Django Reinhardt: A Legend Of European Jazz

If the good die young, then the great survive tragedy first. Such was the lot of maverick gypsy jazz musician Django Reinhardt. From a childhood spent on the road, he emerged as one of the most influential guitar soloists not only of his generation but that the continent has ever produced. Naturally gifted, innovative in the face of adversity, and an ingenious blender of musical traditions, he is an artist whose work is as exhilarating today as it ever was.
Reinhardt was born on January 23, 1910, in Liberchies, Belgium. His family traveled around northwestern Europe for the best part of the decade, only settling on the outskirts of Paris at the conclusion of World War I. While receiving no formal schooling – he was practically illiterate even as an adult – Reinhardt was musically gifted from a young age, teaching himself first to play a banjo-guitar hybrid instrument. He earned money as a child busker and, by his early teens, had graduated to gigs in the city’s clubs. Initially playing popular French tunes, he became interested in American jazz in the mid-1920s, particularly the works of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Joe Venuti.

https://youtu.be/VpmOTGungnA

On the night of November 2, 1928, Reinhardt was in his caravan home with his wife when paper flowers she had been making caught on fire, quickly engulfing the small space in flames. The couple escaped the blaze but Reinhardt sustained serious wounds to his right leg – to the extent that his doctors considered amputating it – and his left hand, permanently losing the use of his fourth and fifth fingers. His recuperation took more than 18 months, during which he painstakingly devised a playing technique that enabled him to overcome his new disability. His two good fingers and thumb worked rapidly up and down the guitar neck and he used his two paralyzed digits on chords, double-stops, and triple-stops. This novel system is in part responsible for the originality of Reinhardt’s sound.

https://youtu.be/FZBPcXTXPEA

The Quintette were on tour in England when World War II began. The others remained in London, but Reinhardt returned to France. After the country succumbed to the Nazis in 1940, Reinhardt continued to play the Paris nightclub scene, often to the pleasure of the occupying forces. All the while, hundreds of thousands of his fellow Romani people were being sent to their deaths in concentration camps along with millions of others. His sadness from this time is evident in Nuages, a reflection on the occupation and one of his most famous compositions.

After the war, Reinhardt experimented with the electric guitar and other styles of jazz and even toured the United States with the idol of his youth, Duke Ellington, in 1946 albeit with limited success. A new configuration of the Quintette continued to record but gave few performances. On May 16, 1953, Reinhardt was returning home to Fontainebleau from one such show in Paris when he suffered a stroke and died.

The legacy of his unconventional technique and unique blend of American, European, and Romani musical traditions can be heard today in genres as diverse as blues, rock, and country.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.