This is the ninth in a new series released on the French label Fremaux.
This series under the direction of Daniel Nevers will become the definitive Django collection, incorporating many rare and previously unreleased tracks, including radio performances and out takes.

This Double Cd also comes with a 40 page booklet in English and French containing many interesting photos. If your seriously interested in Django or are looking for a particular track this is the series for you.

From the liner notes by Daniel Nevers

The previous volume was dedicated to the most celebrated of jazz violinists, Stephane Grappelli, who on 1st December 1997 bade farewell to Paris and left for a jam session with his celestial friends, including Django Reinhardt. No doubt the entire collection (excepting Volume 1 which dealt mainly with Django's pre jazz days)could have born the same dedication due to his frequent collaboration with the guitarist. People tended to believe or rather wanted to believe, albeit ingenuously, that Stephane's survival to the grand old age of almost ninety indicated that the String Quintet of the Hot Club of France which saw its days of glory in the "34-39 "period was still around. Now with his departure, the Quintet has definitely entered the realms of nirvana and an entire chapter of jazz has reached its conclusion.

The present collection takes us from spring 1939 to the end of the following winter when war separated the Quintet's two soloists. They were to reunite at a later date, of course, but nothing was to be as before, as is the way of the world. As mentioned in the preceding boxed set, the original Quintet in its ultimate period of flamboyance appeared in a curious short feature film intended to promote their forthcoming British tour in the summer of 1938. There is still a frustrating ambiguity as to the identity of the bassist in this clip. It was reckoned that the filming took place during around April 1938, when Roger Grasset should have logically filled this role, but the physiognomy of the player on the retrieved rushes do not coincide. Some believe this mysterious personage to be Emmanuel Soudieux which would probably push the filming date forward to the following autumn (whereas the tour took place during the summer). Soudieux himseff saw the film several years ago and confirmed that he did not participate in it, but was unable to recognise the musician. This hitch obviously impedes the precision of this collection one can only hope that one day the missing snippets may be discovered in the British Film Institute and finally throw light on these points.

The String Quintet revelled in five years of prestige and attained a perfect balance between the members before fate stepped in, clothed in grey green uniforms, causing a fatal cessation of what would have no doubt slowly degenerated anyway. The technical mediocrity of the sides recorded for Decca/Polydor in March 1939 (see Volume 8) led to their remake on 17th May of the same year. The unfortunate sound engineer, "Rudy" Hamburger along with his secondrate material and paste again obtained substandard results, with certain titles such as Japanese Sandman being of even worse technical quality than in the March session. Musically speaking, however, the versions of My Meluncholy Baby Japanese Sandman, Tea For Two and Hungaria could be considered as superior. On a more appetising note, the audacious Stockholm and the lighthearted and energetic Younger Generation were cut on 30th June 1939 for the Swing label. On the same day they returned to other instrumental formulae for the recording of five new sides. In Out Of Nowhere and Baby the mellow and swinging violin guitar duo can be appreciated. Django also launched into two named instead of numbered improvisations, Naguine(named alter his wife, also sometimes nicknamed La Guigne) and Echoes Of Spain. As a soloist, Django delves into interior landscaping and in the former title portrays himself as secretive and tender. Echoes Of Spain is another intimist work flowing with Andalusian phrases.

It must be remembered that opposed to popular belief, Reinhardt had never been a nomad issued from the fierce southern territories but was a Northerner (from the Manouche gypsy family). And yet he knew how to be Spanish when he so desired. His sudden Hispanic inspiration had most likely been triggered off by the gruesome events that were then raging the land of Cervantes, but in his Echoes he captures a sense of serenity which resists to the sounds of the canons. Iberia steps aside for America in the seventh title, I’ll See You In My Dreams, interpreted along with “Baro" Ferret and Soudieux. After this session Stephane Grappelli was to wait more than eight years before returning to the Parisian Swing studios.

CD1
Rex Stewart and his Feetwarmers (1939) 1-Monmartre 2-Low Cotton 3-Finesse 4-I know that you know 5-Solid Old Man QHCDF (1939) 6-My Melancholy Baby 7-Japanese Sandman 8-Tea For Two 9-I wonder where my baby is tonight 10-Hungaria Andre Ekyan et son Orchestre (1939) 11-The Sheik Andre Ekyan and Django Reinhardt (1939) 12-Dream Ship 13-I can't believe that your in love with me Andre Ekyan et son Orchestre (1939) 14-Dark Town Strutters Ball 15-Blues of Yesterday QHCDF (1939-?) -Radio Broadcast 16-Tiger Rag QHCDF (1939) 17-Stockholm 18-Younger Generation Django Reinhardt -Solo Guitar 19-I'll see you in my dreams 20-Echoes of Spain 21-Naguine
CD2
Stephan Grappelli & Django Reinhardt (1939 1-Out of Nowhere 2-Baby QHCDF (1939) 3-Undecided 4-H.C.Q. Strutt 5-Don't Worry About Me 6-The Man I Love Gus Visuer & Django Reinhardt (1940) 7-Daphne Gus Visuer, Django Reinhardt & Philippe Brun (1940) 8-It had to be you Arthur Briggs & his Orchestra (1940) 9-My melancholy Baby 10-Braggin the Briggs 11-Sometimes I'm happy 12-Scatter Brain Alix Combelle & his Swing Band (1940) 13-Jumpin at the Woodside 14-Week-End Stomp 15-Nerves and Fever 16-Fast, Slow and Medium Tempo 17-Panassie Stomp 18-Rock a Bye Basie Philippe Brun and his Jam Band (1940) 19-Boogie Woogie 20-Blue Skies 21-Stomp

£16.00 plus post and packing

Go back

---