Django's most inspired year?

Bones

I also like some of the recordings of him on the American tour with Ellington. Still sound modern and fresh today. That said, of course his early stuff is absolutely timeless and classic.

Yeah Wim, I've always felt that he was continuing to innovate and evolve. His impact was so huge as it was so who knows how he would have impacted music had he lived decades longer. Just imagine if he had lived until the 1980s! I think just about every guitar player today is influenced by him whether they know it or not. I hope Django and EVH are up there djamming right now!

Teddy Dupont

I love Django’s music from all eras and styles. For me, there is no “most inspired year”. There are exceptional recordings from every year.

When I first found a copy of the Rome sessions with Grappelli many, many years ago, I was not too sure about them. Perhaps that was because, at that time, I was too conditioned by the 1930’s HCQ stuff. I now think they constitute some of the most powerful and brilliant acoustic guitar playing ever recorded. On some of them, Django is clearly having a “bit of a laugh” but his rhythm playing throughout is superb and his solos on almost all of the slow numbers are truly beautiful.

As Wim Glenn said, Django’s musical development was incredible. I know I have said it many times before but I’ll say it again, Django Reinhardt was much more than just Gypsy Jazz. If what you like most is the 1930’s HCQ style with Grappelli then a lot of Django’s 1940s/1950s will not necessarily appeal to you.

I, too, would love to have known how his style would have developed had he not died so young. His playing on those final sessions is once again at the forefront of jazz guitar development.