JHC
Chief assistant to the assistant chief
This started off as a Stephan Grappelli thread but soon became evident that it would have to include Django Reinhardt and that naturaly led to the Quinttet of the Hot Club of France. For some reason I remember it as The Quinttet of the hot club of Paris ? this thread could take many turnings.
Stéphane Grappelli (26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997) was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with Guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands.
Stephan Grappelli
Grappelli started his musical career busking on the streets of Paris and Montmartre with a violin. He began playing the violin at age 12, and attended the Conservatoire de Paris studying music theory, between 1924 and 1928
Grappelli played in movie theatres and dance bands before meeting guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1933. They hit it off musically from the start, and together as the Quinttet of the Hot Club of France (comprised of violin, three acoustic guitars, and bass) during 1933-1939, they produced a sensational series of recordings and performances.
During a London engagement in 1939, World War II broke out. Reinhardt rashly decided to return to France, but Grappelli stayed in England, effectively ending the group. The violinist soon teamed up with the young pianist George Shearing in a new band that worked steadily through the war.
In 1946, Grappelli and Reinhardt had the first of several reunions, although they never worked together again on a regular basis. Grappelli performed throughout the 1950s and '60s in clubs throughout Europe and, other than recordings with Duke Ellington (Violin Summit) and Joe Venuti, he remained somewhat obscure in the U.S. until he began regularly touring the world in the early '70s. Info taken from Scott Yanow, Rovi
Django Reinhardt
Started first on the violin and eventually moved on to a banjo-guitar that had been given to him as a gift. His first known recordings (in 1928) were of him playing the banjo. During this period he was influenced by two older gypsy musicians, the banjoist Gusti Mahla (not to be cofused with our Gustav Mahler) and the guitarist Jean "Poulette" Castro. Able to make a living in music from his early teens onwards, he received little formal education and only acquired the rudiments of literacy in adult life.
Django Reinhardt
At the age of 18, Reinhardt was injured in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared with Florine "Bella" Mayer, his first wife. They were very poor, and to supplement their income Bella made imitation flowers out of celluloid and paper. Consequently, their home was full of this highly flammable material. Returning from a performance late one night, Reinhardt apparently knocked over a candle on his way to bed. While his family and neighbours were quick to pull him to safety, he received first- and second-degree burns over half his body. His right leg was paralysed and the third and fourth fingers of his left hand were badly burned. Doctors believed that he would never play guitar again and intended to amputate one of his legs. Reinhardt refused to have the surgery and left the hospital after a short time; he was able to walk within a year with the aid of a cane.
The Quintette of the Hot Club of France is generally considered by jazz historians to be the greatest of all European Jazz bands.
The Quintet of the hot club of France.
The group started out as an informal jam session that was held between sets at the Hotel Claridge (37 Rue Francois 1er.) in Paris in 1933. Stéphane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt, Roger Chaput and Louis Vola were playing in the hotel dance band at the time. Between sets they would play jazz together in a backroom at the hotel. One day Pierre Nourry and Charles Delaunay of Hot Club witnessed one of these sessions and arranged that the group record it's first records for the Ultraphone label in December of 1934. The group went on to become very popular in Europe both on records and as a live act. The group disbanded in 1939 as war broke out in Europe. The band was playing in London when England declared war on Germany. Stéphane Grappelli decided to stay in London and while Django Reinhardt returned to Paris. They would not see each other again until after the war in 1946.
Some of the music
Making whoopee
Grappelli and Oscar Peterson with Kenny Clarke Drums, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Double Bass, Rec Paris Feb 1973
http://www.4shared.com/audio/DSjrIpJY/03_Makin_Whoopee.html
Quinttet of the Hot club of France Rec Paris Oct 1935
St Louis Blues
Grappelli Vln, Reinhardt Gtr, Louis Vola Bass, Joseph Reinhardt Gtr, Ferret Gtr.
Reissue of 78 record hence crackles and pops.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/2kwiP9qu/01_St_Louis_Blues.html
I got rhythm
http://www.4shared.com/audio/4DP5OsnK/03_I_Got_Rhythm.html
A very interesting video of the Quinttet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsHyO7KyhME
Stéphane Grappelli (26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997) was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with Guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands.
Stephan Grappelli
Grappelli started his musical career busking on the streets of Paris and Montmartre with a violin. He began playing the violin at age 12, and attended the Conservatoire de Paris studying music theory, between 1924 and 1928
Grappelli played in movie theatres and dance bands before meeting guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1933. They hit it off musically from the start, and together as the Quinttet of the Hot Club of France (comprised of violin, three acoustic guitars, and bass) during 1933-1939, they produced a sensational series of recordings and performances.
During a London engagement in 1939, World War II broke out. Reinhardt rashly decided to return to France, but Grappelli stayed in England, effectively ending the group. The violinist soon teamed up with the young pianist George Shearing in a new band that worked steadily through the war.
In 1946, Grappelli and Reinhardt had the first of several reunions, although they never worked together again on a regular basis. Grappelli performed throughout the 1950s and '60s in clubs throughout Europe and, other than recordings with Duke Ellington (Violin Summit) and Joe Venuti, he remained somewhat obscure in the U.S. until he began regularly touring the world in the early '70s. Info taken from Scott Yanow, Rovi
Django Reinhardt
Started first on the violin and eventually moved on to a banjo-guitar that had been given to him as a gift. His first known recordings (in 1928) were of him playing the banjo. During this period he was influenced by two older gypsy musicians, the banjoist Gusti Mahla (not to be cofused with our Gustav Mahler) and the guitarist Jean "Poulette" Castro. Able to make a living in music from his early teens onwards, he received little formal education and only acquired the rudiments of literacy in adult life.
Django Reinhardt
At the age of 18, Reinhardt was injured in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared with Florine "Bella" Mayer, his first wife. They were very poor, and to supplement their income Bella made imitation flowers out of celluloid and paper. Consequently, their home was full of this highly flammable material. Returning from a performance late one night, Reinhardt apparently knocked over a candle on his way to bed. While his family and neighbours were quick to pull him to safety, he received first- and second-degree burns over half his body. His right leg was paralysed and the third and fourth fingers of his left hand were badly burned. Doctors believed that he would never play guitar again and intended to amputate one of his legs. Reinhardt refused to have the surgery and left the hospital after a short time; he was able to walk within a year with the aid of a cane.
The Quintette of the Hot Club of France is generally considered by jazz historians to be the greatest of all European Jazz bands.
The Quintet of the hot club of France.
The group started out as an informal jam session that was held between sets at the Hotel Claridge (37 Rue Francois 1er.) in Paris in 1933. Stéphane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt, Roger Chaput and Louis Vola were playing in the hotel dance band at the time. Between sets they would play jazz together in a backroom at the hotel. One day Pierre Nourry and Charles Delaunay of Hot Club witnessed one of these sessions and arranged that the group record it's first records for the Ultraphone label in December of 1934. The group went on to become very popular in Europe both on records and as a live act. The group disbanded in 1939 as war broke out in Europe. The band was playing in London when England declared war on Germany. Stéphane Grappelli decided to stay in London and while Django Reinhardt returned to Paris. They would not see each other again until after the war in 1946.
Some of the music
Making whoopee
Grappelli and Oscar Peterson with Kenny Clarke Drums, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Double Bass, Rec Paris Feb 1973
http://www.4shared.com/audio/DSjrIpJY/03_Makin_Whoopee.html
Quinttet of the Hot club of France Rec Paris Oct 1935
St Louis Blues
Grappelli Vln, Reinhardt Gtr, Louis Vola Bass, Joseph Reinhardt Gtr, Ferret Gtr.
Reissue of 78 record hence crackles and pops.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/2kwiP9qu/01_St_Louis_Blues.html
I got rhythm
http://www.4shared.com/audio/4DP5OsnK/03_I_Got_Rhythm.html
A very interesting video of the Quinttet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsHyO7KyhME
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