Curio Corner
Collection: Djanology -
Django Reinhardt with the Hot Club of France and Stefan Grapelli
RCA VICTOR BLUEBIRD 09026 639572 [74:00]
I found this a haunting and sometimes melancholy album. On the one hand you hear the wonderful talents of Reinhardt as if it was yesterday and one the other, and bearing in mind the fine company he keeps on this album, it is very redolent of music of yesteryear.
Ultimately though it is beautifully mastered by Reinhardt and Grappelli, and you can almost see the war torn Europe lying in its wake. The melancholy tones echo through Where Are You My Love and 'I'll Never Be The Same'.
Tracks such as 'Daphne' and the title track 'Gjangology' liven things up nicely and could almost have been recorded last week, so fresh they are. Smooth, smoky, easy Jazz oozes in and out of the album. In this respect, 'All Things Are You' and 'I Surrender Dear' are the best.
Perhaps more interesting than all of the above are the early recordings by Reinhardt of the classic 'I've Got Rhythm' and 'Beyond The Sea'. They are superbly put together and make you realise what wonderful music was being written and recorded even 60 years ago.
The rest of the album is a tribute indeed to the talents of Reinhardt and his colleagues, performing a style of music that probably has not been repeated anywhere else at any time.
Jonathan Clark
Return to Index