Don't ask me why but I've been in such a Django Reinhardt mood all day and I don't have any of his music with me at work. So I turned to Youtube for a bit of a Django fix.
This guy truly was a genius and I just feel I need to draw your attention to it on this fine Wednesday morning. I'm not the greatest jazz expert but I reckon this guy was pretty unique.
And don't forget he played so fast and amazingly melodic in true gypsy jazz style and is prob the most famous gypsy jazz player of all time and all this after he lost the use of 2 of his fingers on his left hand in a fire . So imagine what if could have done with all his fingers ? i love his work and sadly he died young at about 46 or there abouts . A true legend of gypsy jazz
Keira WitherKay wrote:
And don't forget he played so fast and amazingly melodic in true gypsy jazz style and is prob the most famous gypsy jazz player of all time and all this after he lost the use of 2 of his fingers on his left hand in a fire . So imagine what if could have done with all his fingers ? i love his work and sadly he died young at about 46 or there abouts . A true legend of gypsy jazz
Indeed. I wonder if his unique style might be, to some extent, a result of him usign only two fingers. To be clear though, he didn't completely lose two fingers; From what I understand he was still able to use those fingers for chords but had to play the solos and intricate work with the other two.
deefstes wrote:
; From what I understand he was still able to use those fingers for chords but had to play the solos and intricate work with the other two.
indeed you dead right , the useless fingers were still used but he had very little contol of them ( if i recall the tendons were destroyed by the fire ) and he had no feeling in them so had to develop a technique where if needed he could flop the 'dead" finger onto the fretboard........ and use it in some way ......just amazing how the human spirit will find a way against all odds...
scary part of all this from a muso's perspective is that even with the use of all 4 fingers most players , even those specialising in gypsy jazz, can't replicate the licks at speed that django did .... however i did read that the secret of this speed was in his incredible (fully functional) right hand technique
a while back i read tons about django and his life story ....... and wow some amazing tales, not sure how much is true and how much urban legend but well worth a read ........ apparantly he was a real character in his private life , hard drinking,womanising,knife fighting .................. ect ect ect oh and also the most amazing gypsy jazz guitarist to walk this earth
Keira WitherKay wrote:a while back i read tons about django and his life story ....... and wow some amazing tales, not sure how much is true and how much urban legend but well worth a read ........ apparantly he was a real character in his private life , hard drinking,womanising,knife fighting .................. ect ect ect oh and also the most amazing gypsy jazz guitarist to walk this earth
Wow, sounds interesting. Any specific biography or just general reading up from a variety of sources?
Keira WitherKay wrote:
And don't forget he played so fast and amazingly melodic in true gypsy jazz style and is prob the most famous gypsy jazz player of all time and all this after he lost the use of 2 of his fingers on his left hand in a fire . So imagine what if could have done with all his fingers ? i love his work and sadly he died young at about 46 or there abouts . A true legend of gypsy jazz
Of course he is the most famous practitioner of, and a legend of, gypsy jazz. Gypsy Jazz just means, "You sound like Django Reinhard." It's a genre named after one dude's style of playing. And Django was that dude - who happened to be a Gypsy. I find the whole thing a bit strange.
It's like if all the people who sounded like Hendrix called their stuff: "Seattle Blues." In fact, "Texas blues" all but means that you sound like Stevie Ray Vaughn. Although some practitioners sound just like ZZ Top so it's not as clear-cut. Needless to say, no-one who plays like Freddie King gets lumped in with "Texas Blues" even though he was from Texas. ?
Keira WitherKay wrote:
And don't forget he played so fast and amazingly melodic in true gypsy jazz style and is prob the most famous gypsy jazz player of all time and all this after he lost the use of 2 of his fingers on his left hand in a fire . So imagine what if could have done with all his fingers ? i love his work and sadly he died young at about 46 or there abouts . A true legend of gypsy jazz
Of course he is the most famous practitioner of, and a legend of, gypsy jazz. Gypsy Jazz just means, "You sound like Django Reinhard." It's a genre named after one dude's style of playing. And Django was that dude - who happened to be a Gypsy. I find the whole thing a bit strange.
It's like if all the people who sounded like Hendrix called their stuff: "Seattle Blues." In fact, "Texas blues" all but means that you sound like Stevie Ray Vaughn. Although some practitioners sound just like ZZ Top so it's not as clear-cut. Needless to say, no-one who plays like Freddie King gets lumped in with "Texas Blues" even though he was from Texas. ?
? love your take on that singe ?
well django was playing an already established style in europe from the 20 's which was gypsy jazz .......all played on those cool moustache bridge acoustics ..(like old selmars) with D sound hole or oval ones (interesting point is apparantly according to what i read the D sound hole ones were for rhythm guitar and the oval or O shaped soundholes were for solo's )
here's a reissue by Gitanne (beautiful guitar .....one of these is next on my shopping list now i have my archtop)
and yes his name is in modern time linked to the gypsy jazz style ..but he wasn't unique or the one that started that gypsy jazz style ..although he hugely advanced it and influences all modern players of that style ......... BUT thats like saying hendrix started rock....... he influenced it but it was there before him ..........
I have the Guitar Techniques issue from last year with the spread on Django, and every piece is a gem.
It's all amazing stuff. He couldn't read music (and widely believed that he couldn't read or write much at all) yet his compositions are wonderful. His melodic runs (and chord work) were definitely informed by his left-hand limitations, but it doesn't sound like it when you listen to him. Also used lots of 6/9 chord shapes, and plenty of chromatic stuff. Although he wasn't thinking about that, he was just playing.
Equipment wise, he was most closely associated with Selmer (Maccafferi) guitars, which have that D-shaped sound-hole that Keira posted pics of. Strings were light (often .10s) but the action was set very high to get good projection. Almost exactly opposite to what many modern Jazzers prefer (thick strings and low action).
Keira WitherKay wrote:
scary part of all this from a muso's perspective is that even with the use of all 4 fingers most players , even those specialising in gypsy jazz, can't replicate the licks at speed that django did .... however i did read that the secret of this speed was in his incredible (fully functional) right hand technique
He was indeed amazing, the only modern player I think gets anywhere close to his style is Bireli Lagrene ?
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Who is of course, quite obviously, a massive acolyte of Django's ways, but also completely rips at traditional jazz and hard bop ?
singemonkey wrote:
Of course he is the most famous practitioner of, and a legend of, gypsy jazz. Gypsy Jazz just means, "You sound like Django Reinhard." It's a genre named after one dude's style of playing. And Django was that dude - who happened to be a Gypsy. I find the whole thing a bit strange.
Well yes and no, I mean technically these guys are gypsy jazz and they don't really sound like Django at all ?
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Keira WitherKay wrote:
a while back i read tons about django and his life story ....... and wow some amazing tales, not sure how much is true and how much urban legend but well worth a read ........ apparantly he was a real character in his private life , hard drinking,womanising,knife fighting .................. ect ect ect oh and also the most amazing gypsy jazz guitarist to walk this earth
Most of what you say there I believe was very much true, I have a greatest hits CD with him and Stefan Grappeli and the inside liner notes very much state that he was a character who tended to live well past his means.
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Warren wrote:
I have the Guitar Techniques issue from last year with the spread on Django, and every piece is a gem.
I got the same issue, it was a fascinating read and there were some very tasty little chromaticisms to be stolen from the lesson section on his style ?
As weird as this may seem Mattias Eklundh actually does a very competent Django Reinhardtish style acoustic vibe in quite a few of his songs, the song below in fact has one of those moments ?
Whoaaaah!!! That was a truly masterful performance. I love the way he skilfully sneaks in contemporary themes and then drift back to jazz again just before you really cop on. Also, that tuning in mid stride was brilliantly done. Keira, this looks like your kind of thing.
