The Legendary Django

Description

After a handful of sides were released for the tiny Ultraphone label in Paris in 1934, Django and his band, the Quintette du Hot Club de France became an overnight sensation. Playing and recording all around Europe, the next few years put Django and his new form of gypsy jazz on the map. 1939 found Django and his band touring England when the War broke out, and while Django was able to return France, his right-hand man, virtuoso violinist Stephane Grappelli, was left behind. This collection of sides (1937-1940) spans that tumultuous time, and one can hear the Quintette both, on songs like Daphne and You Took Advantage Of Me, with Grappelli still at the helm, and then later, on the ominously titled Vendredì 13 and Rhythm Futur (actually recorded outside the jazz idiom in an attempt to appease the Nazi censors), after Grappelli had been left behind in England. Liner notes by Alexis Korner.