Django Reinhardt • Nuages CD

Django Reinhardt • Nuages CD

That Django Reinhardt was an original and a virtuoso was impressive enough. But what is astounding about his playing is that it was accomplished by someone who only had the use of two fingers on his left hand; he had been severely burned as a young man and lost the use of his ring and pinkie fingers. 45 years after his death there are still French guitarists who, in an attempt to get the same sound that Django had, will only use two fingers when they play. Nuages is a collection of recordings from the late '30s featuring Reinhardt's Quintet du Hot Club de France at its peak. The standards are all here: "Minor Swing" (in a statelier, more deliberate version than one normally hears, but one which still swings solidly), "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Swing Guitars." But there are also some unusual treats: a couple of novelty tunes featuring singer Freddy Taylor, a lovely version of "Farewell Blues" on which Django is accompanied by the Benny Carter orchestra, and two tracks with the legendary tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. Essential.

1 Nuages 3:15
2 Minor Swing (Stéphane Grappelli / Django Reinhardt) 3:14
3 Swing Guitars (Stéphane Grappelli / Django Reinhardt) 2:24
4 After You've Gone (Henry Creamer / Turner Layton) 3:05
5 Limehouse Blues (Philip Braham / Douglas Furber) 2:45
6 Georgia on My Mind (Hoagy Carmichael / Stuart Gorrell) 3:14
7 Nagasaki (Mort Dixon / Harry Warren) 2:49
8 Shine (Lew Brown / Ford Dabney / Cecil Mack) 2:55
9 Charleston (James P. Johnson / Cecil Mack) 2:52
10 Exactly Like You (Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh) 2:28
11 You're Driving Me Crazy 2:53
12 Ain't Misbehavin' (Harry Brooks / Andy Razaf / Fats Waller) 2:53
13 Rose Room 2:43
14 Chicago 3:25
15 Out of Nowhere (feat. Coleman Hawkins) 3:15
16 Sweet Georgia Brown (feat. Coleman Hawkins) 3:00
17 Japanese Sandman 2:57
18 Farewell Blues 3:13

Arkadia Jazz