Unknown faces of Django's Legend (1)

François RAVEZ

Dear all,

It has been a while since I wanted to share with you some photos of some people who took a part in Django’s legend but whose face is unknown to most of us.

You will not find their portrait in the many books about DR or even in the booklets of the CDs.

First of all, I would like to introduce the singer CHAUMEL. Django recorded with him some mythic and yet unfound records. Little is known about him except that he spoke with an accent from the south of France.


Another musician found in the early DR recordings is accordionist Jean Vaissade.
I have often heard and even in a recent documentary that Django had recorded with ‘the great accordionist Jean Vaissade’. But in those days Django and Vaissade were just (gifted) teenagers.
Vaissade had started recording one year before and was just one year older than Django.



Vaissade always remained close to Django, even after DR left the musette world for the jazz scene. That’s him with banjoist Julien La Torre who collected money from their musicians fellows to help DR after he was burned.

Another accordionist we find in early DR records is V. Marceau who also started to play music very young as you can see.



For some reasons I never understood V. Marceau has always a tragic face on his photos and even on some drawings used to illustrate his music sheets [on the right side of the accordion, the illustrator wrote : "ici, il y a beaucoup de boutons" (here there are many buttons) and on the left side "ici aussi" (here too)].




They finally found a solution by replacing his face by some more attractive pictures on the cover of his music sheets (naked woman photos).

Best

François RAVEZ

François RAVEZ

They finally found a solution by replacing his face by some more attractive pictures on the cover of his music sheets (naked woman photos).

I finally realized that I had not posted some examples of the above mentionned "attractive pictures".

Best

François RAVEZ

klaatu

Definitely an improvement!

Jazzaferri

Too true

Lango-Django

Yup, those good old naked women are pretty hard to beat!

Will

Et merci bien, Francois,, d'avoir partages ces photos--- fantastique! Mais je n'ai pas vu ce banjoiste Julien LaTorre dont vous avez parle...?

Cuimean

I have a compilation of French folk music that includes a song by an accordionist from Auvernge named Robert Vaissade. Was Jean Vaissade also from Auvergne? I find it interesting that musette has its roots in the folk music of that region, but most of the famous musette musicians are Italian (or from Italian families). Did the musicians from Auvergne fall out of the scene as the accordion began to replace the cabrette?

François RAVEZ

Hi Lango-Django,

Here is Julien La Torre on banjo, with unknown (left) on accordion, Vetese Guerino (middle) on accordion and Jean Peyronnin on piano.

Best

François RAVEZ

François RAVEZ

Hi Cuimean,
I have never heard of Robert Vaissade, but Vaissade is a typical name from Auvergne. Jean Vaissade was from Auvergne, from Recoules d'Aubrac in Lozère a place famous for its cows, its cheese, its Laguiole knives and its accordionists. He came to Paris when he was 2 years old, his parents were "bougnats" (they were selling coal + drinks) in the rue des Pyrénées.
He played a lot with Gus Viseur and backed Edith Piaf when she started singing.
He discovered another young italian singer Rina Pichiotto who became famous under the name of Rina Ketty and married her. She sang "J'attendrai", "Sombrero et Mantilles", "La Madonne aux Fleurs" and other great hits of the time.
During the war Vaissade was wounded by the Germans, his right arm remained paralyzed and he could only use 3 fingers, but with a great virtuosity (that reminds me of someone). Rina Ketty left him after spending all the money he had saved.
It is interesting that Vaissade made a second carrier then playing Auvergne folk music and he made quite a lot of money. Other famous accordionists from Auvergne are Jean Ségurel and Robert Monnedière but they mainly play folk music from Auvergne not musette.
Best
François RAVEZ

Lango-Django

Thanks for the photo, Francois... That looks like a six-string banjo... rarely played here in North America, perhaps they are more common in France?

The problem with these banjos is that the small "body" size ensures that the two lowest strings are very weak and flabby-sounding...

Will

Lango-Django

Thanks for the photo, Francois... That looks like a six-string banjo... rarely played here in North America, perhaps they are more common in France?

The problem with these banjos is that the small "body" size ensures that the two lowest strings are very weak and flabby-sounding...

Will

François RAVEZ

Hi Lango-Django,

Yes 6-string banjos were probably more common in France. Django himself played a 6-string banjo.

Here are two other banjo players. Pierre Simon (not to be mistaken with the bass player with the same name) seemed to have found a solution for small bodied banjos. I am wondering if the skin of the banjo is not a recycled drum.

Best

François