Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt

Born: January 23, 1910
Died: May 16, 1953
in Liberchies, Wallonia, Belgium
Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known to all by his Romani nickname Django, was a Belgian-born Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most significant exponents.

With violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Reinhardt formed the Paris-based Quintette du Hot Club de France in 1934. The group was among the first to play jazz that featured the guitar as a lead instrument. Reinhardt recorded in France with many visiting American musicians, including Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter, and briefly toured the United States with Duke Ellington's orchestra in 1946. He died suddenly of a stroke in 1953 at the age of 43.

Reinhardt's most popular compositions have become standards within gypsy jazz, including "Minor Swing", "Daphne", "Belleville", "Djangology", "Swing '42", and "Nuages". Jazz guitarist Frank Vignola claims that nearly every major popular-music guitarist in the world has been influenced by Reinhardt. Over the last few decades, annual Django festivals have been held throughout Europe and the U.S., and a biography has been written about his life. In February 2017, the Berlin International Film Festival held the world premiere of the French film Django.

Reinhardt was born on 23 January 1910 in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium, into a Belgian family of Manouche Romani descent. His father, Jean Eugene Weiss, domiciled in Paris with his wife, went by Jean-Baptiste Reinhardt, his wife's surname, to avoid French military conscription. His mother, Laurence Reinhardt, was a dancer. The birth certificate refers to "Jean Reinhart, son of Jean Baptiste Reinhart, artist, and Laurence Reinhart, housewife, domiciled in Paris".

A number of authors have repeated the claim that Reinhardt's nickname, Django, is Romani for "I awake";  however, it may also simply have been a diminutive, or local Walloon version, of "Jean". Reinhardt spent most of his youth in Romani encampments close to Paris, where he started playing the violin, banjo and guitar. He became adept at stealing chickens.  His father reportedly played music in a family band comprising himself and seven brothers; a surviving photograph shows this band including his father on piano.

Reinhardt was attracted to music at an early age, first playing the violin. At the age of 12 he received a banjo-guitar as a gift. He quickly learned to play, mimicking the fingerings of musicians he watched, who would have included local virtuoso players of the day such as Jean "Poulette" Castro and Auguste "Gusti" Malha, as well as from his uncle Guiligou, who played violin, banjo and guitar.  Reinhardt was able to make a living playing music by the time he was 15, busking in cafés, often with his brother Joseph. At this time, he had not started playing jazz, although he had probably heard and had been intrigued by the version of jazz played by American expatriate bands like Billy Arnold's.

He received little formal education and acquired the rudiments of literacy only in adult life.  ...

Source: Article "Django Reinhardt" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Movies for Django Reinhardt...

Title: Landesschau Rheinland-Pfalz
Character: Self
Released: March 8, 2010
Type: TV
The news program delivers captivating stories and informative insights on current topics in Rhineland-Palatinate.
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Django Reinhardt, trois doigts de génie
Title: Django Reinhardt, trois doigts de génie
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 2010
Type: Movie
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Title: Legends
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: November 17, 2006
Type: TV
The story of the big names that have shaped the musical genres, plus an occasional stopgap for the new rock 'n' roll - comedy.
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Title: Familiengeschichten
Character: Self
Released: July 6, 2000
Type: TV
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Title: ZDF-Fernsehgarten
Character: Self
Released: June 29, 1986
Type: TV
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Django Reinhardt
Title: Django Reinhardt
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 1957
Type: Movie
One of the first filmed portraits of a jazz musician.
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Stage Door Canteen
Title: Stage Door Canteen
Character: Django Reinhardt (uncredited)
Released: June 24, 1943
Type: Movie
A young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theater and films appear and host a recreational center for servicemen during the war. The soldier meets a pretty young hostess and they enjoy the many entertainers and a growing romance
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Jazz Hot
Title: Jazz Hot
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1939
Type: Movie
JAZZ HOT is a major discovery, a unique sync sound film recorded of Django Reinhardt, greatest of jazz guitarists, here with violinist Stephane Grappelli and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France.