"The Spirit of Django Reinhardt" will pulsate throughout the Rose Theater as part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center concert series on Wednesday, August 1, 2007. Reinhardt, the famous gypsy guitarist, composer, and improviser, was known for his unique fingerings due to the loss of the use of his fourth and fifth digits of his left hand in a fire. His 1934 chance meeting with the jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli led to the creation of the ensemble that became known as the Quintet of the Hot Club of France; this group gained notoriety in the years before World War II through its numerous recordings, and Reinhardt became an international star.
In 1946 he performed in England and Switzerland, toured the USA as a soloist with Duke Ellington’s band where he used an amplified guitar for the first time, worked in New York, and returned to France. He eventually retired to Samois in 1951 and died two years later at the age of 43.
The John Jorgenson quintet, gypsy legend Dorado Schmitt, Samson Schmitt, accordionist Ludovic Beier, French violinist Pierre Blanchard, Grappelli’s bassist Brian Torff , and Colombian jazz harpist Edmar Castaneda will pay homage to Reinhardt and his music.
If you wish to learn more about this extraordinary musician and his work, feel free to read Michael Dregni's Django: the Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend or listen to The Best of Django, Reinhardt Django in Rome 1949/1950, and Rare Django (1928-1938).