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Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli died at 89 whereas Django Reinhardt only managed to survive for 43 years. This stark fact once prompted a jazz critic to suggest that Grappelli's longevity relative to Reinhardt's brief life was "talent's revenge on genius". A cruel statement perhaps but the type of comparison that plagued Stéphane all his life. Although there has been the occasional attempt to re-write history and suggest Grappelli was the equal of Reinhardt, Stéphane always lived in the shadow of the guitarist, a fact that understandably rankled with him despite the acclaim he received in later life. He exhibited an ambivalent attitude towards Django; sometimes saying he would have preferred to work with anybody but the unreliable, temperamental gypsy and then, at another time, stating "If I ever had a friend, it was Django". The truth is, of course, that without his association with Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli would have achieved far less than he did and possibly be unknown outside of France. He was arguably the greatest jazz violinist ever (no other violinist has been able to swing as well as Grappelli) but like Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker or John Coltrane, Django Reinhardt was in a class that took him into another stratosphere inhabited by very few. Less than glowing comparisons were therefore inevitable but in no way detract from the unquestioned brilliance of Stéphane.
Stéphane Grappelli (then spelt Grappelly) on saxophone (2nd right)in the late 20's
Born in Paris on 26th January, 1908, Grappelli had an incredibly harsh childhood; his mother dying when he was four and then being placed in an orphanage, which he hated, when his father was conscripted during the first World War. Even after he was re-united with his father, they remained desparately poor with Stéphane busking to help them survive. These dreadful times never truly left him and he always appreciated the value of money and and the security and luxuries it bought.
The first photo of Stéphane with the Quintette du Hot Club de France, 1934 Stéphane Grappelli, Roger Chaput, Louis Vola, Django, Bert Marshall (vcl), Joseph Reinhardt
THe Hot Club Quintet recording at Decca, UK in 1938 - Roger Chaput, Naguine, Django, Eugène Vées, Stéphane, Louis Vola
Stéphane & Django, 1949 - One of their last photos together
A New Beginning circa 1976 - Phil Bates, Diz Disley, Stéphane, Ike Isaacs
