DJANGO REINHARDT – 1935-1936 | The Classics Chronological Series – 739 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Moving on from its initial Ultraphone sides, the Quintette du Hot Club de France hit a sort of early zenith with two 1936 sessions cut for the HMV label. This volume of Classics' Chronological series features 12 sides from those May and October HMV dates, including such perennial Reinhardt and Grappelli performances as "Shine," "After You've Gone," and "Georgia on My Mind" -- Freddy Taylor, the fine Armstrong-inspired vocalist, only adds to the charm of these and a few other numbers here. The disc also finds the guitar and violin duo on two dates headed up respectively by pianist Garnet Clark and bandleader Michel Warlop (the handful of Warlop numbers also feature the great French clarinetist Alix Combelle). Topped off with some nice trumpet work by American ex-pat Bill Coleman, this Reinhardt disc qualifies as one of a handful of top-notch retrospectives of the guitarist's prime '30s output. Stephen Cook   Tracklist :