The last years of his life marks a total renewal of the music of Django Reinhardt. The reopening of the Club Saint Germain, in February 1951, and the rapprochement with the new wave of French jazz (saxophonist Hubert Fol head) inaugurate a new creative period in the career of guitarist, rich in metamorphoses. A personal journey continued for several years, including the revolution bebop, combined with the talent of a new generation of musicians (pianists Raymond Fol, Maurice Vander, Martial Solal, bassist Pierre Michelot…), leads to a flamboyant work. New sounds marked by the opulence of the electric guitar. New melodies (Nights of Saint-Germain des Pres, Golden Arrow, Anouman…) and new (s) form (s) Instrumental (s), responding to the canons of modern jazz.Bringing together all the studio sessions and live recordings known this period, fully remastered, this 3CD box set offers the ultimate fulfillment of the route of the great Gypsy.
Paris was the place to be before and after WWII, and Jazz in Paris captures some of those immortal moments such as Django's Blues. This is a wonderful introdution to the great guitarist as he plays some classic pieces such as Septermber Song, Brazil and Blues Primitif. The disc is divided into two performances at the Le Quintette de Hot Club in 1947, with his brother Joseph joining him on the second set on rhythm guitar. The series is beautifully packaged and you will love checking out the many other titles such as Django and Company, which includes Stephane Grappelli.
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…
This five-disc box collects Reinhardt's first 124 recordings between 1934-1939. Curiously enough, these sides aren't chronological. Rather, while each disc's featured sessions are presented mostly chronologically, the discs themselves are rather awkwardly sequenced, with different discs covering different years in a seemingly random order. That doesn't really detract from the set's appeal, however, as this music is terrific no matter how it's presented. If there is a flaw, it's that the remastering isn't nearly as superb as the fawning front-cover quotation would lead one to believe. To his credit, however, Kendall admits that he has attempted no "enhancement" of the sound, but has instead concentrated on clearing away much of the audio rubble. His work is, in fact, generally excellent - especially on the later sides, many of which are virtually devoid of hiss…