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UC Jazz Ensembles perform at Yoshi's
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Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt was born January 24, 1910 in Lieberchies, Belgium to Manouches - French Gypsy parents. At the age of eight, his mother's tribe settled near the belt of fortifications that surrounded the old Paris, near the Choisy gate. He always loved music and when he was twelve years old he received his first instrument, a banjo/guitar from a neighbor who had noticed his keen interest in music. He particed tirelessly, mimicking the fingerings of musicians.

Before he was thirteen he began his musical career playing with popular accordionist Guerino at a dance hall on the Rue Monge. He went on to play with numerous other bands and musicians and made his first recordings with accordionist Jean Vaissade for the Ideal Company. Since Django could not read or write at the time "Jiango Renard" was how his name appeared on these records.

On November 2nd, 1928 at one o'clock in the morning the returned from a night of playing music at a new club "La Java" to the caravan that was now the home of himself and his new wife. The caravan was filled with celluloid flowers his wife had made to sell at the market on the following day. Django thought he heard a mouse among the flowers and bent down with a candle to look. The wick from the candle fell into the highly flammable celluloid flowers and the caravan was almost instantly transformed into a raging inferno. The 18 year old Django and his wife were engolfed in the flames, Django wrapped himself in a blanket to shield him from the flames. Somehow he and his wife made it across the blazing room to safety outside, but his left hand, and his entire right side from the knee to his waist were burned.

HIs doctors wanted to amputate his leg but Django refused and luckily his leg was saved. Django was bedridden for eighteen months. During this time he was given a guitar, and with great determination Django created a whole new fingering system built around the two fingers on his left hand that had full mobility. His fourth and fifth digits of the left hand were permanently curled towards the palm since his tendons were permanently damaged from the fire. He could use them on the first two strings of the guitar for chords and octaves but complete extension of these fingers was impossible. His solos all had to be done with the index and middle fingers. Film clips of Django show his technique to be graceful and precise, almost defying belief.

Django had the soul of a nobleman and this natural elegance of bearing and attitude expressed itself in his music. Django enjoyed jazz recordings of Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. This new music seemed like a perfect vehicle for his talent for improvisation. Django rarely if ever played a solo the same way twice.

Django Reinhardt was a prolific composer who is credited with numerous pieces with beautiful melodies and sophisticated, subtle harmonic structures. Since Django Reinhardt could not read or write music his ideas had to be captured by others and put down on paper.

In 1933 in Paris a band of fourteen musicians including Django, Stéphane, Roger Chaput, and Louis Vola were commissioned to play at the Hotel Cambridge at teatime. During intermission Django would find a corner backstage and play his guitar. One day Stéphane joined in and both were so pleased with the exchange they went on to play together more. They were frequently joined by Roger Chaput (guitar), Louis Vola (bass), and eventually Django's brother Joseph (guitar).This is how Stéphane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt, Roger Chaput and Louis Vola met. Soon they were hired as the hotel dance band at the Hotel Claridge, at 37 Rue Francois 1er.

The Quintet of the Hot Club of France

Between sets the Quintet would play jazz together in a backroom at the Hotel Claridge. One day Pierre Nourry and Charles Delaunay of Hot Club witnessed one of these sessions and immediately arranged the group's first recording session with the Ultraphone label in December of 1934. Ultraphone recorded their first sides Dinah, Tiger Rag, Oh Lady be Good, and I Saw Stars. These first records were highly successful internationally. The Quintette of the Hot Club of France went on to be considered the greatest of all European Jazz bands. The group became very popular throughout Europe. They also were acclaimed in the US.

The band was playing in London when England declared war on Germany. Stéphane Grappelli decided to stay in London and Django Reinhardt returned to Paris. The group disbanded in 1939. They would not see each other again until after the war in 1946.

Django played and recorded throughout the war years substituting Hubert Rostaing's clarinet for Stephen's violin. He somehow avoided the fate of his family. Many gypsies were put to death in the Nazi concentration camps. After the war he was rejoined by Stéphane and they again played and recorded. He toured briefly with Duke Ellington in America and returned to Paris where he continued his career until 1951 when he retired to the small village of Samois sur Seine.

On May 16th 1953 Django suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and died, leaving behind his wife Sophie and son Babik. His music remains as vital and exciting today as it was when he lived, a legacy of joy to all future generations that rediscover the genius of the Belgian gypsy Django Reinhardt.