Ultimate Collection, The - Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grappelli > Reviews > If Only I Could Do Half As Well With 3 Fingers

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Not applicable
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Great Trad Jazz
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

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 simply the greatest fiddle (violin) player the planet has ever seen. Grappelli was born in Paris, and started his career as a silent film pianist. He attended the Conservatoire de Paris between 1924 and 1928. A distant cousin of mine, who encouraged me to fiddle in my youth, has preformed with Grappelli.

These two musicians with startlingly different backgrounds formed the "Quintette du Hot Club de France", who perform all of the songs on this collection with the exceptions of Nocturne which is Django and Stéphane alone, and Improvisation which is just Django. The "Quintette du Hot Club de France" comprised of Reinhart and Grapelli with Reinhardt's brother Joseph and Roger Chaput on guitar, and Louis Vola on bass.

This collection of songs was preformed between 1935 and 1940 and showcases the unique sound of the quitnette. They made up for the lack of a percussionist by playing the rhythm on guitar, and as a result all us rock and rollers have a debt of gratitude to them. All the songs use the same basic formula of rhythm being played on the bass and two rhythm guitars creating a chunky backing to the music, whilst Stéphane fiddle soars and sweeps around the melody, accompanied by Django's guitar plucking. Like all Jazz it is wholly improvised and you have the two lead player's interpretations of the melody exchanging places as one leaves and the other joins. When the two are playing lead together it is fantastic.

This collection cost me £3-99 from HMV and at that it is an absolute bargain. I would also say it is not just for Jazz heads but for anyone with a love of good music brilliantly played and executed.

Note: historical references have been taken from the Wikipedia