Love's Melody
Mélodie Au Crépuscule |
Django Reinhardt (g solo) - acc. by Eddie Bernard (p) |
| whole broadcast |
“Rendez-vous in Paris”, Program no 7, North American Service of the French Radio System. Paris
1947 March
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| Melodie Au Crepuscule |
Souvenirs de Django Reinhardt |
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Gérard Lévéque (cl); Django Reinhardt (g solo); Eugène Vées (g); Emmanuel Soudieux (b); André Jourdan (dm)
Django’s 1947 November 13 Recording Session - Radiodiffusion-Television Française, Paris |
| Menilmontant |
Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli |
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Django Reinhardt (g); Stéphane Grappelli (v); Gianni Safred (p); Marco Pecori (b); Aurelio de Carolis (dm)
Django’s 1949 January-February Recording Session - RAI Studios, Rome |
| Micro (Mike) |
Django Reinhardt et son Quintette |
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André Ekyan (cl, bcl,as); Francois Vermeille (p); Django Reinhardt (el-g); Jean Bouchety (b);
Gaston Léonard (dm)
1949 October 25 - Geneve (RSR Studios |
| Micro (Mike) |
Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli |
| Micro (Mike) |
Django Reinhardt (g); Stéphane Grappelli (v); Gianni Safred (p); Marco Pecori (b); Aurelio de Carolis (dm)
Django’s 1949 January-February Recording Session - RAI Studios, Rome |
| Micro (Mike) |
Django Reinhardt et le Quintette du Hot Club de France |
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André Ekyan (as, bcl, cl); Raph Schécroun (p); Django Reinhardt (el-g); Alphonse "Alf" Masselier (b); Roger Paraboschi (dm)
1950 April-Mai - RAI Studios, Rome |
| Mike |
Django Reinhardt et le Quintette du Hot Club de France |
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Stéphane Grappelli (v & p); Django Reinhardt (g solo); Joseph Reinhardt, Challin Ferret (g); Eamanuel Soudieux (b)
Django’s 1948 March 10 Recording Session - Swing, Paris |
| Mike (Micro) |
Concert de Bruxelles |
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Hubert Rostaing (cl); Django Reinhardt (g solo); Henri “Louson” Baumgartner (g); Louis Vola (b); Arthur Motta (dm)
Django’s 1948 December Recording Session - Théâtre des Galeries, Brussels - (unissued) |
| Minor Blues |
Django’s Music (Django Reinhardt et son Orchestre du “Boeuf sur le toit”) |
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Vincent Casino, Louis Menardi, Jo Boyer (tp); André Lafosse, Guy Paquinet (tb); Michel de Villers (as);
Jean Claude Fohrenbach (ts); Eddie Bernard (p); Django Reinhardt (g solo); Joseph Reinhardt (g);
Willy Lockwood (b); Al Craig (dm)
Django’s 1947 April 16 Recording Session - Paris |
| Minor Blues |
Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli |
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Django Reinhardt (g); Stéphane Grappelli (v); Gianni Safred (p); Marco Pecori (b); Aurelio de Carolis (dm)
Django’s 1949 January-February Recording Session - RAI Studios, Rome |
| Minor Swing |
Django Reinhardt et le Quintette du Hot Club de France, avec Stéphane Grappelli |
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Stéphane Grappelli (v); Django Reinhardt (g solo); Joseph Reinhardt, Eugène Vées (g); Louis Yola (b)
"Minor Swing" may be the most popular record Django Reinhardt ever made. Tom Lord's online discography lists it as being reissued on at least 30 albums and it has also appeared on several film soundtracks.
And, after all, who can resist its catchy melody and pervasive minor harmonies?
The calm introduction (which is actually all there is of a melody) offers little clues to what follows, but it features a rare instance of a string bass solo on a QHCF record.
But when the second bass break suddenly becomes very aggressive, Django kicks off the main tune,
the group lays into the minor chord sequence,
and we're in for a wild ride! Django's fiery solo stays in single-string for the first two choruses, achieving its passion through dramatic bent notes.
Then in the third chorus, he combines a block chord, a roll and a glissando up and down the guitar, and his instrument roars like a lion.
Grappelli picks up on the growing intensity and his violin solo builds and builds with each successive chorus.
Eugene Vees and Joseph Reinhardt, who hardly got notice in the QHCF, are excellent on this recording--I still marvel at how they could create such a strong backbeat without a drummer behind them!
And then there's the talking. Django had quite a reputation for shouting verbal encouragements during recording sessions.
According to Benny Carter, it was Django that shouted "Go on, go on" to Coleman Hawkins on their 1937 recording of "Crazy Rhythm".
(The fact that Hawkins did go on--unheard of in those days--created one of the greatest recordings of the 78 rpm era).
On "Minor Swing", we can hear Django egging on Stephane as the performance builds.
It's only at the very end of the record, when the entire group says "Oh, Yeah" that we realize the QHCF has played a little joke on us and has brilliantly set the whole thing up during the course of the record.
1937 November 25 - Swing, Paris |
| Minor Swing |
Souvenirs de Django Reinhardt |
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Maurice Meunier (cl); Django Reinardt (g solo); Eugène Vées (g); Emmanuel Soudieux (b); André Jourdan (dm)
Django’s 1947 August 29 Recording Session - Radiodiffusion-Television Française, Paris |
| Minor Swing |
Concert de Bruxelles |
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Hubert Rostaing (cl); Django Reinhardt (g solo); Henri “Louson” Baumgartner (g); Louis Vola (b); Arthur Motta (dm)
Django’s 1948 December or November Recording Session - Théâtre des Galeries, Brussels |
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