Jive Bomber - who is this guitarist?

wim

Who is this guitarist? The violinist does sound like Stephane Grappelli but the guitarist is somewhat lacking Django's technique and inventiveness. Help?

Bob Holo

I don't think that's QHCF despite the video's title.

Drums & piano... man, that sounds like the wartime quartet Grapelli had in Britain. If so, it's Jack Llewelyn. And check out the ivory-tickling sensation... "You're Hearing... George Shearing" ;-)

But I'm not sure - one of the Brits could probably tell you, but that doesn't sound like QHCF.

PapsPier

It seems Bob is right
you can find this tune on The George Shearing collection 1939-1958

andrewhannum

Here's a link to an album that appears to have this recording:

http://www.djangobooks.com/Item/grappelli_1935

It seems to be George Shearing, Stephane Grappelli, and Django.

Btw I disagree - it's not a particularly inspired solo, but that does sound like Django to me.

wim

Hmm, the George Shearing CD cover is interesting. That album obviously has some tracks with QHCF, but Jive Bomber track 17 is credited to "Stephane Grappelli Quartet" whatever that means. London cats, probably?

That guitar still sounds like anything but Django to me; if it was Django, there would be little fills and hits everywhere in the comping. There's not a single Django lick. Also the improv is scale-based and playing has a weird "accent" - I don't know how else to describe it but an accent - it's something in the timing, hard to put a finger on it. I will check out some Jack Llewelyn stuff and see if he plays with the same feel.

There's a version from Tim Kliphuis on youtube (Reinier Voet on guitar), maybe they'd know the answer!

Jeff Moore

It's beautiful whoever it might be. Dynamite arrangement, slick tricks, and a lot of QHFC type sound. It's rare to hear Django's contemporaries coming up to snuff.

andrewhannum

Wim Glenn wrote: »

... if it was Django, there would be little fills and hits everywhere in the comping.

I don't think the song calls for much of that, but I do hear some in there...

Listen to the B section of the violin solo -- to me those are some seriously Django fills and Django comping..

It sounds to me like the guitar soloist is not playing at all during the first chunk of the song (melody / piano solo)..

Then after the guitar solo, during the violin solo, it sounds to me like the guitar soloist has joined in on rhythm (it's louder than the rhythm guitar was through the piano solo). This is where I hear some Django comping in the B section.

After the violin solo is over, going back into the melody, and out, I don't think there's much more room for any more rhythm guitar trickery, especially with the drummer there taking up a lot of the rhythmic space.

You're definitely right that it's not a very Django-sounding solo, but there's a lot of little subtle things that make me think it's him. I could be wrong.

Bob Holo

Huh. Well this turned out to be a very beneficial question - Thanks Gents!

Beneficial - because you made me curious so I went out and looked it up on Allmusic & Discogs and found out that it came from a 1941 London session of Stephane with a bunch of top studio/session players from that era. l don't think I've heard about half of this stuff. I'd heard a few of Hachette's tunes, but they seemed sort of - white men in straw hats singing "vo-de-oh-doe" whereas this is very forward looking jazz for that time.

But I like this session. A British company put out a compilation album of Stephane's war-era sessions called "Stephane's Tune" which goes all the way from the 1938 stuff he did w/ Django, up through the 1941 session that yielded Jive Bomber - and forward to 1942/43 when he was working with Shearing & Beryl Davis

But here's the bizarre part. Amazon.uk won't let me buy it !?! It said: "Enter a card and address that are both local."

How friggin local do I have to be? I'm buying mp3 downloads. Sheesh.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DC82DF2/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

But wait... that's not all! I can buy it from Amazon.com in America, from arbitragers - new for $132.00 or Used from $10 all the way up to the low low price of only $207.00 ... F*n USED CD. $207.00. Seriously.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000001N4P/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AYQCPJ6ZPTKVL

Or even better, I can join Amazon's streaming service and pay them monthly to listen to music they had no part in creating.

And these corporate rocket scientists wonder why torrents flourish?

(FACEPALM)

Tonight when I get some time, I'll find it on YouTube... provided Youtube doesn't become a cloud subscription service in the next few hours, LOL.

Bones

Yeah doesn't sound like Dj to me either. Hmmmm

wim

I've got a UK card, want me to try and buy it for you? I listened to some of the other track samples, sounds like a cracker of an album!

andrewhannum

I'm able to listen to a snippet of the song Dinah from that link that @Bob Holo posted, and it includes a bit of the guitar solo.

Also noted as (feat. George Shearing, Jack Llewellyn, George Gibbs, Dave Fullerton) [1941]

This one has that funny feel too, like @Wim Glenn said - the "accent".

I'm starting to change my mind, you're right I think that's not Django.

But it's weird, it's like someone trying to do a Django impression.

But it lacks the inspiration and it lacks the excitement.

..so it must be Jack Llewellyn then? I can't find any other examples of his guitar solos, so I can't compare.