Quintette du Hot Club de France: 25 Classics 1934-1940

From Jazziz
In terms of sheer natural ability, Django Reinhardt was incredibly endowed. For years, he was easily the most technically proficient jazz guitarist. This six-CD set illustrates implications of reinhardt's that often go unrecognized. Django's long, complex eighth-note lines and running of chord progressions make him a precursor of bop, like Charlie Christian, who came along a few years later. He has a great rhythmic variety and, like Art Tatum, stimulates listeners with mixes of eighth notes and triplets. Before Wes Montgomery, he popularized the use of octaves. His subtle use of harmonics, bent tones, and vibrato variation also deserve praise.

And Reinhardt recorded what very well may have been the first free-jazz piece, "Improvisation," in 1937, which is amazingly rich in ideas and quite coherently structured. On that tune, Reinhardt exhibits a flamenco influence, something he rarely did. There and on "Parfum," another solo selection, Reinhardt uses rubato effectively.

For the most part, these selections were made with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, which originally consisted of Reinhardt, violinist Stefan Grappelli, two rhythm guitars, and bass. Clarinetists Hubert Rostaing or Gerard Leveque replace Grappelli on some tracks, and Reinhardt uses two clarinets on one session. The quintet sound with Grappelli was one of the most distinctive among jazz groups. Occasionally, Reinhardt replaced one of the rhythm guitarists with a drummer, resulting in a lighter rhythm-section sound. There are also a few larger ensembles here.

Reinhardt's work is consistently amazing. Unlike Tatum, Reinhardt used his incredible chops for musical ends more than for grandstanding. Grappelli provides a number of highlights as well with his delightfully swinging work. Rostaing plays pleasantly, if generically, and the rhythm sections generally give Reinhardt solid, infectious backing.

Many of the tunes here are standards, but Reinhardt uses some of his excellent originals as well, e.g. "Nuages" and "Manoir de Mes Reves." His "Bolero," on which strings and brass appear, was inspired by Ravel's. There are also versions here of works by Grieg, Liszt, and Fritz Kreisler. "Festival Swing 1942, Part Two" is a Rostaing composition on which five different bands, ranging from a trio to a big band, are heard consecutively.

Quintette du Hot Club de France: 25 Classics 1934-1940,Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli,Asv Living Era,Continental Jazz,France,Gypsy,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Swing

Average customer rating:

required listening

Amazing Quality

No real guitar lover should be without this CD

Quintette du Hot Club de France: 25 Classics 1934-1940

this is a good collection

Quintette du Hot Club de France: 25 Classics 1934-1940
Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli
Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

France | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music
Gypsy | Eastern Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order

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Afternoon in Paris

ASIN: B00000616B
Release Date: 1998-05-19

Tracks:

Dinah
Oh, Lady Be Good
I Saw Stars
I'm Confessin' That I Love You
I've Had My Moments
Djangology
St. Louis Blues
Limehouse Blues
I Got Rhythm
I've Found A New Baby
After You've Gone
Nagasaki
Swing Guitars
Charleston
You're Driving Me Crazy
Runnin' Wild
Improvisation (Solo)
Minor Swing
Honeysuckle Rose
Sweet Georgia Brown
Night & Day
Daphne
Them There Eyes
I'll See You In My Dreams (Trio)
Nuages (The Bluest Kind Of Blue)

Customer Reviews:

required listening.......2006-11-21

This CD should be required listening in school;it is the perfect marriage of technique and art.

Amazing Quality.......2006-02-25

was amazed to hear the difference in quality between this CD recording and the vynil versions, even for a Mono recording.

No real guitar lover should be without this CD.......2005-08-26

Anyone who loves the guitar, and who enjoys discussing great players, simply must include Django Reinhardt in their library and their discussions. "Quintette du Hot Club de France: 25 Classics 1934-1940" is a great place to start. His speed, inventiveness, musicality, and emotion are unsurpassed by any other guitar player from any other genre or any other era. And on top of that, you get the added bonus of Stephane Grappelli's violin playing. Buy it, listen to it, and be amazed.

Quintette du Hot Club de France: 25 Classics 1934-1940.......2005-08-22

If you're into Django Reinhardt and his music, this may be the single most all-inclusive CD of his works available, containing most of the tunes he became best known for performing. You probably will not need another.

The one critique I have is, that for some inexplicable reason, the version of Limehouse Blues on this CD is noisier (hissy) than another copy of the song I have, though it is note-for-note the same version and, I'm pretty sure, the same performance. All the other tunes appear to have been processed for higher quality- a minor drawback; an excellent CD.

this is a good collection.......2005-04-27

If you're just going to buy a 1-disc Django CD, this is a pretty good one to start with. Lots of great songs on this disc. But you can spend just a little more money and get a more complete 4-disc set called "The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order volume 1." (I haven't listened to volume 2 yet, but I know volume 1 is good.) Anyway, it's hard to go wrong with Django Reinhardt.

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