Musicians - Django Reinhardt

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	Musicians - Django Reinhardt

Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt (January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953) was a Belgian Roma jazz musician. He was one of the first important jazz musicians to be born in Europe. His most renowned tunes include "Minor Swing", "Tears", "Belleville" and "Nuages" (French, meaning "Clouds"). Django is pronounced zhane-go (with a long 'a').

Biography

Born in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium, Reinhardt spent most of his youth in gypsy encampments close to Paris, France, playing banjo, guitar and violin from an early age professionally at dance halls in Paris. He started first on the violin and eventually moved on to a banjo-guitar that had been given to him, and his first known recordings (in 1928) were of him playing the banjo (a banjo guitar has six strings and is tuned like a guitar).

At the age of 18, Reinhardt was injured in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared with his first wife where he almost lost a leg. The third and fourth digits on his left hand (his fretting hand) were burned badly. Reinhardt focused on the guitar and developed an original style of playing that emphasized his undamaged fingers.

In 1934, Louis Vola formed the "Quintette du Hot Club de France" with Reinhardt, violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Reinhardt's brother Joseph and Roger Chaput on guitar, and Louis Vola on bass. He produced numerous recordings at this time, and played with many American Jazz legends such as Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter , Rex Stewart and Louis Armstrong

As World War II was declared, the quintet was on tour in the United Kingdom. Reinhardt returned to Paris at once, leaving his wife behind. Grappelli remained in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war, and Reinhardt reformed the quintet in Paris with Hubert Rostaing on clarinet in place of Grappelli's violin.

Reinhardt survived World War II unscathed, unlike many other gypsies who perished in the concentration death camps of the Nazis. He had the help of a Luftwaffe official named Dietrich Schulz-Köhn, a.k.a. Doktor Jazz, who deeply admired his music. In 1943 he married Sophie Ziegler in Salbris, with whom he had a son; Babik Reinhardt, who went on to become a respected guitarist in his own right.

After the war, Reinhardt rejoined Grappelli in the UK, and went on to tour the United States, opening for Duke Ellington, and playing at Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately and despite Reinhardt's great pride in touring with Ellington (one of his two letters to Grappelli relates this excitment), he wasn't really integrated into the band. He only played a few tunes at the end of the show as Duke didn't write any special arrangements for him. He returned to France with broken dreams, but continued to play and make many recordings.

Django Reinhardt was among the first people in France to appreciate and understand the music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie whom he sought after when he first arrived in New York. Unfortunately they were all on tour. He integrated some elements of their music, still never compromising his own musical visions.

He later formed a new band with saxophone, trumpet, piano, bass and drums. He continued composing, and is regarded as among the most advanced guitar players of jazz music.

In 1951, he retired to Samois sur Seine, France, near Fontainebleau. He lived there for two years until May 16, 1953, when, while returning from the Avon train station, he collapsed outside of his house from a brain hemorrhage. It took one day for a doctor to arrive and he was declared dead on arrival at the hospital in Fontainebleau.

Trivia

The Concept of "Lead Guitar" (Django) and backing "Rhythm Guitars" (Joesph Reinhardt/Roger Chaput) was born with the Quintette Du Hot Club of France , without percussion instruments they used the "Rhythm Guitars" to serve this purpose.
Reinhardt is portrayed in the opening sequence of the 2003 cartoon Les Triplettes de Belleville, playing a mean guitar with his three fingers and puffing cigarette smoke out of his ears.
Reinhardt is the idol of the fictional 1930's guitarist, Emmet Ray
(Sean Penn),who passes out upon meeting Django in the Woody Allen film Sweet and Lowdown (1999).
The song Johnny Depp plays in the river party scene in Lasse Hallström's Chocolat was Django and Grapelli's great hit, "Minor Swing".
Django's "Minor Swing" can also be heard in the background during the oracle scene in The Matrix.
Djangos compositions Rhythm Futur (95 minute mark) and I Cant Give You Anything But Love (41 minute mark) are both portrayed in the movie The Aviator.
His song Nuages is also in the movie Gattaca during a scene where Ethan Hawke demonstrates the clouds of Titan in a wine glass using smoke from his cigar.
He is also portrayed by guitarist John Jorgenson in the movie Head in the Clouds.
The Beatles tune Piggies allegedly steals a melody from Grappelli's "Eveline" as recorded by Django.
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi was inspired by Reinhardt to keep playing guitar after an accident which cost him his fingertips.Thus Toni Iommis' music and Black Sabbath were also influenced by Django.
George Benson
cites Django as an influence on him
Carlos Santana is influenced by Django
The Allman Brothers Band song Jessica was written by guitarist Dickey Betts in tribute to Reinhardt. He wanted to write a song that could be played using only two fingers.
B.B. King, cites Django as one of his main influences.
Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead is influenced by Django
Trey Anastasio
formerly of Phish , his favorite guitarist is Django
Willie Nelson
cites Django as an influence on him
Bob Wills
and Western Swing was influenced by Django and Stephane Grappelli,Thus in turn influencing country music of today
Miles Davis
has a song named "Django"
David Lee Roth covered "Limehouse Blues" and "Excatly like You" on his Video "No Holds Bar-Be-Que"
Charlie Christian
is influenced by Django
David Crosby named one of his sons "Django"
Famed classical guitarist Julian Bream
began playing guitar as a result of hearing Reinhardt.
Les Paul was influenced by Django
The Django web framework, a Python web framework, was named after Reinhardt.
The 2002 video game Mafia used songs "Minor Swing", "Rhythm Futur", "Vendredi", "Oiseaux des Iles", "Belleville", "Lentement, Mademoiselle", "Douce Ambiance", "Manoir de mes Rêves" and "Cavalerie" as the majority of the soundtrack.
Sealab 2021 paid tribute to Django in the episode "Bebop Cola". In it, Captain Murphy comments on a drink dispensed from the Bebop Cola machine: "Ahh, Mango Rheinhardt! The thinking man's pop!"
Harlan Ellison's short story "Django" is a fantasia about a guitarist, with similarities to Reinhardt.
Django Reinhardt's music is featured heavily in the 2002 PC/PS2/Xbox title Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Django Reinhardt ]

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Musicians - Django Reinhardt

Biography

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