Django Reinhardt: The first great European jazz musician

Overview

In the evolution of jazz, the New Orleans and Chicago styles of the 1920s gave way to the emerging swing style of the 1930s. In this, and the next several sections, we will learn about some of the most influential jazz musicians of this era and how their musical contributions helped shape the jazz style known as swing.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to do the following:

Identify selected swing musicians and their contributions to jazz
Define charts
Identify the significance of call-and-response in Fletcher Henderson's compositions, as well as in others‘
Define antiphonal counterpoint

Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt

In Europe, interest in jazz was fueled by increasing numbers of visiting American jazz performers. The first notable European jazz originated in the 1930s with the music of the Quintette du Hot Club de France, led by French gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt.

Django Reinhardt (1910-1953) is considered the first great European jazz musician. At age 18, a fire left Reinhardt with portions of the ring finger and pinky from his left hand missing. However, as recordings made some six years later demonstrate, Reinhardt found his own guitar technique that more than compensated for the loss.

His playing drew international attention, and Reinhardt enjoyed recording opportunities with such well-known visiting American jazz musicians as Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter⁷.

Let's listen to a recording of Dinah ♫ as performed by the Quintette du Hot Club de France. In addition to Reinhardt's brilliant and original guitar playing, we'll also hear the masterful solo work of the band's co-founder, French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli (1908-1997).

Quintette du Hot Club de France, Dinah ♫ (Akst-Lewis-Young), Paris, 1934. Stephane Grapelli, violin (vn); Django Reinhardt, Roger Chaput, Joseph Reinhardt, guitars (g); Louis Vola, bass (b).

"Duke Ellington always had a style: original, clean with interesting color combinations. He had an artist's eye. "

-Wynton Marsalis

"In music, as you develop a theme or musical idea, there are many points at which directions must be decided, and at any time I was in the throes of debate with myself, harmonically or melodically, I would turn to Billy Strayhorn. We would talk, and then the whole world would come into focus. The steady hand of his good judgment pointed to the clear way that was fitting for us. He was not, as he was often referred to by many, my alter ego. Billy Strayhorn was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his in mine."

-Duke Ellington

"Duke Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions in his lifetime as a Jazz band-leader, composer and pianist, including Jazz standards, film scores and classical works."

Songfacts