Djangology [album] : Django Reinhardt

Last year, on my way home from work, I stopped by the Edogawa Park Cherry Blossom Festival. Near the clock tower, there was a group of young people jamming with a violin and guitar, so I spoke to them between songs.

That was our conversation.
They were so good that I was listening with great enthusiasm. I thanked them and parted ways. Still, to be playing Gypsy jazz at such a young age—what great taste. It was a wonderful experience.

■ Selmer Guitar
The manufacturer of the guitars that created the unique sound of Django Reinhardt (hereinafter: Django: guitar) is "Selmer."

When people hear "Selmer," they think of the company famous for manufacturing saxophones. I once looked it up, thinking, "Wait? They make guitars too?" They are now sold as "Selmer/Maccaferri guitars." Only about 1,000 original Selmer guitars were manufactured during the 20-year period from 1932 to 1952. Around 1940, Django acquired a Selmer guitar with a small sound hole and a 14-fret joint (#503), which he used regularly thereafter.

■ Minor Swing
"Minor Swing" is a Gypsy jazz song composed by Django and Stéphane Grappelli (hereinafter: Grappelli: jazz violin), and it is the first track on their collaborative album "Djangology."

"Djangology" was recorded in Rome in 1949, but it was released in 1961. It is an album that collects the best tracks from about 50 recordings made when he visited Italy with his colleague Grappelli.

"Minor Swing" doesn't really have a theme per se; after repeating an impressive 8-bar phrase twice, it immediately goes into Django's improvisation. When Django finishes, Grappelli's improvisation follows, and it returns to the theme in the coda. The structure is simple, but Django's rhythm guitar work is superb. It doesn't swing like the African American style, but it is crisp and feels great.

It is said that jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis wrote in a Jazz at Lincoln Center blog post that "Minor Swing" is an essential jazz recording. In any case, it is a song I want everyone to listen to at least once.

■ Djangology
Is the guitar on the cover of "Djangology" a non-cutaway Gibson Super 400? It's a Gibson-style full-acoustic guitar, right? I looked into it, but I'm not sure. It's just a guess.

Assuming the recording is from 1949, the guitar he is actually using might be a Selmer, but since it was released in 1961 during the height of jazz, perhaps they had him hold a Gibson full-acoustic, which was trendy at the time, for the cover. I personally don't think it sounds like a Gibson.

Throughout the album, Django and Grappelli go wild.
There are many Django albums, but I think this is the most famous and excellent one. Django is listed as being from Belgium, but his parents were in a traveling Roma troupe, and he was born while they were staying in Belgium, so he is Belgian-born. Because of the strong influence of Roma music, I think that is why he has such a unique playing style. Grappelli's fiddle is also top-notch. When people think of jazz, they think of America, but I want people to know that there are such masterpieces in European jazz as well.