Rhythm And Swing - Django Reinhardt

He's Got Rhythm

Advantages: Easy listening, nice to relax to
Disadvantages: Some may find the style of music very dated

Say the name Django Reinhardt to someone and you'll most likely get one of two responses: either they'll smile at you and say "You've heard of him? Excellent!" or they'll simply stare blankly at you as if you're speaking a foreign language. For anyone who doesn't know, Django Reinhardt was a jazz guitarist popular through particularly the 1930's. Born to a family of Gypsies, he spent his early life travelling and was playing guitar from a very early age. The most impressive thing about Django's guitar playing is he actually lost the use of two of his fingers on his left hand (the hand most guitarists' uses to fret with, form chords, etc.) during a fire at the age of eighteen. With such a disability, many guitarists would have called it a day, but not so Django. Instead, he adapted his parts to suit his abilities and even pushed ...

BlueMidget 15.04.2006 (20.11.2006) · Read full review
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Review of Crazy Rhythm - Django Reinhardt

If Only I Could Do Half As Well With 3 Fingers

Advantages: Great Trad Jazz
Disadvantages: None

Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt was one of the first important jazz musicians to be born in Europe. He spent most of his youth in the gypsy encampments close to Paris, France, playing banjo, guitar and violin. At an early age he started playing professionally at dance halls in Paris. When he was 18, he was injured in a fire in his caravan loosing the use of his 3rd and 4th fingers on his left hand. After this he focused on the guitar and developed an original style of playing that emphasized his undamaged fingers. The man is nothing short of the original guitar god influencing everyone from the Beatles, Tony Immoni, B. B. King, Willie Nelson, and myself. I lost the use of my left forefinger due to an accident. I decided that if Django could do it with 2 fingers then I could do it with 3 fingers!!!!!! Stéphane Grappelli is quite ...

Champ666 14.03.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Ultimate Collection, The - Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grappelli

Rhythm of Life

Advantages: access to well kept pop secret
Disadvantages: no hit singles

The name Paul Haig is almost always absent from any eighties hall of fame ,certainly from the electro pop perspective which prevailed at the time of this release in July 83,but for those in the know who might have spent some of their hard squandered student grant on the perennial and seemingly eternal N>M>E the name Paul Haig held a god like status for fans of Scottish indie legends Josef .K of whom Paul Haig was lead singer and founding member,this unique and groundbreaking record was Haigs first solo release, a full two years after the demise of Josef K. To the untrained or indeed uninterested ear "Rhythm of Life" on first listen sounds standard fayre for its time ,with nothing to distinguish it from its then comtemporaries,the references and similarities abound,from Heaven 17 to the Associates from Gang of Four to the Thompson ...

terriano 16.01.2009 (12.01.2009) · Read full review
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Review of Rhythm Of Life - Paul Haig