Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt (Jean Baptiste Reinhardt), 1910-53, Belgian-born Gypsy jazz guitarist. Reinhardt began playing the guitar professionally at 12. He was severely burned in a fire in 1928, leaving two fingers of his left hand useless, but adapted his guitar style to the disability. Reinhardt, who had roots in France's popular dance-hall music, first encountered (1931) jazz in a Louis Armstrong recording. He immediately began to experiment with jazz playing, often jamming with violinist Stéphane Grappelli . The two worked intermittently (1934-39) with the Quintet of the Hot Club in Paris, where they both gained recognition. Reinhardt toured the United States with Duke Ellington in 1946 and spent his last years in France, touring and recording. His clear, percussive playing style, strongly influenced by his Gypsy background, was notable for its virtuosity and improvisation. He was the first foreign musician to exert an influence on American jazz.

Bibliography: See M. Gregni, Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend (2004).

Reinhardt, ‘Django’ ( Jean-Baptiste) (1910–53) Belgian jazz guitarist. Django blended folk music with jazz and swing styles, and is noted for his improvisations. In 1934, he formed a quintet with the violinist Stéphane Grappelli and played as the ‘Hot Club’. He also played in the USA with Duke Ellington.