Django
 

So does anyone else here like the gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhart? I read an interesting colum on him in the new New Yorker and I almost forgot how good he was. Well anyone else a fan?

Django Reinhardt
 

does anyone here like Django, the 3 fingerd french guitar player?

Django is amazing!!!!!!! BTW Django had all five fingers on his left hand, although three of them were "paralyzed". He still used his paralyzed fingers with very limited capacity when he played.

That guy is AMAZING!!

Thank you for doing your part to prevent any redundancy in this thread.

Satchmo, you may be my favorite poster on these boards, that was hysterical.

To get back to the topic, I've never heard him, ill have to check out some tunes.

Thank you, the respect is definitely mutual.
Django reinhardt was a jazz guitarists in the 1930s his genre is more specifically known as Gypsy Swing, hard to describe, but the first thing that will dawn on you if you check out some of his more popular stuff is that you've definitely heard him before. The amazing thing about him is that he's one of the fastest jazz guitarist that has ever lived and he was capaple of doing more with two workable fingers than 90% of all guitarists that have ever lived could do with all five. He certainly comes highly recommended from me.

It's always interesting when people begin talking about the "greatest guitarists ever" and they mention Steve Vai, Satriani, Eddie Van Halen, et al, but they seem to always leave out the jazz guitarists. Guys like Django, Charlie Christian, Barney Kessel, etc. had incredible technical facility and were great musicians. I'm not knocking rock, but my students are always surprised when they find out that many of the great rock guitarists have studied the jazz guys.

I would say that django reinhardt is one of the greatest guitarists ever. some of my favorites of his are Jeepers Creepers, Djangology, and Billet Doux. its Billet Doux, not Deux Billet

http://musicbanter.com/showthread.php?t=3758

Its funny how when I started this thread no one responded. Hmmmm.

Anyway Django Reinhart was incredible, to lazy to type more.

One word: amazing. This guy is great, I can't believe I've been missing out all these years.

All Nite wussed out and got an avatar. That's so 3rd wave.

i have an avatar, his name is Donoslav.

I just found out how to do it. I suppose it would be more core if I got rid of it though....

He was a great guitarist and musician. As much as his guitar style evolved it never lost the swing feel. I love the song "Django's Tiger".

yeah django, is up there with Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny, he's definitely one of my favorites. It is truely incredible how he finger-picked, im soo envious lol.

he was probably the founder of modern jazz guitar

i cant remember who it was - either Grant Green or Wes, but one of them did a song called "Django" - actually, i think it was Grant and it was on the "Idle Moments" album.

Yeah, I dig Django. I also like Joe Pass' material, he has sort of Django-like style. And his technique is just plain incredible. I once saw his tutorial video where he played improvised lines where he was controlling walking bass-lines, chords and melody at the same time with up-beat tempo. It was just unbelievable.

django was the first great jazz guitarists and i agree with you, cerebrotonico (sorry if i spelt it wrong) jazz guitarists are always left in the shadows when talking about the greatest guitarists - pat metheny, john scofield and wes m. are some of the most technically and musically gifted guitarists i have ever heard yet they never get in the greatest guitarist polls because - not meaning to be rude - some people just cant understand jazz and some people dont even try to understand jazz so these fine musicians are ignored by the general public. however, i am extremely thankful to the gods that PAT METHENY IS COMING TO ADELAIDE (where i live)!!!! ive already booked tickets at great expense and i cant wait till March next year when ill see him as part of the adelaide festival!

yea his curtains caught on fire, and while trying to put them out, he seriously burnt them, his hand was all mutilated. but could still play amazingly, with just two fingers left, that were able to play.

and yea django is amazing, songs such as "rose room" "embraceable you" and "daphne" are really cool.

(if you like django watch woody allen's "sweet and lowdown". (not based on real life))

Never heard of Django until last summer at a flea market, when I picked up a disc of Django with Stephan Grappelli. I just had a good feeling about it.....and I loved it.

I really like his guitar playing
nuages
minor swing
great player

Django Reinhart is really enjoyable. One of my favourite jazz guitarists.

Do I like Django?? Well,I first heard a 4 track EP single of Django Reinhardt in 1970 in London , England. I was about 12 yrs old and had just started learning guitar. The recordings featured him playing with an electric pickup attached to his acoustic and i'll never forget the TONE that Reinhardt acheived...it was harsh, gritty, dynamic, almost 'punk' for 1948.It just cut me to shreds!! I sat with open mouthed amazement. He played "Nuages" with such beauty that it nearly had me in tears. I had to find out what he looked like. (not much info was available in 1970 on Reinhardt.)
I was astounded to learn that he only used his thumb and two fingers (mostly) on his left hand. How he did it, nobody knows but to this day i've read interviews with everyone from John McLaughlin, Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck,Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore,Keith Richards, Pat Metheny, Joe Pass, Jim Hall,George Benson, Barney Kessel, BB King..EVERY jazz/rock/blues guitar player except for perhaps jazz guitarist George Barnes (who didn't think that a European could play jazz) literally worships Django 53 years after his death.
To this day his sound is truly unique and i still am amazed by his artistry.

I've been obsessed with Django's music lately. I got like 40 albums recently. I love the style because it stands out on its own so well.
This vid is priceless. YouTube - Django-J'attendrai

Django Reinhardt was a God. I learned a lot from listening to his recordings, and people from all walks of like love his music. Its funny, because I posted an article about him on my blog today, and then stumbled upon this thread. I'd post the link to it, but I'm new here and I can't do that yet. But the name of my blog rhymes with GuitArticles - shhh - don't tell anyone.

In fact i am listening to him right now!!
I beleive he played with only 2 fingers.

I'm just starting to get into Django's music. I just got a couple of comps of his music out of the library but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestion of particular songs or albums or live performances of his I should check out. Suggestions?

I know Django from way back and I have Djangology, but I really should listen to it more.

Django is brilliant!!! he needs more love on here

Django is definetly amazing, does anyone know of any guitarists who have that similar gypsy style? I can't get enough of it.

Perhaps you could try Joe Pass, for example his album "For Django" from 1964 which is a tribute-album.

Djanogo is unique.Especially considering that he did what he did with only two fingers in his left hand :yikes:

i can add that driving a car through NY in the 30's in a game like MAFIA listening to his minor swing is a unique esperience:p:

You should probably start with Djangology (there are single CD versions and a 10-disc box set version. How comprehensive do you want your collection to be?), The Best of 1934 - 1939 (2 CDs), Django's Blues (LIVE) .

I got ahold of an 88 song comp and I'm halfway into it. For a guy with two working fingers he sure knows his way around a fretboard, I'm sure my grandfather put him on a list of recommendations for me, but being the lazy bum I am I never got around to checking him out till now. Too bad he passed away at the somewhat young age of 43, we musn't let him and his awesome pencil thin moustache be swept away in time.

I enjoy hearing someone play an acoustic guitar in the jazz style, as few people do so, and that's the only instrument I can play.

I've got the inexpensive 5 disc set (about 120 songs) from JSP Records. A few are alternate takes, but that's not too bad. It covers his pre-war material very well. I've heard some of his post-war material, but haven't gotten around to buying any yet. I know it will be good, though.

Huge fan of him, he's legend. Inspires me to play with only two fingers! Well, not really but I just hate using my pinky, and he makes me feel better about it.

^Yes, agreed. Underrated as far as guitarists go I think.

No. The man is enormously popular - beyond popular, he's an idol. Countless jazz fans and guitarists worship him. He is a legendary historical figure and an unbeatable master at his craft. Not just a master of his technique but one of those magical musicians who has so much talent and soul that his music is practically impossible to recreate - even if the imitator has all five fingers and technical perfection. Someone like that can't be considered underrated. There's not too many musicians from the 1930s who are still talked about today at all.

No offense, story - it's cool that someone as young as you appreciates him but underrated is the wrong word.