5.7.09

the wandering gypsy...

Quintette du Hot Club de France

... music to live by ...


Limehouse Blues





Minor Swing




Django Reinhardt (guitar) & Stéphane Grappeli (violin)

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Reinhardt is on my short list of favorite guitarists. He is acknowledged as being the music world’s first great jazz guitar soloist. I agree. An injury from a fire left him with only two fully usable fingers on his left hand, yet he developed a style of playing that was phenomenal. For much of WWII, Reinhardt, a gypsy, found himself on the run from Nazi units that had been dispatched to find and kill him. Obviously, they weren’t successful.

2 comments:

Cheryl Groth said...

Sam, you don't know me, but I am a (former) student of Gary Percesepe. I work for a classical guitarist who is a big Django fan. While I had already shared "Limehouse Blues" with my boss, I discovered this piece, called "Blue Drag," that I had not heard until this evening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vLJvavE4QY Of course, I sent it on to him, but wanted to share it with you, since it was your blog that pointed me in its direction.

I have come to know and love your work in Fictionaut. Such insight and compassion for humankind....few have that these days.

sam of the ten thousand things said...

Thanks for sharing this link, Cheryl. I appreciate it. And thanks for the kind words about my work.