Django and Rockabilly....

princeplanet · #1 03-10-2010, 04:38 AM

Never thought of this before, but after hearing some post '47 electric stuff I realised how "rockabilly" it sounded - before rockabilly was surely "invented"! Now Barney Kessel can have this said for him also, but my question is anyone one aware of the Django records I may be referring to? The sound was more solidbody sounding as opposed to his mic'ed acoustic....

derek · #2 03-10-2010, 10:59 AM

I haven't thought about that connection before, but certainly hear Django's influence in Western Swing, and rockabilly certainly took more than a few cues from WS.

princeplanet · #3 03-10-2010, 11:13 PM

The cd was called "Pioneer of Jazz Guitar", some dodgey mixed compilation by Master Song. Anyway, the tracks that caught my ear were titled : Moppin' the Blues, Babik, Paris Blues, Scandinavia, Belltown and Heavy Artillery. Some of the playing to me sounds more like Rockabilly than Western Swing! - although admittedly it's a blurry line.... Man, I really LOVE that electric tone, it even has the roomy reverb goin' on. What guitar and amp was he using?
I tell ya, a modern Rockabilly cat with these chops would kill all living matter at 50 paces!

BigDaddyLoveHandles · #4 03-11-2010, 12:44 AM

I would have put Charlie Christian more on the influence line to Western Swing and Western Swing to Rockabilly.

princeplanet · #5 03-11-2010, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

I would have put Charlie Christian more on the influence line to Western Swing and Western Swing to Rockabilly.

I know, I know, but you gotta hear these particular post '47 tracks with him on electric, by then he was Christian and Kessell on steroids!

daveg · #6 03-11-2010, 03:00 AM

Django returned from America with an Epiphone Electric guitar, which incidentally ended up back in the States with Fred Sharpe.

From 1947 onwards he recorded on and off with the Epiphone, a Gibson L5 and his Selmer/Macaferri plus pickup until his death in 1953.

I don't think that he ever equalled the electric guitar recordings he did in 1947, see here:

Django Reinhardt on CD 1946 - 1948

These were, presumably, done on the Epiphone and although the recording quality was not great due to the recording process, Django excelled throughout. My favourite Django!

DaveG

princeplanet · #7 03-11-2010, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveg

Django returned from America with an Epiphone Electric guitar, which incidentally ended up back in the States with Fred Sharpe.

From 1947 onwards he recorded on and off with the Epiphone, a Gibson L5 and his Selmer/Macaferri plus pickup until his death in 1953.

I don't think that he ever equalled the electric guitar recordings he did in 1947, see here:

Django Reinhardt on CD 1946 - 1948

These were, presumably, done on the Epiphone and although the recording quality was not great due to the recording process, Django excelled throughout. My favourite Django!

DaveG

Cheers for that, seems like some of the tracks may have been from the 8-15th of Nov 1947 sessions, but can't track other songs from anywhere *like "Scandinavia" - then others have corrupted names - Belltown instead of Belleville and Heavy Artillery instead of Artillere Lourdes. Still, with so many repeat versions, I've no idea which sessions my disc is from... The mystery deepens... Anyway, what kind of Epiphone was it? Amplifier??

derek · #8 03-11-2010, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

I would have put Charlie Christian more on the influence line to Western Swing and Western Swing to Rockabilly.

No doubt, but when you read about of some of the early guys like Milton Brown, Jimmy Wyble, and Leon Huff, they were influenced by both. With the uptempo swing of that style, it is hard to miss the GJ influence imo.

fep · #9 03-11-2010, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

I would have put Charlie Christian more on the influence line to Western Swing and Western Swing to Rockabilly.

Exactly... Rockabilly uses Charlie Christian licks all the time.

Django's playing changed in his latter years after he heard Louis Armstrong. He went from Gypsy Jazz to more of a Charlie Christian swing style. In his later years, his playing was heavily influenced by American swing.

FWIW, I consider the true influential Django recordings to be his earlier Gypsy Jazz material (and that doesn't sound like Rockabilly)

daveg · #10 03-12-2010, 01:06 PM

Princeplanet,

Regarding the Epiphone:

Django Recollections

I'm not too sure about the Amp.

Regarding the mis-titled tracks, search for Legacy 411 on this page:

Django Reinhardt on CD 1946 - 1948

DaveG

princeplanet · #11 03-12-2010, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveg

Princeplanet,

Regarding the Epiphone:

Django Recollections

I'm not too sure about the Amp.

Regarding the mis-titled tracks, search for Legacy 411 on this page:

Django Reinhardt on CD 1946 - 1948

DaveG

Thanks. Still can't see anything called "Scandinavia".. unless I'm blind...

daveg · #12 03-15-2010, 01:06 PM

It's there:

7-15-22/9/47 - Paris - Souvenirs de Django - Django Reinhardt (elg), Hubert Rostaing (cl), Eugene Vees (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b), Andre Jourdan (d)

Stockholm - Fremeaux FA 314, Classics 1046, Vogue 228E 6006, Legacy 411("Scandinavia")

DG

princeplanet · #13 03-16-2010, 01:59 AM

woops, so it is! thanks!