Django's pompe

Teddy Dupont

spatzo wrote: »

For me the 1946 english rhythm section is excellent certainly one of the most light and swinging Django and Stéphane ever had

I think so-called "authentic pompe", although played technically correctly, can sometimes sound a bit turgid and lumbering when performed by less able guitarists. I am not suggesting that is true of the top flight performers although it can still sound a bit intrusive. In all honesty, it was sometimes be a bit intrusive when played by the HCQ rhythm guitarists but that was all about poor sound balance rather than any lack of ability.

Here is an example where the "pompe" as played by Baro Ferret and Marcel Bianchi is arguably perfect but, for me, too intrusive.

Teddy Dupont

.... here is a very different rhythm style from Django when he alone is accompanying Steph.

Charles Meadows

Wow. Great responses! So I've noticed that the recordings of Django and some of the original HC rhythm guys seem to have more "music" in all their strums where some of the newer guys (like Gonzalo) tend to make the second strum more percussive. Is this correct?

Buco

I don't hear much chunk from the rhythm guitars in Hot Club recordings, Django has his own thing going even when accompanying. It still sounds percussive though, to me that's a sound they strived for intentionally having heard American jazz bands with drums.
The newer style with chunk or rake when done well is really great but sometimes it's taught as the "right" way to play rhythm which I think is wrong.
I sometimes use one over the other when I'm comping based on what I hear fits the song better. I mean don't get me wrong, guys like Gonzalo or Adrian who use it pretty much all the time, sound awesome all the time on every song.
Same with the upstroke, depends on song, other instruments, tempo etc.
Say, and I'm guessing a little as I don't have a guitar with me, on something like Swing 48 I wouldn't use any upstroke save for one every eight bars. On Dark Eyes I would use rhythm without the chunk but on something like China Boy I would, stuff like that.

Rob MacKillop

Teddy, thanks so much for that video of Django alone accompanying Stephan. It is outrageously brilliant! I loved every second of it.

JSanta

My favorite part about most of the recordings I've heard of Django's pompe is that it sounds percussive without the feeling that he is trying to get a snare drum type tone out of the guitar. I hope that does not come across as an insult to many of the modern players whom I love, but, there's something that has always sounded just right to me about Django's rhythm playing.

Jazzaferri

I find the Pompe in Teddy's first example to be boring and too up front in the mix.

Django is still my fave rhythm guitarist of any and all and my faves of his rhythm are on the all star sessions.

I am just too iPad illiterate to be able to post them, particularly the quartet of DR with Rex Stewart, Barney Bigard and Billy Taylor.

pickitjohn

@Jazzaferri hey Jay besides Great Guitar perhaps it's the horns that you Enjoy...

Good Choice

I Ain't Got Nobody - Django Reinhardt And His American Friends

Personnel includes: Django Reinhardt (guitar); Freddy Taylor (vocals); Benny Carter (alto saxophone, trumpet); Frank "Big Boy" Goudie (tenor saxophone, trumpet, clarinet); Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Bill Coleman, Arthur Briggs (trumpet); Dicky Wells (trombone); Rex Stewart, Barney Bigard

pickitjohn

Jay , I went and Bought The All Star Sessions after you mention them before.

How About Django Reinhardt - I know that you know

Some Say "Hawkins, Carter, Stewart, Bigard, and Briggs Are The Stars"

Jon

For me, the pompe in @Teddy Dupont 's first video is wonderful. So swinging! Maybe it's at times too high in the mix, but that's mostly when Django is joining in on it, and he would have been pretty close to the mic. When it's going on behind his solo, I just love it!