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 – 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 :