BENNY CARTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1937-1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 552 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The fourth CD in Classics' complete chronological reissue of Benny Carter's early recordings as a leader finds Carter (on alto, trumpet, clarinet, tenor and even one vocal) leading orchestras in London, Laren, the Hague, Paris and (for the final three selections) New York. Highpoints include "Nagasaki," "I'm in the Mood for Swing," "Blues in My Heart," "I'm Coming Virginia" (from a three-song session that also features Django Reinhardt) and "Melancholy Lullaby." In addition, the great tenor Coleman Hawkins plays a prominent role on four of the performances. Carter is in top form throughout these often formerly rare but very vital swing recordings. His fans should quickly acquire all of these invaluable Classics releases. Scott Yanow     Tracklist + Credits :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1934-1935 | The Classics Chronological Series – 703 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This first installment in Classics' multi-volume Reinhardt series is a fine place to start your Django collection. Recorded between 1934-1935, the 23 tracks include many of first sides from the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, which Reinhardt formed with frequent cohort and violinist Stephane Grappelli. Cut for the French Ultraphone label, the material includes such top-notch QHCF sides as "I Saw Stars," "I'm Confessin'," and "Dinah." There's also a few numbers Reinhardt cut with the Michel Warlop Orchestra before teaming up with QHCF. And while JSP's Reinhardt discs often beat out many of the Classics titles for sound quality, this early offering ranks as one that stands up just fine. Stephen Cook       Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1935 | The Classics Chronological Series – 727 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Gathered here are many of the first sides cut by the Quintette du Hot Club de France. Better known maybe as Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli's band, this very original Parisian combo took the energy of early jazz classics sides by Armstrong, Beiderbecke, et al., and infused it with elements from the French chanson tradition and Reinhardt's own gypsy heritage. Beyond their unique guitar and violin repartee, though, Reinhardt and Grappelli could match -- and even surpass -- the improvised swing forged by their stateside contemporaries, a feat rarely achieved in the early days of European jazz. With the quality of these maiden QHCF sides, then, the pickings are plentiful. Alongside other finely remastered collections on JSP and Affinity, this and many other Classics volumes in the label's strict chronological series will probably be best appreciated by completists rather than survey-seeking newcomers. That said, the 22 tracks here contain some top performances, including such QHCF standouts as "You and the Night and the Music," "Ultrafox," and "Avalon." Also to be found are a some innocuous vocals by Jerry Mengo, a few cuts manned by New Orleans native and multi-instrumentalist Frank "Big Boy" Goudie, and plenty of Reinhardt and Grappelli's incredible playing. A nice addition to an already healthy catalog. Stephen Cook       Tracklist :

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 :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 748 (1994) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Django Reinhardt's legacy of great jazz records is so vast that some may feel intimidated by the sheer volume of material. Where to begin? What's the best? Did he ever make "bad" recordings? All of these questions quickly dissipate when the music itself starts to roll. Most of Django's music is delightful, which explains his continued popularity many years after his untimely death. It just so happens that this volume in the Reinhardt chronology is an excellent place to dive in. The year 1937 was a great one for jazz, both in the U.S. and in Europe, where this music was flourishing in a collective atmosphere of ethnic diversity not unlike that which had fueled its birth and development in the social cauldrons of Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis, Kansas City and New York. The Parisian jazz scene positively thrived during the 1930s, with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France quickly establishing itself as the definitive Continental swing unit. By April of 1937 this group had been making records together for more than two years. Their style had fully jelled into an exacting formula suitable for interpreting jazz standards and pop songs with impeccable ease. Within a few days 20 outstanding performances were waxed, and every single side is astonishing in its freshness and lyrical invention. In addition to defining the sound of the Quintet in its prime, this volume includes two unaccompanied guitar solos -- the stunningly virtuosic "Parfum" is one of Django's all-time greatest recorded achievements -- and a pair of guitar/alto saxophone duets featuring the great Andre Ekyan. arwulf arwulf     Tracklist + Credits :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1937, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 762 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This volume of the Classics Django Reinhardt chronology was expressly dedicated by the producers to the memory of Philippe Brun, a fine and forceful trumpeter whose primary inspiration was Louis Armstrong. Brun, who passed away in 1994, seems to have recorded regularly with Django and company. In addition to a fascinating version of Larry Clinton's "Whoa Babe" -- made famous among jazz fans after Lionel Hampton recorded it with Johnny Hodges and Cootie Williams in April 1937 -- Brun's two essays on the blues are honest and subtle, while his "College Stomp" is a fine example of Parisian big-band swing. The other noteworthy guest instrumentalist is violinist Michel Warlop, who appears either as a member of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France or as featured fiddler leading his own ensembles. Warlop's pleasantly looming "Taj Mahal" typifies a European's idyllic notion of a scene in "exotic" southern Asia. Anyone familiar with Fats Waller's monumental 1934 recording of Reginald Foresythe's "Serenade for a Wealthy Widow" will derive a new thrill from Warlop's equally feisty rendition. This disc also contains several unforgettable experiments by the Quintet. A marvelous "Minor Swing," with vocal exclamations and encouragements by Django, is perfectly amended by the famous "Viper's Dream." Everything recorded on December 14, 1937, has a pleasantly bracing dissonance about it, beginning with a hypnotic set of bolero variations played by a 13-piece band featuring flutist Maurice Cizeron and three violinists. But the real feature seems always to be Django Reinhardt, guitarist supreme. He is prominently featured on "St. Louis Blues" and "Bouncin' Around," accompanied only by a second guitar and string bass, and on a lovely series of duets with either bassist Louis Vola ("You Rascal You") or violinist/pianist Stéphane Grappelli. arwulf arwulf         Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1937-1938 | The Classics Chronological Series – 777 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Here's another in a long line of chronological Reinhardt discs on the Classics label. This time up, more from the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, featuring Reinhardt cohort and violinist Stephane Grappelli, guitarist Roger Chaput, and bassist Louis Vola. Having already cut many sides for the Ultraphone and HMV labels, Reinhardt and company were now recording for Decca; most of these performances were taped in London. Highlights include such Reinhardt and Grappelli staples as "Daphné," "Souvenirs," and "Paris Swing," not to mention fine renditions of "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Sweet Georgia Brown." There are also cuts spotlighting French harmonica great Larry Adler and trumpeter Philippe Brun. With many Reinhardt collections to choose from, this somewhat below-par addition to the Classics series is probably best left to completists. Stephen Cook       Tracklist + Credits :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1938-1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 793 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Packed with three beautiful Reinhardt/Grappelli guitar/piano duets, one gorgeous unaccompanied guitar improvisation, 15 solid Quintet sides, and the legendary Rex Stewart "Feetwarmers" session of April 5, 1939, this excellent volume of chronologically reissued Django Reinhardt recordings occupies a position somewhere between "magnificent" and "essential." After a vigorous jam on "Them There Eyes" and a pleasantly swung "Three Little Words," intimations of developing modernity suddenly erupt during "Appel Direct," also known as "Appel Indirect" or "Direct Appeal." Django delivers some downright devilish picking during this brisk exercise in dexterity. Crossing the Channel for a return trip to England, Django and Stéphane's Quintette -- now billed as the "Quintet" on British and American Decca records -- waxed three sides on the 30th of August 1938. The French artists' vigilance and unwavering allegiance to Afro-American music is clearly spelled out in their choice of material. Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart had recorded possibly their most famous song, "Flat Foot Floogie," in February of 1938. Fats Waller & His Continental Rhythm waxed their four-alarm version in London a few months later on August 28, and the Quintet's mellower rendering, with an arresting solo guitar intro, was set down for posterity two days later, along with "Lambeth Walk," which had been recorded by Duke Ellington on August 9th. Django's unaccompanied "Improvisation No. 2" is a sequel to a similarly striking experiment dating from April of 1937. Back in Paris in March of 1939, the Quintet waxed nine more choice sides, taking on a whole stretch of Tin Pan Alley while presenting various compositions of their own devising. But the real treasure in this package lies among the final five tracks. Rex Stewart, Barney Bigard, and bassist Billy Taylor collaborated with Monsieur Reinhardt on five exquisite performances that rate among the finest in the entire "Djangologie." The combination of three seasoned Ellingtonians and one gypsy jazz genius is a rare treat not to be missed. arwulf arwulf     Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1939-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 813 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In addition to providing a wonderful photograph of Django Reinhardt having his palm read by Edith Piaf, this segment of the guitarist's chronology documents the recordings he participated in during the months leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War. On May 17, 1939, the famous Quintet of the Hot Club of France scrubbed, jogged, and trotted their way around two Tin Pan Alley standards and the Reinhardt/Grappelli original "Hungaria." They also tiptoed delicately through "Japanese Sandman" and took their time relishing the verse section of "Tea for Two." One week later, alto saxophonist Andre Ekyan assembled a jam band involving three seasoned U.S. musicians: Louisiana's Frank "Big Boy" Goudie (usually a reed player, heard here on trumpet), Baltimore piano legend Joe Turner, and world-class drummer Tommy Benford of Charleston, WV. Ekyan, who played a whole lot of funky clarinet during this blowing session, struck gold when he blended the artistry of six men from such diverse backgrounds. Two of the five tunes recorded that day feature the French half of this band in a more intimate setting. On June 30, 1939, the Quintet made another landmark recording, Django's harmonically intriguing "Stockholm," fascinating in its eccentric gait and wistful changes. After recording a sunny version of Noël Coward's "Younger Generation" for the flip side, Django reduced the group to a trio for "I'll See You in My Dreams" and finished the session all by himself. "Echoes of Spain" recalls the magical mind of Enriqué Granados, the landscape of Andalusia, and almost certainly the tragic political realities of Spain during the late '30s. "Naguine," a softly rendered daydream, sounds as if it were improvised on the spot. Four sides waxed in London on August 25, 1939, include a pair of vocals by Beryl Davis. Hearing an American female vocalist singing with the Quintet is an unusual experience, and not at all unpleasant. The instrumental "The Man I Love" is a profound example of the group's collective creativity. This would be the final session involving the original Quintet, and the last Reinhardt/Grappelli collaboration to occur for more than five years. Although they were planning to tour Australia and India, Hitler's invasion of Poland on the first of September caused them to cancel this promising mission and Django hotfooted it back to Paris while Stéphane remained in London. Reinhardt's next adventure in a recording studio took place on February 22, 1940, as an honored member of trumpeter Philippe Brun's Jam Band, an exciting ensemble including trombonist Guy Paquinet, the great Alix Combelle playing both tenor sax and clarinet, American pianist Charlie Lewis, and H.P. Chadel on drums. Any questions regarding this group's attitude toward the Axis powers are resolved by their recording of a "Stomp" bristling with quotes from John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever." arwulf arwulf          Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 831 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For fans mostly enamored with Reinhardt and Grappelli's vintage Quintet of the Hot Club of France (QHCF) sides from the '30s, this collection of 1940 recordings might not the best disc to get. Reinhardt completists, however, will certainly find plenty here to admire. The start of The War had broken up the original QHCF, as Grappelli opted to pursue a career on England's relatively safe shores and Reinhardt went solo in Paris. This Classics disc finds a Grappelli-less Reinhardt with a new incarnation of the Quintet, plus several cuts where the guitarist is featured in groups led by such other French musical luminaries as trumpeter Hubert Rostaing and tenor saxophonist Noel Chiboust. Reinhardt regulars like trumpeter Philippe Brun and reed player Alix Combelle also make fine solo contributions to this set of both hot swingers and dance band smoothies. Unessential, but enjoyable all the same. Stephen Cook         Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1940-1941 | The Classics Chronological Series – 852 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

All of these sides but one (a pop vocal by Charles Trenet) were made in December 1940, just half a year into the Nazi occupation of Paris. People are still marveling over the fact that Django Reinhardt, a Gypsy who played music closely aligned with Jews and Afro-Americans, was not arrested and put to death by the invasive regime, for these collective jams were and are the antithesis of fascist ideology. It just so happens that this little slice of the chronology contains some of Reinhardt's most interesting material, wonderfully evolved from the earlier Hot Club de France, yet filled with premonitions of how jazz would come to sound ten or even 20 years later. Hubert Rostaing was an inventive clarinetist, sounding something like Marshall Royal, and is featured on most of these sides. Alix Combelle blew a boisterous, Coleman Hawkins-inspired tenor saxophone (as does Rostaing on the sessions of December 18 and 19). Present throughout all of these sessions is a wonderful percussionist by the name of Pierre Fouad, who recorded as a leader for the Swing label a few years later. Tony Rovira deserves to be remembered as a gifted bassist, particularly for the sensitivity he demonstrates on these recordings. The most precious and musically inventive track is "Oiseaux des iles," a brilliantly constructed gypsy-jazz fantasy of such ethnic potency that it would have given Dr. Goebbels a case of non-Aryan indigestion. Trumpeter Pierre Allier, sort of a French person's Frankie Newton, leads a couple of bands, both small and not-so-small, providing one or two examples of how Reinhardt sounded as part of the rhythm section in a large jazz orchestra. The crowning glory of this wonderful album is "Festival Swing," a four-minute all-star big band blowout, with Charles Delaunay introducing each and every member of the band in French, providing English-speaking people with a valuable pronouncing lexicon for all of those wonderful French names. arwulf arwulf     Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1941-1942 | The Classics Chronological Series – 877 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

There's no danger of this volume sounding too much like any of the previous installments in the Classics Django Reinhardt chronology, as the guitarist conducted unprecedented experiments with different instrumentation and participated in an unusual number of big-band sessions. Five sides waxed in Paris on September 11, 1941, feature the Benny Carter-inspired alto saxophonist Andre Ekyan and clarinetist supreme Hubert Rostaing. These reconstituted Hot Club Quintets were expertly driven by premier percussionist Pierre Fouad. Later that month another monstrous get-together involving an enormous number of top-notch European jazz musicians yielded something called "Festival Swing 1942." Note that it was common practice to name these jam numbers for the year that was yet to come, implying that progressive musicians are always looking ahead. Other soloists in addition to Django were violinist Michel Warlop, vibraphonist Willy Kett, and Dany Kane, who played harmonica in a manner similar to Larry Adler. Django's next appearance in front of the recording microphones was as part of Hubert Rostaing's septet with Aimé Barelli playing trumpet and Noel Chiboust on tenor sax. "Première Idée d'Eddie," dated March 31, 1942, is the only known recording featuring Django Reinhardt playing the string bass! His bowed solo is worth the cost of the whole package. Four more titles from the same session cover the usual wide spectrum of tones, textures, and moods. Flutist Maurice Cizeron is featured on the beautiful reverie "Nymphéas" and "Féerie" is a frantic, driving big-band stomp. Hubert Rostaing is featured on the friendly bounce "Belleville" and a sort of guitar/clarinet sonata entitled "Lentement, Mademoiselle." In April and May of 1942, Django toured Belgium and made a fascinating series of great recordings in Brussels for the Rhythme label. First came four exquisite duets with pianist Ivon de Bie. Two of these, "Blues en Mineur" and "Vous et Moi," featured Django playing the violin. The seven remaining tracks find Django leading his own "Grand Orchestre" or sitting in with equally large bands led either by reedman Fud Candrix or Stan Brenders, who seems to have been trying for an Artie Shaw sound with a string quartet added to the congregation. Everything heard here is guaranteed to satisfy, even the sweet big-band sides, for there's no resisting any band with Django Reinhardt soloing right down in front. arwulf arwulf        Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1942-1943 | The Classics Chronological Series – 905 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is Django Reinhardt during the war years, without the services of perennial partner Stephane Grappelli and leading a large band in Paris (Grappelli would return for stretches after the war). Even sans his friend's simpatico violin, Reinhardt is still impressive on these 21 quality sides, picking nicely throughout. Heavy on his own material, set highlights include a two-part "Improvisation No. 3," "Belleville," and "Douce Ambiance." The sound remains anchored in Reinhardt's earlier Hot Club days of the late '30s, touched by a bluesier-than-normal strain and some hardened swing. A nice bet for dedicated listeners. Stephen Cook      Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1944-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 945 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Thanks to a certain high ranking Nazi official whose penchant for jazz music caused him to violate the aggressively racist policies of his own government, Django Reinhardt was able to perform his music throughout most of the Occupation without being deported, involuntarily sterilized, or exterminated along with many of his fellow Gypsies. Nevertheless, weary of an imposed police state and shaken by Allied "precision" bombardment of Paris, Reinhardt and his second wife Naguine attempted to flee to Switzerland by way of Thonon-les-Bains at Lac Leman in 1943. Apprehended and jailed at Thonon, they were set free by the same fortuitous fluke in the Nazi establishment. Given the disruptive nature of these harrowing circumstances, it is not surprising that the only recordings known to have been made with Reinhardt in attendance during the year 1944 are three sides cut on November 3, almost exactly six months after the birth of Babik Reinhardt. Performed by a big band led by tenor saxophonist Noel Chiboust, they constitute the first three selections on the thirteenth volume in Django Reinhardt's portion of the Classics Chronological Series. Recorded in January 1945, tracks four through seven are attributed to the Jazz Club Mystery Hot Band, a mostly American group consisting of Reinhardt, trumpeter Bernie Privin, tenor saxophonist Peanuts Hucko, pianist Mel Powell, bassist Joe Schulman, and drummer Ray McKinley. The Classics chronology skips over a number of recordings that Reinhardt made during 1945, including an unaccompanied guitar solo and performances by several groups of varying size. A handful of titles, played by the U.S. Air Transport Command Band under the direction of Sgt. Jack Platt, do appear as tracks 8-11. The producers of this collection chose to "cut to the chase" by delving into the first months of 1946 when Reinhardt recorded with two distinctively different Hot Club Quintettes. On January 31 and February 1 he was reunited with violinist Stéphane Grappelli in London (tracks 12-19), and on May 15 he cut four sides with a reconfigured Quintette without a violinist and greatly modernized by the innovative technique of clarinetist/alto saxophonist Hubert Rostaing (tracks 20-23). Reinhardt's postwar career (1945-1953) was characterized by what seems in retrospect to have been a puzzling gradual wane in popularity. This appears to have set in at once, for his response to a paucity of regular work during the spring of 1946 led Reinhardt to invest in a set of brushes, paints, and other materials necessary for quiet reflection as he began expanding his improvisational energies to include light as well as sound as his personal system of poetics evolved from the audible to the visual. This is a useful if incomplete sampling of Reinhardt's late wartime and immediate postwar recordings. For a more complete chronology of Reinhardt's entire surviving musical legacy, consult the exhaustively thorough Integrale series, available in 20 double-disc volumes from Fremeaux & Associes. arwulf arwulf     Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1001 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After being separated by the Second World War for more than five years, Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli recorded eight sides together in London on January 31 and February 1, 1946. Their next shared studio recording date occurred in Paris on May 26, 1947, resulting in the five decidedly modernistic tracks that open this volume of the Classics Django Reinhardt chronology. Django had clearly evolved at a rate commensurate with the rapid evolution of jazz itself from 1939 to 1947. His solos reveal a musical consciousness well beyond where he had been only a few years earlier. Stéphane, of course, had also experienced his own sort of artistic development. Yet the contrast between the two is noticeable and it would take the violinist many years to absorb and fully digest what he was now experiencing. On April 16, 1947, Django recorded a "Minor Blues" with the 12-piece band that had been working with him at the Boef sur le Toit, a Parisian nightclub where his own paintings -- a sensual series of landscapes and nudes -- were on display. He then led a reconstituted Quintet of the Hot Club of France, featuring clarinet/alto saxophonist Michel de Villers, through four pleasant musical episodes intended to be used as a soundtrack for La Fleur de l'Age, a film by Marçel Carne that unfortunately never reached completion. Note that this group's "Clair de Lune" is not the famous movement from Claude Debussy's Suite Bergamasque, but something just as lovely. Django's next opportunity to make records in a studio occurred in Brussels on May 21st during a tour of Belgium. The six sides cut on that day and subsequently released on the Decca label represent Reinhardt's very first recordings using an electric guitar. They also herald the return of master clarinetist Hubert Rostaing, who made great records with Reinhardt's groups during the year 1940 and reappears sporadically in the Django discography like a will o' the wisp throughout most of the decade. This excellent clarinetist was in the same league as Marshall Royal, Aaron Sachs, Hank D'Amico, or perhaps most of all Buddy DeFranco. Rostaing recorded extensively with Django during the year 1947, and their phonographic collaborations would continue until another Belgian tour in November of 1948. Everything included on this disc qualifies as jazz of the very highest order. There's bebop running through these sessions like quicksilver, and Reinhardt had begun to experiment with the quirks and expanded potentials of the electrified guitar. "Porto Cabello" is smoky, almost a tango. "Blues for Barclay," dedicated to Blue Star record label founders Eddie and Nicole Barclay, feels like a spontaneous jam session. Even Edvard Grieg's Danse Norvegienne, which sounded almost silly when they tried it on in 1940, comes across in its 1947 incarnation as effortlessly hip. arwulf arwulf           Tracklist + Credits :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1947, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1046 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The combination of an early modern jazz clarinet and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France creates a special kind of chemistry that occurs periodically throughout Django Reinhardt's recorded works. This volume in the Classics Reinhardt chronology contains an unusually high concentration of clarinetists, most notably the great Hubert Rostaing. Given his warm, personable timbre and unusual dexterity, it is surprising that more jazz lovers are not aware of this remarkable musician. The previous Django Reinhardt installment in the Classics chronology, 1947, contained no less than 13 tracks documenting the Rostaing/Reinhardt collaboration. 1947, Vol. 2 (Classics 1046) forks over 15 more examples of their best work together, along with two tracks featuring clarinetist Maurice Meunier and one greasy strut -- "Douce Ambiance" -- involving clarinetist Gerard Leveque. Reinhardt, heard playing electric guitar on all but three of the 20 tracks, sounds as lyrical and inventive as ever. "Brazil," unlike most other peoples' renditions, uses hardly any percussion, zeroing in on the melody first and foremost. It is interesting to hear Reinhardt's interpretation of "Topsy," a jam structure invented by Count Basie and Eddie Durham, who pioneered the newfangled electrified guitar back in 1938. "Gypsy With a Song" is Reinhardt's teasing response to Duke Ellington's beautiful composition "Gypsy Without a Song." The disc finishes off with two fine selections from a Quintet session involving Stéphane Grappelli. The rest of the material recorded on that date -- November 14, 1947 -- can be found on Classics 1317, which chronicles the years 1947-1951. arwulf arwulf    Tracklist + Credits :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1947-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1317 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Anyone intimately familiar with Django Reinhardt's later recorded works might wonder how one CD can contain all of his recordings from late 1947 through 1951. While it is a fact that Reinhardt experienced increasing periods of unemployment after 1947 as his popularity waned, he certainly made enough records during this time period to fill more than one compact disc. The solution to this puzzle apparently involves issues of licensing, copyright, and ownership. During January and February 1949, and then again in April and May of 1950, Django Reinhardt, using small groups containing both French and Italian musicians and featuring either Stéphane Grappelli or Andre Ekyan, made a number of excellent recordings for radio broadcast purposes in Rome. Although the producers of the Classics Chronological Series usually seem able to procure the recordings necessary for a thorough survey of each artist they feature, whoever owns the rights to the Roman Reinhardt acetates either wouldn't allow them to be used by the folks at Classics, or perhaps the Italians wanted more money than the French company was willing or able to afford. In any case, there's a gap of about 18 months in this overview, but it doesn't sound that way at all because what you get is a mighty dose of late-period Django Reinhardt, and every nanosecond of music is precious and fine. The first ten tracks were recorded in Paris in late 1947 and early 1948 by a Quintet of the Hot Club of France featuring the violin and piano of Stéphane Grappelli. "Si Tu Savais" is a profound opener that feels as though it is referencing harsh realities and twists of fate. It sounds, in fact, a lot like "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" Throughout these ten selections, both the ensemble's collective creativity and Reinhardt's improvisations are dazzling. The next block of material inadvertently calls up another incongruity. The Classics label's self-imposed delineation between studio and live material is remarkably inconsistent, as plenty of live recordings have deliberately been either included or excluded from their extensive catalog. Lots of live Reinhardt didn't make it into his chronology on Classics. Here the producers went ahead and wove in a continuous live concert recording made in Brussels on December 1, 1948. Django Reinhardt and a small group featuring clarinetist Hubert Rostaing present a full range of moods and textures, including the Benny Carter/Ben Webster steamroller "Cadillac Slim" -- with thunderous Gene Krupa-styled drumming during the clarinet solo -- and a brief "Symphonie," which turns out to be a vigorous workout for Django's guitar. But speaking of the guitar, as the chronology leapfrogs over everything Django accomplished in Rome, listeners are treated to a pair of lovely Parisian unaccompanied guitar solos, including a breathtakingly gorgeous, landscape-sized six-and-a-half-minute version of "Nuages." If you are fortunate enough to get your hands on this amazing piece of work, play it back for yourself over and over again. Listen to it for hours if necessary. It might just be the greatest musical statement that Django Reinhardt ever played into a microphone. As he only had a few years remaining in his short life, it is a pity that he recorded so infrequently after 1950, because the clues he left behind clearly hint at fascinating developments in the art of guitar playing that would be realized and expounded upon by other guitarists further on down the road. arwulf arwulf        Tracklist :

DJANGO REINHARDT – 1951-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1441 (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The 17th and final installment in the Classics Django Reinhardt chronology contains the Gypsy guitarist's very last recordings. Its 22 tracks consist of Decca and Blue Star records cut in Paris between May 11, 1951, and April 8, 1953. By this time, Reinhardt had switched entirely to the electrically amplified guitar and was actively collaborating with progressive young players like alto saxophonist Hubert Fol, bassist Pierre Michelot, and pianists Raymond Fol and Martial Solal. This beautifully cool and bop-inspired music differs markedly from the Gypsy swing formula established during the 1930s by Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli, and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. During the last years of his life, Reinhardt was not merely adapting to modernity -- he was actively defining it. Nowhere is this more evident than on the eccentrically reconfigured 1928 pop hit "Crazy Rhythm" and its flip side, Reinhardt's lovely "Anouman," a wistful air that feels like a Charles Mingus romance or a candidate for an early Truffaut or Godard film soundtrack. (The piece's title closely resembles the name of the monkey-faced Hindu deity Hanuman; it very well may represent one of the many links between European Gypsy culture and its East Indian ancestry.) This excellent compilation works as a moving and thought-provoking conclusion to the complete recordings of Django Reinhardt as compiled and reissued by the Classics label. (The only material that didn't make it into the series was an apparently contested body of works recorded in Rome during 1949 and 1950.) A little more than one month after recording "Le Soir," "Chez Moi," "I Cover the Waterfront," and "Deccaphonie," Django Reinhardt was felled by a stroke while fishing, was subsequently hospitalized, and left his body behind on May 16, 1953. Musically speaking, this album is his last will and testament. arwulf arwulf 

STÉPHANE GRAPPELLY – 1935-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 708 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Classics CD has all of the recordings made under violinist Stephane Grappelli's name during the 1935-1940 period. The earlier selections (with his Hot Four) match his violin with Django Reinhardt's guitar in what was essentially the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. There are also nine duets with Reinhardt; a couple find Grappelli switching to piano. The set concludes in 1940 with Grappelli (in London) leading an octet on two numbers that also feature the young pianist George Shearing. Scott Yanow    Tracklist + Credits :

EDDIE SOUTH – 1923-1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 707 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Twenty songs covering Eddie South's chronological history up to World War II -- this disc starts with his recording debut as a member of Jimmy Wade's Syncopators, jumps to his solo stuff, and then South's work in Europe in association with the Swing label in Paris, through which his name became widely known. South's New York-based Columbia and Okeh sides never sold as well as what he did for Swing, but they're equally worthwhile. Bruce Eder             Tracklist + Credits :