Quintessence, Vol. 2 Paris to Londres: 1935-1947

Adapter: Laure Wright.
Personnel: Django Reinhardt (guitar); Allan Hodgkiss, Jack Llewelyn, Joseph Reinhardt, Eugene Vees, Marcel Bianchi (guitar); Michel Warlop, Stéphane Grappelli (violin); Maurice Meunier, Gerard Leveque (clarinet); Jim Hayes, B Zickefoose, B. Cavaliére, Harry Carney, K. Lowther, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Russell Procope (reeds); Herb Bass, Jerry Stephan, Robin Gould, Alex Caturegli, Harold Baker, Jack Platt, Ray Nance, Taft Jordan, Shelton Hemphill, Christian Bellest, Cat Anderson (trumpet); Rex Stewart (cornet); Bill Decker, Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford, Lawrence D. Brown, Pierre Rémy, Librecht, John Kirkpatrick, Wilbur De Paris, Claude Jones (trombone); Larry Mann, Duke Ellington, Léo Chauliac, Yves Raynal, Ivon de Bie, Eddie Bernard (piano); Ted Curry, Bill Bethel, Jerry Mengo, Sonny Greer, Jacques Martinon, André Jourdan, Pierre Fouad (drums).
Author: Jean Cocteau.
Director: Jack Platt.
Arrangers: Django Reinhardt; Stéphane Grappelli.
Like its predecessor, Fremeaux & Associes' second Django Reinhardt Quintessence sampler skims the surface of his busiest years as Europe's most revered improvising artist. Its 36 tracks follow a time line from September 1935 through December 1947, touching not only on Paris and London as indicated in the album title, but also Brussels (due north of Liberchies where he was born in 1910) and Chicago, where he recorded "Blues Riff" with Duke Ellington's orchestra in November 1946. Like most any Fremeaux Quintessence edition, great care has been taken to select material which represents the artist at his very best. In addition to Stéphane Grappelli and the Quintette of the Hot Club of France, Django is joined by violinist Michel Warlop on "Swingin' with Django," "Paramount Stomp," and "Christmas Swing." On "Vous et Moi," which was recorded in Brussels in 1942, Django plays violin backed by pianist Ivon de Bie. As the chronology unfurls, one may sense the impact of the Second World War upon an already rapidly evolving blend of musical traditions. On "Djangology," "Belleville," and a cover of Jimmie Lunceford's "Uptown Blues," the guitarist is featured with the U.S. Air Transport Command Band. These airchecks were made during a Parisian radio broadcast in October 1945. "Django's Tiger" and "Echoes France" document the guitarist's 1946 reunion with Grappelli in London. Throughout much of the second disc, the burgeoning modernity of postwar jazz is embodied by clarinetist Hubert Rostaing, who switches to alto sax on the final selection, "Confessin' (That I Love You)" which was recorded in late 1947 by cornetist Rex Stewart's quintet. Taking into account the title selection, the time line trajectory and the musicians involved, this set is highly recommended as an intelligently constructed Django Reinhardt collection. ~ arwulf arwulf