This video could well fall into my series of posts on great guitar solos, but I felt a bit of trepidation about that in that I can't positively place the song. I think it's Honeysuckle Rose, but I'm finding my ability to recall various melodies, particularly when such liberties are taken with the melody as we find here, to be something of a failing faculty. So, if I'm wrong on the song, someone, please, correct me.
When it comes to Reinhardt's contributions to jazz, it's difficult to know even where to begin. But, there are three points worth noting. The first is Reinhardt's personal history. Having grown up in Manouches gypsy encampments in Belgium, Reinhardt's personal history parallel's the slave ancestry of American jazz itself, and, undoubtedly influenced his own assimilation of the ethos that jazz expressed.
Second, Reihnardt was both illiterate and untrained. The result was an enigmatic personality that was at once sympathetic and brash. He was easygoing and charming, yet often inconsiderate. He exhibited a number of characteristics that psychologists associate with Augsberger Syndrome. As a consequence, performances that ought to have been artistic triumphs often bordered on disaster.
Third, as a result of a fire, the ring and little finger of Reinhardt's left hand were almost completely paralyzed. This led to some innovations in technique that very few artists have been able to fully incorporate into their playing. The video shows a number of aspects of this technique, the most visible of which is the way he bends notes. To my knowledge, he's the first to have employed this technique in jazz guitar.
In his tomish A New History of Jazz, Alyn Shipton takes 42 pages to discuss the subject of European jazz through World War II. Of those, more than 7 pages are devoted to Reinhardt--quite a lot when you consider the wide field Shipton has set for himself in that book.
Reinhardt's influence on music in general can be seen in a variety of ways not the least of which would be songs that are a tribute to him. The most obvious would be John Lewis' Django, which became a staple of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Also, Dicky Betts has said that the Allman Brothers' Jessica is a tribute to Reinhardt. Betts had wanted to write a song that could be played with two fingers.
The quintet in the video appears to be the Hot Club du France lineup that featured Stephane Grapelli on violin, Louis Vola on bass and Joseph Reinhardt and Roger Chaput on the other two guitars.
My Trusted MOGs
In my teacher's days, I once asked one of my students who had his headphones on right after my class: Why the hurry? What music was he listening to that couldn't wait another second? The teenager told me: Django Reinhardt, I'm trying to figure out he played a certain chord in "Belleville." -- I was almost blown away. Most of my students hardly knew anything about jazz let alone Django.
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing and your writing does have it. Yes, man.
My Trusted MOGs
YouTube doesn't get better than this. Now I'm happy. It's not "Honeysuckle Rose," but so what! My wife brought a 1972 Stephane Grapelli LP into our relationship when I met her, and his playing was still top-notch.