year longer...

Micky Dunne

This makes for great reading Denis. I have never liked the term Gypsy Jazz and when I first heard this type of music in 1990/91 it was always referred to, in Liverpool anyway as Django..."he plays all that Django stuff."

Jazzaferri

Svanis1337 wrote: »

Don't forget Jazzaferri, that Django's 1953 LP album was advertising his upcoming tour with the Jazz at the Philharmonic troupe, with one of the destinations being Japan! Imagine what kind of influence he would have had on the people there! Oscar Peterson played an incredible version of "Tenderly" in Japan, which was recorded. And in Finland parts of the concert was filmed. We missed out on a lot of good stuff. If only he had lived at least a year longer...

The mind reels.....I beleive that had that come to pass the course of Jazz guitar would have been significantly different.

@Teddy Dupont ?..I don't understand why anyone would react to your insights negatively back then......perhaps a part of being ahead of the pack.

Teddy Dupont

A very interesting quote from Barney Kessel about what might have been. - "If Django had wanted to stay in the United States and learn the language, I'm convinced he would have altered the course of contemporary jazz guitar playing -- perhaps even the course of the music itself."