Book Description
Authentic transcriptions in notes and tab for 20 classic performances by this vastly talented gypsy whose name is synonymous with jazz guitar. Includes: Ain't Misbehavin' * Belleville * Daphne * Dinah * Djangology * Honeysuckle Rose * Limehouse Blues * Marie * Minor Swing * Nuages * Old Folks at Home (Swanee River) * Stardust * Tiger Rag (Hold That Tiger) * and more.
Customer Reviews:
Go Cat Go!.......2006-01-27
This is an excellent folio of Django's music that contains 20 jazz/swing standards and originals. Additionally, many of the songs feature guitar transcriptions of Stephane Grappelli's violin parts; similar to the recent Hal Leonard score of Charlie Christian's, which features much of Benny Goodman's clarinet and Lionel Hampton's vibe work. And while some may find this a distraction others will say boon. I say boon. And many tunes are transcribed to include the second rhythm guitar part. The entire book is engraved in tab and standard notation.
What I'd like to focus on here though, deals with what album goes with which transcription. For despite the fact that each song states its source recording, there is still much confusion to be found within. Confusion - like which version of the album 'Djangology' did the transcriber rely upon? The score is not so clear, rather only stating 'Djangology'; while omitting the necessary publisher information. Because the title 'Djangology' may refer to any number of different compilations. And the score relies upon the album 'Djangology 49' by RCA Victor or Bluebird, which Bluebird has recently remastered, that now also goes by the title 'Djangology'. And some transcriptions are from 'The Best of Django Reinhardt', of which there are numerous different compilations.
So, I seek to end the confusion here. Additionally, find this site and others contain pertinent music samples, so you can hear the musical journey that you're in for (a site with the letters "jr" and "com" had the most relevant samples).
THE TRANSCRIPTIONS ARE FROM THE FOLLOWING RECORDINGS:
From Recall's 2-CD 'Djangology'
* Belleville
* Dinah
* Dinette
* Djangology
* Limehouse Blues
* Minor Swing
* Nuages
* Rose Room
* Swing 42
* Swing Guitar
From Master Classic's 'The Best of 1934-1939'
* Ain't Misbehaivin'
* Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)
* Stardust
* Tiger Rag (Hold That Tiger)
From RCA Victor's 'Djangology 49' or Bluebird's 'Djangology 49/Djangology (Remastered)'
* Marie
* The World Is Waiting For the Sunrise
From Verve's 'Jazz Masters 38'
* Daphne
* Melodie a Crepuscule
From Blue Note's 'The Best of Django Reinhardt'
* My Serenade
From Jass's 'Swing Guitar'
* Honeysuckle Rose (see note below)
This last transcription is also found in Hal Leonard's 'Guitar Tab White Pages'. It's from the Jass album 'Swing Guitar' (out of print). Here Django plays with the U.S. Air Transport Command Band during 1945-46.
The thing about Django is that he often recorded the same song numerous times. So finding the correct track for a particular transcription can be a challenge. I've Marcel Dadi's Alain Peirson Publication of Django tab, and in twenty years I still can't find the source for many of those transcriptions. This Hal Leonard score transcribes recordings that are readily available. And the transcriptions are as accurate as any I've seen.
Django Reinhardt - The Definitive Collection.......2003-06-02
This songbook features complete transcriptions, with guitar tablature, for these Django recordings: Ain't Misbehavin', Belleville, Daphne, Dinah, Dinette, Djangology, Honeysuckle Rose, Limehouse Blues, Marie, Melodie Au Crepuscule, Minor Swing, My Serenade, Nuages, Old Folks At Home (Swanee River), Rose Room, Stardust, Swing 42, Swing Guitar, The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise, and Tiger Rag (Hold That Tiger).
This book provides essential challenges for guitarists wishing to try their hands at Django's amazing rhythms and solos.
Book Description
Django Reinhardt was perhaps the greatest guitarist to ever live. A Gypsy who made his jazz guitar speak with a human voice, he was dashing, charismatic, childish . . . and doomed to die young after creating a legacy of Gypsy Jazz that remains vibrant today.
Gypsy Jazz is a music both joyous and sad, timeless and modern. It was born from a marriage of Louis Armstrong's trumpet with the anguished sound of Romany violin and the fire of flamenco guitar. Created amidst the glamour of Jazz Age Paris and reaching a peak during the horrors of World War II, Gypsy Jazz gave a voice to a dispossessed people. Today, Gypsy Jazz is more popular than ever. It has a legacy as strong as the Cuban sounds of the Buena Vista Social Club, the blues of B. B. King, or the R&B of Ray Charles.
Django Reinhardt and the Illustrated History of Gypsy Jazz is a stylish collection of more than two hundred illustrations telling Django's story and the history of Gypsy jazz. Running through the Paris Jazz Age of the 1920s to the current worldwide renaissance of Gypsy jazz bands (including Django's grandsons, who are playing today), the images include rare archival photographs, modern images, posters, programs, tickets, guitars, memorabilia, paintings, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Great book!!.......2007-03-11
This is very well done, and has some interesting stuff that I haven't seen in other books about Django. I especially like all the pictures and additional work that went into it to make it more visually appealing and interesting to read!!
The lively text entertains as thoroughly as it enlightens.......2006-12-10
Gorgeously illustrated with black-and-white and color photographs and poster representations on almost every page, Django Reinhardt and the Illustrated History of Gypsy Jazz is the true story of a legendary figure in Gypsy Jazz, a music style that arose in the Jazz Age of the 1920's by blending the Romany violin and flamenco guitar with the trumpet and other jazz instruments. Django Reinhardt and the Illustrated History of Gypsy Jazz traces the style's evolution and the career of the man who embodied it through the horrors of World War II, when the Nazis severely persecuted the Gypsies in Europe, and onward to Gypsy Jazz's rhythm-and-blues legacy for the modern day. The lively text entertains as thoroughly as it enlightens, in this enthusiastically recommended volume for casual readers and music history buffs.
Book Description
Explore the groundbreaking style of one of the most unique and influential guitarists in jazz! This book/CD pack explores 16 of his signature tunes: Ain't Misbehavin' * Belleville * Daphne * Dinah * Djangology * Honeysuckle Rose * Limehouse Blues * Marie * Minor Swing * Nuages * Old Folks at Home (Swanee River) * Rose Room * Stardust * Swing 42 * Swing Guitar * Tiger Rag (Hold That Tiger). The CD includes full demos of each.
Customer Reviews:
Very fine book.......2006-11-13
This is an excellent way to understand Django's playing. The transcriptions are deadly accurate and the audio examples are expertly played. The presentation is great and this book is a major asset to my education as an aspiring jazz guitarist. The ideas of this musical giant jump off the page and even the most difficult, technically challenging phrases are easy to follow. I have never appreciated Django's music and improvisational genius and fire so much as I have after studying this fine folio. Very nice package for the Django enthusiast. Highly recommended.
dannys opinions.......2006-07-01
it is nice to have tab, with the notation. there is no indication as to which version of the tunes he is trancribing , the title is a lie there is no breakdown of the guitar style there just tunes trincribed period.
good book but not really quite there.......2005-08-07
one of my students showed me this book recently; we looked over it together. Now, i feel it's important to stress that this book claims to be a "step by step breakdown of the guitar style and technique" of django reinhardt. The review is based strictly on that claim. And as such, I believe it isn't quite there. The chord voicings for the most part are not those used by django or his accompanists (who favored simple but thick chord voicings). The notes seem to be more or less correct (i only glanced through the book) and therefore would benefit anyone who just wants to analyze the notes. however, I noticed a number of fingering mistakes. While it's nearly impossible to say with certainty which exact fingerings django used, the picking technique he used lends itself to a particular left hand fingering system. Furthermore, django and the sinti today visualize the fretboard in a specific way (using certain shapes). This is something that is more than meets the eye, and is something, i picked up from listening closely to the records and especially from hanging out with the Sinti in Europe. I also have reasons to believe wes and george benson (and surely many other guitarists) use a variation of this system as well.
Anyway, i think the book is certainly useful for anyone who wants to have the notes django played on paper for musical analysis. but for someone who s looking to understand his GUITAR style, and how he approached the instrument both technique wise and mentally; this book isn't quite it.
Django's True Spirit.......2005-05-12
I highly recommend this book. I don't understand why some reviewers would criticize it. The transcriptions and tabs are flawless and the performances are spirited. I really enjoyed the CD.
Now about the infamous "rest stroke". This stroke came from banjo technique before amplification. In Eddie Lang's 1930's guitar method he claimed that alternate picking was not a good idea because of "volume" in bands. I own Michael Horowitz's book "Gypsy Picking". It's a great book for the style, but in it he states that it is not conducive to bebop. I think this goes for any modern jazz, including modal and free jazz as well. It's too choppy for this later style (Listen to Joe Pass on "Cherokee" on his album "Virtuoso" to see just how limiting this picking is. It sounds choppy and focuses too much on the down beat instead of the subtle syncopation of later jazz, not to mention how sloppy it gets at these speeds. The Ferrer brothers (Boulou & Elios Ferre) have the same trouble when they play modern jazz-again the speed). WARNING!: Doing "Giant Steps" with the rest stroke can cause a brain aneurism, so please, don't try it without proper supervision.
If you want to just play Django "prewar" and use a "Selmer Maccaferri" type guitar and be some kind of Django petrified jazz manouche clone, I would recommend the rest stroke (I've even read you should use only two fingers while playing his solos, as though Django wouldn't have done anything to have all his fingers back. Maybe you should buy some butane and orchestrate your own caravan fire to be really authentic). This sort of imitation is not flattering to Django memory and I think, pure silliness.
I would recommend alternate picking unless you want to ignore the last 50 years in jazz and the invention of the amplifier. And yes, you can get a powerful and beautiful sound on an acoustic guitar with alternate picking. Check out the Al Dimeola's instructional tape by REH Video (Warner Brothers Publishing). You can argue with his content or musical ideas but not with his superb technique. I also recommend John McLaughlin's acoustic work such as "Qué Alegría" or "My Goal is Beyond" (rare and expensive) . This speed and virtuosity is ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to get with the "rest stroke". By the way, Django himself moved on to other guitars such as gibson and other arch tops and incorporated bebop ideas in his solos. Toward the end of his life he was upset that people couldn't or wouldn't accept his new form of playing, just like Hendrix, Coltrane and other great musicians and painters.
What I would recommend is what Wes Montgomery did. He transcribed every Charlie Christian solo he could get his hand on, and then went somewhere completely different with it. Charlie Parker learned Lester Young solos and went somewhere else with that as well. The same could be said for Bob Dylan and folk music, or Hendrix and the blues.
Live in the true spirit of Django. Buy this wonderful book. Learn the solos. Study the content of the solos and the PLEASE...go somewhere NEW, beautiful and completely, unexpected with it the way Django would have. Now that's real "bal musette".
You need these songs in your repertoire.......2004-10-18
The transcriptions in this book are very accurate and the cd that comes with it is very helpful. All the songs are played at performance speed and half speed so you can work your way through even the most ridiculously fast licks. I was a little disappointed that the tab for "Nuages" was not complete, but they give you the bulk of the transcription. All in all this is a must have for any serious jazz guitarist.
Book Description
At last, the original biography of the great gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt is available again. This deluxe edition features three parts. The first part is devoted to Charles Delaunay's charming and authoritative biography of Django. The second part is a completely revised and updated discography of all of Django's known recorded works. The final part is devoted to over 150 photographs and illustrations of the master guitarist, many of which have never been published before. This beautiful book is without a doubt the finest literary tribute ever made to the eternal genius of Django Reinhardt and is a must for jazz lovers and guitar enthusiasts alike.
Customer Reviews:
The definitive book on Django Reinhardt.......2003-03-29
Charles Delaunay's book covers everything you'd ever want to know about gypsy guitar legend Django Reinhardt in a captivating, readable form. Included anecdotes make you feel like you really got to know Django from the perspective of friends and fellow musicians. Many of them are quite funny too.
In addition to the exceptional story of Django and his music, Delaunay's book includes many pages full of rare Django Reinhardt photographs.
Get this book now! You won't be sorry :)
Informative book that brings Django's music to life.......2002-10-21
Although I wouldn't necessarily call this book a literary classic, it's quite readable and certainly worthwhile for anyone who likes the music of Django Reinhardt and is interested in learning more about him as both a person and a musician, as well as the other musicians (such as Stephane Grappelli) of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France and others that played and recorded with him. There are plenty of anecdotes that bring their songs to life for me in a new way. Just to take one example, the first song on the first disk of the 5-CD set "Django Reinhardt: The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order" (which I'd highly recommend, by the way) is a popular song that was new at the time, called "I Saw Stars." It's a nice little tune, with some great solos by both Reinhardt and Grappelli, but I learned from this biography that the newly-formed quintet had never played it before. They were on their way to their first-ever recording, and were concerned that their music might not be commercial enough to be accepted, and Grappelli had just obtained a copy of the sheet music for "I Saw Stars" (which was a popular hit in the U.S. at the time). They went over it a couple of times in the taxi on the way to the studio, stopping along the way to pick up vocalist Bert Marshal, who Reinhardt thought might give the group a more commercial sound. (In later recordings, the QHCF rarely used vocalists.) To listen anew to the recording knowing now that they were just improvising on a song they'd never even played before just brings home all the more how intensely talented these musicians were. This biography is full of similar examples, as well as filling the reader in on Reinhardt's early background and musical studies while travelling on gypsy caravans as a boy, and on his teen years spent backing up "musette" dance musicians in Paris cabarets and so on. All in all, I'd say that if you're a fan of the great Django Reinhardt's music, this biography will enhance your appreciation of it all the more. (The author, Charles Delaunay, by the way, was a French music critc and contemporary of Reinhardt and Grappelli, who was instrumental in getting their professional careers started and who probably knew them and their music as well as or better than anyone. So this is as authoritative a biography of Django Reinhardt as there is ever likely to be.)
Book Description
The music of Django Reinhardt is as important today as it has ever been. Blending jazz and gypsy influences, his exuberant solos and incisive rhythm playing have fascinated - and tantalized - guitarists for half a century. In this book, leading jazz writer Dave Gelly considers Django's life and recordings and explains exactly why he sounded the way he did. Meanwhile, guitarist and teacher Rod Fogg shows you how you can achieve that sound yourself, with the help of detailed transcriptions of six of Django's most celebrated and exciting numbers. Includes CD wth all six numbers accurately recorded from the transcriptions for you to follow along.
Customer Reviews:
My favorite Django Book.......2005-12-01
I loved this book, and e-mailed Rod Fogg to tell him so and how much I hope he'll do another volume. Finally, an accurate transcription of the version of 'Honeysuckle Rose' I've know by heart from listening to the record hundreds of times for so many years, with music and tab. Plus, more great tunes not in all the other books and a great bio and photo section as well...even a CD with the author's performances to get by on until you can get the original Django recordings of the tunes you want to study. Plus these tunes are all accessible and playable- All this makes this my favorite Django book. The only other one that's come close for me is the 'Definitive Collection'.
A good bio, and great transcriptions, but little else........2005-10-13
I used the 3 glowing reviews on this product to make my decision in purchasing it. Before I gripe, I'll try to find some nice things to say. I was very impressed with the production quality of the book and the detailed information in the biography section. The transcriptions were note-for-note pretty good. The tab's a little off from video recordings of Django playing these same tunes, but the notes are right.
That's about where it ends, though. The recording, while technically a decent recording, offers no insight to Django's phrasing or timing of the notes. There are entire passages where it felt like Rod was just playing the notes and nothing more. Other times, notes were missed, played sloppily or not picked up by the mic, leading to a sloppy, unrehearsed sound. There's an entire passage in the Minor Swing recording where Rod plays the most boring note-for-note reiteration of his transcription despite Django's clear swing rhythm and sliding techniques on the same passage in the recording it was transcribed from.
Overall, this is a great book to get as a bio, and a pretty good one for the transcriptions. However, don't try to learn from the CD, because Django would probably be rolling over in his grave. Learn from the master himself, and those that came after him (Fapy Lafertin, The Rosenberg Trio, etc.). They are the real deal, and they will play it right. Copy them, not Rod.
Django Reinhardt : Know the Man, Play the Music .......2005-08-22
Whether you're a guitar player or just an avid listener of Gypsy Jazz or simply just interested in Django Reinhardt, this book is a wonderful piece of work.
It is broken into two parts. The first part is a detailed biography of Django, containing about every factoid of his life you might ever want to know. There is great insight into the development of his music and his particular style. I found it to be well written and fascinating. It reads easily.
The second part is an analysis of several of his best-known works, written out in tablature and performed for you on the included CD. I haven't yet delved into this part, but I can see it's laid out well. I love owning this book.
It is the kind of book that would make one of those great and thoughtful gifts for the aspiring Gypsy Jazz guitarist or the person interested in Reinhardt's life story.
Not academic, but still a great book........2005-05-29
The two parts to this book work well together and it's great to see a bio/technique book about such a unique musician. There are no source notes or anything from the bio section but it is an interesting read. I really like the fact that the book is spiral bound, which is great for keeping it open on the music stand. I've only started working on learning the tunes and I've already found an editing oddity in the tablature for "Djangology" but nothing serious. The music is difficult though. I'm a professional musician and guitar teacher and this stuff is a challenge but well worth it if you really want a great introduction to Django's style and technique. The acoompanying CD is recorded well and is a good working tool for practicing. I still prefer listening to the original recordings for subtle nuances and phrasing but it's still good.
Excellence!.......2005-04-04
This is an excellent introduction to and summary of Django's life and music. I confess I have a hard time listening to Django's original recordings, because of the inferior recording quality, the scatching, hissing, etc. The CD accompanying this book is worth the price of admission alone. I listen to it over and over. Rod Fogg's clean recordings breathed new life into this style of music for me. I highly recommend it.
Product Description
Includes 70 Reinhardt classics for classical guitar. Each song lists its date of recording and other important information relating to the song and recording session. Anouman Are You In The Mood Artillerie Lourde (Heavy Artillery) Belleville Black And White Blues Blues Clair (1943) Blues For Ike Blues Minor Bolero (Bolero De Django) Brick Top Cadillac Slim Cavalerie Christmas Swing Crepuscule Danse Nuptiale (Moppin' The Bride) Daphne Deccaphonie Del Salle Diminushing Dinette Django's Tiger Djangology Double Scotch Douce Ambiance Echoes Of Spain Fantaisie Feerie Festival 48 Fiddle Blues Fleche d'Or Fleur d'Ennui Folie A Amphion Gaiement (Merry Swing) H.C.Q. Strut Impromptu Just For Fun Lentement, Mademoiselle... Manoir De Mes Reves (Django's Castle) Melodie Au Crepuscule Micro Minor Swing My Serenade My Sweet Mystery Pacific Naguine Nuits de St-Germain des Pres Nympheas Oiseaux des Iles Oubli Paramount Stomp Place de Brouckere Porto Cabello R. Vingt-Six Rythme Futur Souvenirs Stockholm Stompin' At Decca Sweet Chorus Swing 41 Swing 42 Swing Guitar Swing de Paris Swinging With Django Swingtime In Springtime Tears Troubland Bolero Ultrafox Vendredi 13
Customer Reviews:
Great Django transcriptions.......2003-11-16
I'd highly recomend this book to anyone interested in Django's music. I've been using this book for several years, the transcriptions are accurate and include some of his best songs. Get it, you'll love it!
Book Description
Django Reinhardt was arguably the greatest guitarist who ever lived, an important influence on Les Paul, Charlie Christian, B.B. King, Jerry Garcia, Chet Atkins, and many others. Yet there is no major biography of Reinhardt. Now, in Django, Michael Dregni offers a definitive portrait of this great guitarist. Handsome, charismatic, childlike, and unpredictable, Reinhardt was a character out of a picaresque novel. Born in a gypsy caravan at a crossroads in Belgium, he was almost killed in a freak fire that burned half of his body and left his left hand twisted into a claw. But with this maimed left hand flying over the frets and his right hand plucking at dizzying speed, Django became Europe's most famous jazz musician, commanding exorbitant fees--and spending the money as fast as he made it. Dregni not only chronicles this remarkably colorful life--including a fascinating account of gypsy culture--but he also sheds much light on Django's musicianship. He examines his long musical partnership with violinist Stephane Grappelli--the one suave and smooth, the other sharper and more dissonant--and he traces the evolution of their novel string jazz ensemble, Quintette du Hot Club de France. Indeed, the author spotlights Django's amazing musical diversity, describing his swing-styled Nouveau Quintette, his big band Django's Music, and his later bebop ensemble, as well as his many compositions, including symphonic pieces influenced by Ravel and Debussy and his unfinished organ mass inspired by Bach. And along the way, the author offers vivid snapshots of the jazz scene in Paris--colorful portraits of Josephine Baker, Bricktop, Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, and countless others--and of Django's vagabond wanderings around France, Europe, and the United States, where he toured with Duke Ellington. Capturing the extraordinary life and times of one of the great musicians of the twentieth century, Django is a must-read portrait of a true original.
Customer Reviews:
caveat.......2007-06-03
this biography fills in the gaps between facts so thoroughly with conjecture and fictionalizing that one no longer can quite tell what the known facts are. there's a lot of interesting stuff in this book, but I found the author's approach maddening.
there are so many events depicted with breathless 'you are there' cinematic detail that are based on events that are almost certainly undocumented. Or if they're based on something, no indication is given of what sort of source is being relied on. People's presumed emotions and inner thoughts are described to an improbable and even ridiculous extent. Eventually a pall of suspicion clouds the entire book.
Listen, Read and Listen.......2006-08-17
I read this book on a recent vacation and was kicking myself for not bringing Django Reinhardt CD's with me to listen to while I read. I have been an admirer of Django's music for some time but was unaware of just how much influence his music had on artists of his time. There are three reasons why I liked this book. One, to understand Django's personality the author tells us a little of the history and culture of the gypsies. Two, the backdrop of Django's life story is the Paris music scene during the 1920s, through the Nazi occupation of WWII, and the birth of bebop in the late 40s and early 50s. And three, the amazing life story of what may be the greatest guitarist ever born. All three of these aspect of the book are brought together to create an outstanding biography of Django Reinhardt. But be warned that reading about this incredible talent may cause an insatiable desire to listen to his music.
"Oh ma mere! Ce n'est pas possible!".......2006-05-19
This utterance comes halfway through Michael Dregni's book, and it's one of maybe 50 direct quotes by Django Reinhardt drizzled over 280 pages. Self-conscious about his lack of education, Reinhardt didn't like talking to "gadjé." He is known to have written three letters in his life, and the most extended quote is bogus: an "interview" concocted by an impresario to defame a rival.
It has to be quite a challenge for a biographer to work with so little material. And yet Dregni does an excellent job. While by necessity he has to rely on external testimony and events to make his portrayal, his focus is always on Reinhardt and the extraordinary contradictions of the man: one night dining with royalty, the next night stealing a chicken on a country road; living in a luxury hotel one week, a caravan the next; over-generosity alternating with infuriating pettiness; turning one gig into an all-night jam session, not bothering to show up for the next. You think you know Bohemian? This is Bohemian.
Of course, Django was only verbally reticent. Musically, he is one of the most articulate, expressive players ever. So it's the musical parts of this book that really shine. Partly because of the nationalism of his promoters who wanted to push a French jazz musician, but mostly because of his magical talent (and in spite of a tendency to sleep later than recording session schedules), Reinhardt's output was vast and varied. As I imagine is true for many, I knew the Quintette/Grapelli recordings to the exclusion of almost everything else. So I especially appreciated the discussions of his later career: the weird fact that during the Occupation, when jazz was officially verboten, he achieved his greatest popularity, and his enthusiasm for bebop, which I've always thought he anticipated with his angular, superfast playing.
In the endnotes are many mentions of "interview with author, 2001/2/3..." Aside from the documentary research, Dregni deserves special gratitude for contacting people who knew Reinhardt and who will probably not be around much longer. His efforts have doubtless uncovered facts that, because of the large part of Reinhardt's life that exists only in the oral tradition, would certainly have been lost without them.
Django Reinhardt, one of the more remarkable and mysterious characters of his time, deserves a first-rate biography. This is it.
If your'e into Django.......2005-12-02
then your going to eat up this book. The writing is a little silly and cliched but there is a LOT of info on Django as well as the history of jazz in Europe. The book rolls along nicely and builds up to a climax 2/3s in just before Django's american tour with Ellington. Then the book becomes an extremely dull onslaught of facts rather than a biographical story. I just wanted it to end. then he did this. then he did this. then he did this. and then he did this. Hello... Did the writer just get bored with the material? Alot of research though so we'll have to give him credit for this. and there isn't a whole lot of writing about Django out there so it will have to suffice.
Phenomenal!.......2005-12-01
This is possibly one of the finest music biographies I've ever read (and I've read stacks). Instead of taking the tack of Django-worshipping, Dregni carefully and thoughtfully lays out all of the historical context around Django's life and music. This is a rarity among music biographies, which generally sum up historical context in literally just a few lines ("The Depression was over and times were tough, but the jukes were still swingin'"). Dregni does a fabulous job, and makes it interesting to boot.
He also doesn't cut Django too much slack, although he doesn't villainize him either. Genius is generally accompanied by a bit of madness, and always with a bit of narcissism, and Django had all of this, which doesn't make him a bad person, just a bit of a mad genius. Dregni did well expressing this.
All in all, Django had a phenomenal life and his body of work is practically unmatched in any genre, as far as quality and prolificness. Dregni simply gave us a historical context and a background behind the man who made it.
This book is recommended to jazz fans (whether gypsy jazz is your thing or not), musette fans, guitar players, Francophiles, those interested in gypsy culture, those interested in WWI and WWII, those interested in Paris in the '30s and '40s, history buffs, and so on.
Book Description
A guide to the playing style of the famous Gypsy guitarists, and information on many of the leading exponents of this unique style.
Customer Reviews:
Sketchy, but useful.......2003-07-25
There are a lot of great photos of the various great Jazz Manouche guitarists here, and there's also a fair amount of information. It's not particularly well organized, and there's no theory or explanation; what you get are a few basic licks, a library of chord shapes, and a few tunes rendered in tablature.
This is a good resource for the intermediate or advanced player familiar with the genre who just needs a leg up to get started, but it's not really quite basic enough for the beginner looking to emulate Django. Still, a motivated beginner with a good ear and a good library of Django Reinhardt recordings might find this to be just what he or she needs.
Great intro to learning Django's guitar style........1999-06-15
This book isn't very big but it did help me get a good idea about where I needed to go with my guitar playing. There are about 40 pictures of Django, family and friends playing Selmer, Gibson and Macafferri guitars and rough transcriptions two two or three songs and about 20 solo licks in tablature. There is also a few stories about Django and his life and one paragraph biographies of about 15 gypsy style players. This book made me realize how important triads are to playing this style of music! This book is a gem to read, I guarantee you will enjoy it.
Book Description
The solos of Django Reinhardt are an endless source of inspiration and amazement for any musician. In this exciting book, the author has compiled precise solo transcriptions (in notation only), as well as a thorough analysis of each. There is also a complete "how to" section that is like a book in itself. This book contains some of Django's best work. It covers a period of 17 years, from Django's first trio and quintet recordings to one of his last bop-influenced sessions, "Live at the Club St. Germain." Multiple versions of many solos are included to show Djangos' musical development over his long career. Studying the music of the master of Gypsy Jazz can help lay a solid foundation for your own sound and style.
Customer Reviews:
Django Reinhardt.......2004-04-09
This book needs professional skills. There are no Tabs and so you must know how to read music. I will suggest to buy it in order to improve you skills. Even if the book is difficult I am sure that it's important to have it because you will use it. It challenge you to improve your level.
Marco
Excellent.......2002-11-27
I am rarely tempted to write good reviews here, as most people seem to think that everything deserves 4 or 5 stars. I don't seem to live in that kind of world. I find a staggering amound of medioctrity and junk, wasted time. I am just trying to be a good citizen here.
This is an excellent book. There is only one thing that doesn't make much sense to me, namely the fact that almost half of it is redundant. The solos and the analysis section are essentially the same thing, except that in the solos section the analytical comments are not included above the notation. This just makes the book about twice as thick and I have no confidence in the BINDING. So many American soft-cover books simply crack and break at the spine, then pages fall out . The thicker the book, the harder it is to open out on a music stand and the faster the glue will crack on the spine.
The book could have a much better binding if it were not so over-inflated -- probably to bulk it out and make it look like good value. Buying by weight, which we all do, I think, consciously or not.
As for the content: fine quality music font, top-notch advice, intelligent writing. If you have the sound files, you can't go wrong. Many thanks to the author for this fabulous work.
Vintage Guitar Magazine Says:.......2002-08-24
Guitarist Stan Ayeroff is no greenhorn when it comes to the music of Django Reinhardt. Many aspiring guitarists have a dog-earred copy of Ayeroff's classic book Django Reinhardt that provided a fine introduction to his Hot Club music.
Now, Ayeroff is back with a master thesis on Django Reinhardt's music, a 272-page analysis of his musical style, eccentric two-finger technique, and virtuoso tricks. If you can't get enough of Django, here's more to fan the flames.
Along with the analysis of Django's music, this book is packed with transcriptions of forty-four solos. No song heads or melodies are included; the heads are easy enough to find in other collections.
The choice of songs here is weighted toward Django's earliest recordings with the Quintette du Hot Club de France, including "Japanese Sandman," "Swannee River," "Limehouse Blues," "Rose Room," "My Melancholy Baby," and the other usual suspects. This choice of songs provides a good basis in Django's playing and a foundation for jamming on other classic swing numbers, but does leave one wishing there was more of Django's own compositions with his musical extrapolations of his own themes.
The book is all written in standard notation, which is fine and dandy considering the level of musical expertise here. But it's a shame that the music is not also offered in tablature: With the renaissance of interest in Django's music, there are many greenhorns lusting for just such a book, and the addition of tab may have expanded the market for this book many times over.
Interestingly, the solo transcriptions are notated for playing with just two fingers à la Django. Of course you don't have to follow this and can use all your digits, but it does aid immensely in understanding Django's approach to the fretboard.
If you're serious about your Django, you'll want this book?whether you read or have to struggle through each exercise.
Average customer rating:
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The Genius Of Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
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Songbooks
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General
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ASIN: 0793524660 |
Book Description
This classic collection of Django tunes is an intimate look at his style. Included are transcriptions of many Django tunes complete with all rhythm guitar changes. Included are: Crepuscule * Belleville * Are You In The Mood * Ultra Fox * and 14 others. As a bonus we've included special chorus arrangements to four tunes arranged by Ike Issacs in the style of Django. This includes My Serenade * Minor Swing * Manoir De Mes Reves * and Daphne.
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