Django Reinhardt – The Most Incredible Gypsy Jazz Music Guitar Performer Ever! – Part 1
Just about a half century after his death, gypsy guitar performer Django Reinhardt still remains a legendary performer in the annals of jazz guitar. To this day, his blazing guitar playing stands up to that of current master jazz guitarists such as Joe Pass, Pat Martino, Tal Farlow and George Benson. Writer James Lincoln Collier in his book “The Making of Jazz”, named Django “the most incredible guitarist in the history of jazz”. Once you take into consideration the hordes of jazz guitar players he has imspired, he may very well be. His unheard of method of playing – pairing European influenced licks and chords with jazz music rhythms was unheard of throughout his time. Numerous collection books of jazz guitar tabs and jazz guitar tablatures would later be published documenting Django’s incredible solos. He was amongst the very first of the European jazz musicians who could play the jazz feel the proper way and he left an historic footprint on the world of jazz guitar music. His key influence was session guitar performer Eddie Lang (the first significant jazz guitar performer) and he assimilated Lang’s European based chordal approach and took them one stage further.
Born Jean Baptise Reinhardt to LaBelle Reinhardt and Jean Vees (his probable dad) on January 23, 1910 in Liverchees, Belgium near the French border line, Django was raised in correct gypsy style – roaming around in a caravan and living like a vagabond. He invested a lot of his earlier years venturing across Europe, at some point settling just outside of Paris. Django did not go to school and was illiterate – he could not read nor write. He did nonetheless always possess a passion and a talent for music and finally received a banjo from a friend named Raclot when he was 12 years old. He by no means acquired structured lessons, but was tutored by his father and various musicians in the region and quickly thereafter commenced performing with his father in restaurants. By age 14 he had become a fixture on the Parisian club scene and by age 18 he produced his initial record as a sideman, accompanying an accordion player on his banjo.
On November 2, 1928, personal tragedy struck. Django heard a faint noise and believed it was a rat scurrying around close to his wagon. He grabbed a candle, which unexpectedly fell from the candleholder and on to a pile of extremely flammable artificial flowers that immediately burst into flames, setting the complete wagon on fire. Django used a blanket to bring his spouse from the burning wagon, but his exposed thighs and legs and left hand were badly burned. Due to the extent of the burns, medical practitioners suggested cutting off Django’s thighs and legs, but he adamently refused. He would later get back the use of both burned legs. His burned left hand did not have the same good fortune and his new music career was thought to be doomed.
Django was hardy nevertheless and trudged along, trying to master guitar again even though still in the hospital. He finally regained the use of his thumb, index and middle fingers, but never the complete use of the 3rd and fourth fingers. Over a year later, he was able to perform yet again employing his working left hand fingers! Fortunately, for serious gypsy jazz guitarists there are a lot of guitar tab books in print that feature Django’s recorded solos as well as multiple instructional Dvd disks that teach his melodic and harmonic ideas along with the guitar techniques he used to perform them.
Peabody Conservatory trained guitarist Steven Herron helps guitar players become better guitarists. His company ChordMelody.com features an enormous selection of jazz guitar tablatures
as well as instructional DVDs on Django Reinhardt himself. Find out more and claim Steven’s popular free monthly guitar lesson e-course available at: =>
Django Reinhardt guitar tabs
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