Django reinhardt

Nuages

John Wheatcroft transcribes this fantastic Gypsy jazz tune from the all-time master of this amazing style, Django Reinhardt.

hand.Havingfulluseofonlyhisfirstand secondfingers,heovercamethedisabilityby evolvingacompletelynewfingeringmethod, usingjusttwofingersforsinglenotesand makinglimiteduseofthecrumpledthirdand fourthforplayingcertainchordshapes.

Inspiredbythenewartform,jazz,Django wasperformingagainandin1934heformed theQuintetteDuHotClubDeFrancewith StéphaneGrappelli.Thiswasthefirst all-stringjazzgroup,anunusualline-upof

Jazzattractedmebecause initIfoundaformalperfection andinstrumentalprecisionthat Iadmireinclassicalmusic,but whichpopularmusicdoesn’t have DjangoReinhardt

tworhythmguitars,violin,doublebassand withDjangoonacousticlead.Thiscontinues tobetheblueprintline-upforthegenre.

Django’splayinghasitall:unbelievable chops,remarkableflair,beautifultoneand advancedharmonicawareness.Hisplaying shineswithvitality,energyandingenuity.His recordingswerecovetedallovertheworld andhisinfluencewasfeltfully.Charlie Christianlearnthissolosnote-for-noteand manyofhiscompositionshavegoneonto becomejazzstandards,suchasthismonth’s transcription,thebeautifulNuages.

Thisversioncomesfromwhatmany considertobetheQuintetteMarkII.In1939, withthegroupontourinLondonattheoutset ofWWII,Stéphanetookthedecisiontostayin EnglandwhileDjangoelectedtoreturnto Paris.Grappelli’sreplacementwasnotbe anotherviolinistbutthevirtuosoclarinetist HubertRostaing,andonthisrecordingwesee alsoasecondclarinet,onesolitaryrhythm playeranddrums.It’sclearthatDjangowas farfromrestrictedtoworkingwiththe Quintettealone,andrecordedwithnumerous ensemblesthroughoutthiswartimeperiod.

DjangorevisitedNuagesmanytimes throughouthiscareer,andeachversionis worthalisten.Astheyearspassed,the arrangementandinstrumentationwouldvary greatly,although,generallyspeaking,Fmajor wasthechosenkeywhenclarinetwasthe prominentmelodyinstrument,risingatone toGmajorforbothviolinandguitar interpretations.Needlesstosay,Djangotakes allofthisinhisstrideandplaysbeautifullyon everyversion–there’ssomethingnewand excitingtolearnonthemall,soitpaystodoas muchresearchaspossible.

I’dliketotaketheopportunitytothank thesupremelytalentedPaulThomasfor providingtheharmonisedclarinet(ala HubertRostaingandAlixCombelle),along withtheequallywonderfulMarkRoseand PhilippeCastemaneondoublebassand drumsrespectively.