New Django Reinhardt footage?? (walking not playing...)

TonyRees

Hey all, this just popped up on my Facebook feed, courtesy of Philippe Navenant: "Django Reinhardt, Gent 1943"

https://www.facebook.com/philippe.navenant/posts/3452624044761300

Not seen this before!! If non-FB users cannot see it, I will investigate further...

Edit: Now I see, uploaded to Youtube 7 years ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFBL0udn_DA

and mentioned at DjangoStation around then as well: https://www.djangostation.com/Nouvelle-video-Django-Reinhardt-a.html

-Tony

Buco

Can't say I've seen this before. A true celebrity.

Svanis1337

Unfortunately Patrus enabled youtube's digital image stabilization when uploading the video so that's why it looks weird and the text is moving around. It comes from a random Belgian news segment on some modern Gypsy Jazz.

It appeared very sudden and unexpected, almost went under the radar, and I think the original link is gone. Makes me wonder if there's more out there, I wonder where they sourced this clip from?

spatzo

8 years ago moreless I went to Gand to play a couple of gigs during « Les fêtes de Gand » and I met the woman that directed the theater Capitol where Django played in 1943. She allowed me to visit the place and told me that there was a video of Django at the theater in the forties but I was unable to see it in that time.

Soon after Koen de Cauter who is The Boss in Gand published the video in some blog.

A Gent

Non-stabilised version from 2:18 here.

https://vimeo.com/85151868

Svanis1337

Thanks a lot! I've saved the clip now. I noticed Eugene Vees on the left at the beginning. Cool that Django walks straight towards the camera, I wonder if he made a funny face?

spatzo

Yes on this version there is Eugène Vees but also a young Gérard Lévêque (clarinet) that appears twice and Jean Storne. Django is smiling.

Here's Vees on left, probably Jean Storne (db) and Lévêque (cl) on Django's right (photo 1) and then Lévêque in the middle (photo 2) between Storne (?) and Django and finally on the right with Storne and Django (photo 3)

For me it is clearly Jean Storne (see below Capitole man left compared with Storne in Béziers 1943)

On the discographic side proofs are given to state that it could be Storne indeed, indicating that Django will record with Jean Storne (b) in February 1943 then with Emmanuel Soudieux (b) in March 1943 with Fud Candrix and then again with Storne (b) in July 1943 so it also might be him

The last one, the drummer André Jourdan, is still missing but maybe arrives at least at the end of the video:

There is from left to right : Jean Storne (back), Django, X, André Jourdan (??), Gérard Lévêque

Another try just a few images later...

I think that's him...

billyshakes

That's mighty good sleuthing, @spatzo! Thanks for educating us.

Teddy Dupont

Agree it's Jean Storne, Gérard Lévêque and Eugène Vees. Not so sure about about Jourdan. The individual features look very much like his but the overall look doesn’t remind me of him. The hairline is not right. It could be him though. He was certainly performing with Django around that time.

spatzo

I agree with you that it is hard to decide if it is him or not but in all the photos I have this man has many different faces...however please note that the hairline was reversed just because I reversed the Béziers photo to have moreless the same head position but now I will put the original photo and the hairline returns ok and very similar to the Capitol man.

I think he is also very close to Django just as if he is familiar with him

spatzo

Have a look and guess who is Jourdan and who isn't