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 :
