Django Reinhardt, genius musician

Jean Reinhardt, better known as Django Reinhardt, was born on January 23, 1910 in Liberchies, Belgium and died on May 16, 1953 in Fontainebleau. He came from a Sinti family, a Roma ethnic group originating from North-West India. Their presence is attested in Europe and particularly in Western Europe, since the XNUMXth century. They then settled in various European countries, notably in Germany, Italy, Belgium and France, where they are commonly called "manouches".
La Music courses occupies a central place in Sinti culture. This rich tradition, often transmitted from generation to generation orally, is an important vector for transmitting the cultural identity, solidarity and social cohesion of this nomadic ethnic group accustomed to crossing Europe in a caravan. The young Django, born to a violinist and pianist father, is immersed in an environment where the Music courses is omnipresent, and begins to play his uncle's banjo-guitar at the age of 12 with a certain dexterity. For years, he learns from musicians passing through the traveling camp, plays in the courtyards of buildings, the streets and the cabarets, becoming known for his ability to create rich and complex solos bringing an extra dimension to his performances. A genius musician, master of improvisation, is born.

The accident that profoundly changes his style of play

In 1928, a fire ravaged Django's caravan where he lived with his first wife Bella Baumgartner, seriously injuring its two occupants. He emerged from this accident with serious burns to his left hand. Doctors thought he would never be able to play the guitar again. But Django, with unwavering determination, developed a new playing technique! The musician, who could now only fully use two fingers to play with his left hand (his index and middle fingers), managed to adapt his practice to compensate for this limitation. He showed great inventiveness in regaining his musical ease, going so far as to create innovative chord positions and less conventional scales to make the most of the capabilities of his two remaining functional fingers. For the rest of his hand, he also used his thumb, and went so far as to contort his stiff ring and little fingers to play certain chords. This gave his Music courses a unique and recognizable sound, especially since Django Reinhart, already skilled, redoubles his agility, speed and precision.

From talented musician to music legend

Despite his handicap, Django became a key figure in jazz, which came from the United States. In orchestras, the guitar had earned its place. He learned to play it, while integrating elements of traditional Sinti music that he knew so well... In 1934, he co-founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with violinist Stéphane Grappelli. The group also included Django's brother Joseph, guitarist Roger Chaput and double bassist Louis Vola. The five musicians played innovative music, a meeting between the traditional virtuoso music of the Roma and Sinti communities and the swing of American jazz, characterized by the absence of percussion, brass and woodwinds. Gypsy jazz, a musical genre in its own right that would soon conquer the world, emerged! We speak of "jazz without drums or trumpets", the rhythm being provided by two guitars and a double bass, accompanied by a violin. Guitar in hand, Django Reinhardt and his troupe popularized gypsy jazz, through a dedicated magazine and of course through their concerts, their tours in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom where they met with great success. Their music was broadcast as far as the United States, where Django Reinhardt himself went to give several concerts with the orchestra of the great composer, pianist and conductor Duke Ellington.

(Original Caption) Django Reinhardt (1910-1953) and Stephane Grappelli, of the Quintet de Hot Club de France. Photograph, ca. 1934.

Django's Guitar: Portrait of an Iconic Instrument

If the musician is iconic, it is thanks to his favorite instrument! Django's guitar, often a Selmer Maccaferri, has become emblematique of his style, to the point of being identified as the "Django Reinhart guitar". One of the last ones that belonged to the famous musician is also exhibited at the Musée de la musique de la Philharmonie de Paris. This guitar model comes from the workshops of instrument manufacturer Henri Selmer (officially known as Henri Selmer Paris). This company, founded in 1885 and whose factory was set up in Mantes-la-Ville from 1919 (it is still there today), is first known for its wind instruments, saxophones and clarinets, its founder being himself a renowned clarinetist. It is also to the Maison Henri Selmer that we owe a saxophone model considered to be one of the best saxophones ever produced, the Mark VI saxophone. Henri Selmer stands out for his commitment to quality and innovation, which has earned his instruments adopted around the world. The company, which produces 22 instruments per year, exports 000% of them.
From 1932 until 1952, the Henri Selmer firm produced a range of guitars that could suit all playing styles, and were innovative from an acoustic and ergonomic point of view, designed by the luthier and concert pianist Mario Maccaferri. After the latter left the workshop in 1934, Django would adopt a newly marketed jazz guitar model, called "à petite bouche". It was one of the first guitar models to feature a "cutaway", that is to say a cutaway in the sound box near the neck, facilitating the movement of the guitarist's left hand. A innovation which must have suited the musician, who already showed great creativity in his way of playing and whose skill was certainly increased tenfold by this innovation musical. The musician was even the muse of the Henri Selmer firm, posing with his now favorite guitar.

Poster of Django Reinhardt advertising Selmer guitars, c 1939. (Photo by JP Jazz Archive/Redferns)

An eternal musical heritage

Since his death in 1953, Django Reinhardt's legacy has endured. Gypsy jazz, far from being folkloric but being an extremely restrictive discipline, continues to attract followers among the younger generations of musicians who over the decades have made it evolve, constantly mixing new musical influences, integrating other rhythm components and bringing their own style of playing. Famous musicians who have been inspired by Django Reinhardt or paid tribute to him are numerous, such as Jimi Hendrix, who is said to have called his penultimate group Band of Gypsys in reference to the Roma culture from which Django originated.
A genius musician, with an unfailing will, recognized by all... Django Reinhardt and his guitar are iconic figures, whose legacy will live on for a long time to come.