What song is this?

Pele Merengue

I'm assuming the performance is by Django and Grappelli, but I can't name the song for the life of me. I was hoping someone here could help me out.

(Please excuse the sound quality, I quickly recorded this off of a television through a laptop microphone.)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/lxup37

richdaigle

I hate to disappoint you, but, that isn't Django and I'm pretty sure it's not Stephane either! Sounds like someone trying to "antique" a recording or something...my 2 cents

Pele Merengue

I'm guessing it's Django and Stephane because it's from a soundtrack containing music from the 30s, 40s and 50s that already contains several other Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grappelli songs (though they are more easily identifiable than this one, like "La Mer" and "It Had to be You"). Most of the other songs on the soundtrack are vocal pop or jazz standards from the likes of Cole Porter or Billie Holiday... it doesn't make sense to me that they would just record a new song with acoustic guitar and violin and "antique" it, as you say, when the rest of the soundtrack is legitimately from the 30s-50s era.

Unfortunately, the people who implemented the soundtrack never formally credited anything other than the music labels and publishers that held the rights. So I haven't a clue what the song is called.

Jack

Might be able to track down more info if you can tell us where you heard it...I wonder if it was BioShock, which features a lot of the stuff you're talking about? It's odd; I agree that the recording isn't Django--as far as I know he never recorded the tune, and it just plain doesn't sound like him--yet this page and many others list Jitterbug Waltz by Django Reinhardt as part of the licensed soundtrack. On the other hand, there are other mistakes in the list...

Anyway, it's nice to have a little mystery to work on...I'm not totally convinced that it isn't Stephane--could it be one of later period things, when he was playing with Martin Taylor, Toots, etc?

best,
Jack.

Bones

Definitely Jitterbug Waltz. I like Jethro Burn's version though.

Pele Merengue

I am indeed talking about Bioshock. But I'm obviously unfamiliar with the song and I couldn't find any instances of Django recording anything titled "Jitterbug Waltz". So thanks for identifying it for me, I guess now I have the trouble of finding out who the artist is.