Sunday, December 12, 1999
Six-CD set pays homage to guitar great Django
BY LARRY NAGER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As the year-end lists arrive, here's another category: guitar hero of the century — Django Reinhardt.
More than 65 years after his first records, the French gypsy guitarist's status continues to grow. Woody Allen's new movie, Sweet and Lowdown, stars Sean Penn as a 1930s jazz guitarist so in awe of him, that, on meeting Django (pronounced JHANG-go), he faints — twice.
The film is sure to reignite Django-mania, but the guitarist, who died in 1953, never went away. His legend was kept alive by longtime musical partner, violinist Stephane Grappelli (who died in 1997), hundreds of reissues and every generation of guitarists to follow.
Noted Django-philes include Chet Atkins, Peter Frampton, Pat Metheny, Mark Knopfler, Tony Rice and, most recently, 81/2 Souvenirs' Olivier Giraud.
This superb new six-CD collection adds more luster to the legend. Produced by Mosaic, America's premier jazz reissue label, the set features 119 recordings. These range from such standards as “Body and Soul,” “Honeysuckle Rose'' and “I'll See You in My Dreams” to his originals, including the unissued 1940 debut of his masterpiece, “Nuages.”
Fellow soloists range from the masterful Mr. Grappelli to competent clarinetist Hubert Rostaing.
It's not just virtuosity that grants Django guitar-hero status. He had legendary quirks to match. He was often MIA at his biggest concerts, only to turn up playing a nearby bar. When he came to the United States to tour with Duke Ellington in the late '40s, he neglected to bring a guitar.
What was most remarkable was how he conquered his handicap. As a young man, his left hand was badly burned in a fire.
Nonetheless, he played with a power and grace unheard of before him and unmatched since, improvising in a seamless blend of American swing and French gypsy passion.
Words can't begin to describe his sound. He must be heard, and there's no better place than this set. Completely remastered, with a lavish booklet of photos and notes, Django's Sessions is one of the year's best boxes.
Mosaic is a mail-order-only label: www.mosaicrecords.com
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