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Binding: Audio CDEAN: 0788065900120 Format: Box set, Original recording reissued Label: Jsp Records Manufacturer: Jsp Records MPN: 901 Number Of Discs: 5 Publisher: Jsp Records Release Date: May 16, 2000 Studio: Jsp Records Editorial Review: Amazon.com: This wonderful five-disc box is an indispensable collection of prewar, prebop jazz that belongs in the company of your finest Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman sets. Technically, this isn't a true box set--it merely collects five single-disc compilations under one slipcase--but it is infinitely rewarding nonetheless. Disheartened by what he thought were sonically subpar Reinhardt collections, Ted Kendall undertook an ambitious mission to find the best original sources for this classic material and then meticulously remastered them. He wisely opted to leave in some of the surface noise to maintain the clarity and integrity of the music. And what glorious, jubilant music it is! Dating to the very first Quintet of the Hot Club of France sessions in September 1934 (before they'd even established that moniker), the collection includes all the landmark recordings Reinhardt made for Ultraphone, Decca (its English and French labels), and HMV up through the Quintet's 1939 breakup on the eve of World War II. Reinhardt's guitar work is spirited and adventurous throughout--lightning-quick runs, insistent rhythm work, and hybrid "riffs" that seem to split the difference. Nearly all the cuts feature the elegant but vivacious violin work of his most famous foil, Stephane Grappelli, who certainly deserves co-billing on the set. The way the two feed off each other's energy is magical. Despite their well-documented personality clashes, the twosome remains perhaps the most synergistic in jazz history, constantly engaging in their incredible cat-and-mouse games. Often overlooked are the songwriting talents of the two musicians, who contributed several standards to the jazz canon. Though mostly focused on the Quintet recordings, the set detours for such oddities as a pair of solo Reinhardt cuts from 1937 and collaborations with Coleman Hawkins. Simply delightful from beginning to end. --Marc Greilsamer Average Rating:
 Rating: - Great OverviewThis is a great overview of Django and Grapelli's output. If you're going to own only one moderate-sized box set, this is an excellent choice. Diehard completists should move on up to Fremaux's Intégrale series. Rating: - The only pre-war guitar recordings that remain breathtaking todayLet's be honest - how many times have you read rave reviews of some supposed pre-war (or for that matter, post-war) virtuoso, bought a CD, only to be horribly disappointed to find the guitar-playing positively feeble after years of exposure to Hendrix, Satriani, etc? One can still respect those players of earlier generations for the contributions they made when guitar-playing was in its infancy, but all sentiments aside, judged objectively, for me and many others only one player of yesterday competes ... Read More Rating:  - The Classic Early recordingsA mixture of various recordings, not all of them good. Still there are a few gems amongst them. Rating:  - Wonderful - for the Purists among usDjango Reinhardt's music is a study in Jazz influence, improvisation and sheer exuberance. These recordings take you through his early years and maturity as an astonishing guitarist. If you understand guitar and what it took for him to play as he did, your appreciation for the technical virtuosity cannot but respond to his work. The digital re-masterings themselves faithfully reproduce the original sounds, complete with all of the surface noise that attended those early 78's. For the purist ... Read More Rating: - Django Reinhardt , Classic Early RecordingsLike the Supreme Court Justice opined about obscenity [I'm informed], he said if he saw it he would know what it was. I have sonically seen Django and I know what JAZZ GENIUS IS!! He and his consorts swing from the beginning to the end every time they do a tune. Being an un-recon- structed Stan Kenton fan of some 60 + years, I recognize that except for some Shorty Rogers charts and particularly "Stompin' At The Savoy" by Bill Holman, Django could have made even the Kenton ... Read More |
