Music on the Web (UK)

Webmaster: Len Mullenger

[ Jazz index ] [Nostalgia index]  [ Classical MusicWeb ] [ Gerard Hoffnung ]

BUY NOW Crotchet	DJANGO REINHARDT Americans in Paris Part 2 NAXOS Jazz Legends 8.120740
BUY NOW Crotchet	DJANGO REINHARDT With Vocals NAXOS Jazz Legends 8.120821

DJANGO REINHARDT

Americans in Paris Part 2

NAXOS Jazz Legends 8.120740

1. I’m Coming Virginia
2. Farewell Blues
3. Blue Light Blues. Tracks 1-3 with Benny carter & His Orchestra
4. Body & Soul
5. Lover Come Back to Me
6. My Melancholy Baby
7. I Got Rhythm. Tracks 4-7 with Larry Adler Quintette
8. Montmartre
9. Low Cotton
10. Finesse
11. I Know That You Know
12. Solid Old Man. Tracks 8-12 with Rex Stewart7 His Feetwarmers
13. How High the moon
14. If Dreams Came True
15. Hallelujah
16. Stompin’ at the Savoy. Tracks13-16 with the Jazz Club Mystery Band
17. Swing Guitars
18. Manoir De Mes Reves
19. Are You in the Mood?
20. Djangology

DJANGO REIHARDT

With Vocals

NAXOS Jazz Legends 8.120821

1. Le Meme Coup. Jean Sablon
2. Le Jour ou te Vis (The Day You Came Along). Jean Sablon
3. Je Sais Que Vous Etes Jolie! Jean Sablon
4. I Saw Stars. Delauney’s Jazz with Bert Marshall
5. Two Cigarettes in the Dark. Germaine Sablon
6. The Continental. Jean sablon
7. Un Basier. Jean Sablon
8. Le Derniere Bergere. Jean sablon
9. Vieni, Vieni, Le Petit Mirsha
10. Night & day. Leon Monosson
11. Daring Je Vous Aime Beaucoup. Hildegarde
12. Lily Belle May June. Jerry Mengo
13. Sweet Sue. Jerry mengo
14. Un Amour Comme le Notre Jean & Germaine Sablon
15. Life is a Song. Jean Sablon
16. Rendevous Sous La Plurie. Jean Sablon
17. I’se A-Muggin’ Freddy Taylor
18. Undecided. Beryl Davies
19. Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me
20. Le Cigale et la Fourmie. Charles Trenet

Django Reinhardt enjoyed the status of being Europe’s top jazzman prior to the 1950’s, probably as far as the Americans were concerned he was the only one they knew of. He certainly spent a lot of time in the recording studios and a lot of the music produced on the Americans in Paris album is of a very high standard. The tracks with Larry Adler, who at the time was the world’s No1 harmonica player, expose the fact that all though he was an excellent musician, jazz was not really his forte.

The sessions with Benny Carter were most probably made with Benny Carter arrangements, they have his distinctive style, particularly his writing for the saxophones. On Blue Light Blues, Carter switches to Trumpet, he really was one of the ‘greats’ of jazz!

Reinhardt had toured the USA with Duke Ellington, but with little impact on the public, but the tracks recorded with Ellington sideman Rex Stewart are all interesting.

Clarinettist Barney Begird is also heard on these tracks, it is always a pleasure to listen to his fluid playing.

The Jazz Club Mystery band turns out to be some members of the Glenn Miller Band, including Bernie Prevent on trumpet, Peanuts Hock on Clarinet and Tenor, Mel Powell on piano and Ray McKinley on drums.

The last set has Jingo in the company of a big band which although lacking in star performers, is a very well organised outfit.

Django of course is easily recognisable throughout, although his playing by the late forties was sounding somewhat dated compared to that upstart Charlie Christian! He remained nevertheless a very important influence in jazz.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The with vocals album is much less successful, the playing of Django and the other musician’s is to their usual high standard, but the vocalists are not by any stretch of the imagination suited to the jazz performance and this renders the album of little interest to the jazz listener.

Don Mather

Return to Index