Search - Django Reinhardt :: Nuits De Saint - Germain Des Pres

Caution: this CD is highly addictive

The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 09/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Nuits de Saint-Germain des-Prés" is one of the many treasures now available through Gitanes' Jazz in Paris series. Without hyperbole, this recording is absolutely phenomenal. Django is in top form. His acoustic and electric solos blaze. Yes -Django plays electric guitar on this! At times, he really rips it up. While much has been written about Reinhardt's improvisational abilities, this recording also showcases his talent as a composer, bandleader and arranger. This brief CD is composed of three Decca sessions from 1951 to 1953 - the final year of his life. This time period is especially interesting. When most listen to Django, it tends to be his earlier work from the 1930's featuring Stéphane Grappelli in the Quintette du Hot Club de France. This is almost twenty years later. What is immediately striking is that the music doesn't sound like old time gypsy jazz. This is straight ahead modern jazz. While the music is astonishing, there are two drawbacks. If the listener is bothered by hiss, the treble may need to be turned down. Second, at less than thirty-seven minutes, the length is too brief. Why not combine this with another of Reinhardt's five releases in the Jazz in Paris series? Regardless of the drawbacks, this is essential for both Django enthusiasts and the uninitiated. "Nuits de Saint-Germain des-Prés" will amaze the listener and redefine how we think about Django Reinhardt's later body of work."