Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django (French: [dʒãŋɡo ʁɛjnaʁt] or [dʒɑ̃ɡo ʁenɑʁt]), was a Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer who lived most of his life in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been recognized as one of its most important musicians.

With violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Reinhardt formed the Paris-based Quintette du Hot Club de France in 1934. The group was among the first to play jazz that used the guitar as the main instrument. Reinhardt recorded in France with many American musicians who visited the country, including Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter, and briefly traveled to the United States with Duke Ellington’s orchestra in 1946. He died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage in 1953 at the age of 43.

Reinhardt’s most popular compositions have become common songs in gypsy jazz, including "Minor Swing," "Daphne," "Belleville," "Djangology," "Swing '42," and "Nuages." The jazz guitarist Frank Vignola said that almost all famous guitarists in the world have been influenced by Reinhardt. In recent years, yearly Django festivals have been held across Europe and the U.S., and a book about his life has been written. In February 2017, the Berlin International Film Festival showed the world premiere of the French biographical film Django, based on Reinhardt’s life.

Biography

Django Reinhardt was born on January 23, 1910, in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium. He was born into a French family with Romani heritage. His father, Jean Eugène Weiss, was French and Alsatian. To avoid being drafted into the French military, he used his wife’s surname, Reinhardt. His mother, Laurence Reinhardt, was a dancer. The birth certificate listed him as "Jean Reinhart, son of Jean Baptiste Reinhart, artist, and Laurence Reinhart, housewife, living in Paris."

Some writers suggest that Reinhardt’s nickname, Django, means "I awake" in Romani. It could also be a shortened form of "Jean" or a local Walloon version of the name. Reinhardt grew up in Romani camps near Paris, where he learned to play the violin, banjo, and guitar. He was also known for stealing chickens. His father played music in a family band with seven brothers. A photo from that time shows the band, with his father on piano.

Reinhardt loved music from a young age and first played the violin. At 12, he received a banjo-guitar as a gift. He taught himself to play by watching musicians like Jean "Poulette" Castro, Auguste "Gusti" Malha, and his uncle Guiligou, who played violin, banjo, and guitar. By 15, he earned money by playing music in cafes, often with his brother Joseph. At this time, he had not yet played jazz, though he may have heard American expatriate bands like Billy Arnold’s.

Reinhardt received little formal schooling and learned to read and write only later in life. At 17, he married Florine "Bella" Mayer, a Romani woman from the same settlement, following Romani traditions (though not legally recognized under French law). The next year, in 1928, he made his first recordings. On these recordings, he played the banjo-guitar (a type of instrument) alongside accordionists and a singer. His talent caught the attention of British bandleader Jack Hylton, who offered him a job, which Reinhardt accepted.

Before starting the job, Reinhardt suffered a serious accident. On November 2, 1928, he knocked over a candle in his wagon, causing a fire that burned his wife’s artificial flowers (made from flammable celluloid). The wagon caught fire, and Reinhardt was badly burned over half his body. He spent 18 months in the hospital. Doctors suggested amputating his right leg, but he refused. He eventually walked with a cane.

More importantly, the ring and little fingers of his left hand were severely burned. Doctors believed he would never play guitar again. During his recovery, Reinhardt relearned to play using only his index and middle fingers on his left hand, while the injured fingers helped with chords. His brother, Joseph Reinhardt, gave him a new six-string steel-strung acoustic guitar.

In 1929, Bella Mayer gave birth to their son, Henri "Lousson" Reinhardt. Soon after, the couple separated. The son later took his mother’s new husband’s surname, Baumgartner. As Lousson Baumgartner, he became a successful musician and recorded with his biological father.

After leaving his wife and son, Reinhardt traveled across France, playing music at small clubs for occasional work. He lived a simple life, spending his earnings quickly. He was accompanied by his girlfriend, Sophie Ziegler, nicknamed "Naguine," who was his distant cousin.

In the years after the fire, Reinhardt practiced and experimented with the guitar his brother gave him. He was introduced to American jazz by a friend, Émile Savitry, who had records by musicians like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, and Lonnie Johnson. Hearing their music inspired Reinhardt to become a professional jazz musician.

In 1931, Reinhardt met Stéphane Grappelli, a young violinist with similar musical interests. Grappelli had previously played with Paul Whiteman and Joe Venuti at the Ambassador Hotel. In 1934, they reunited while working with bassist Louis Vola at the Hôtel Claridge in Paris. Pierre Nourry, the secretary of the Hot Club de France, invited them to form the Quintette du Hot Club de France, with Louis Vola on bass and Joseph Reinhardt and Roger Chaput on guitar.

From 1934 until World War II began in 1939, Reinhardt and Grappelli performed as the main soloists of the Quintette du Hot Club de France in Paris. The group became one of the most skilled and innovative European jazz ensembles of the time. Joseph Reinhardt and Roger Chaput played guitar, and Louis Vola played bass. The Quintette was rare because it used only stringed instruments.

On March 14, 1933, Reinhardt recorded two versions each of "Parce que je vous aime" and "Si, j'aime Suzy," songs with vocal parts and guitar support. He used three guitarists, an accordion, violin, and bass. In August 1934, he recorded with multiple guitarists, including Joseph Reinhardt, Roger Chaput, and himself, marking the first recordings by the Quintette. Most of their recordings included horns, piano, and other instruments, but the all-string setup became popular among fans of the Hot Club style.

Decca Records in the United States released three records of Quintette songs with Reinhardt on guitar and one other, credited to "Stephane Grappelli & His Hot 4 with Django Reinhardt," in 1935.

Reinhardt played and recorded with many American jazz musicians, including Adelaide Hall, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, and Rex Stewart (who later lived in Paris). He performed with Louis Armstrong in a jam session and on radio. Later, he played with Dizzy Gillespie in France. He also performed regularly at the artistic salon R-26, where he and Grappelli developed their unique style.

In 1938, Reinhardt’s quintet played for thousands at an all-star show in London’s Kilburn State auditorium. During the performance, he noticed American actor Eddie Cantor in the front row. After the set, Cantor stood, went on stage, and kissed Reinhardt’s hand, ignoring the audience. A few weeks later, the quintet performed at the London Palladium.

When World War II began, the original quintet was on tour in the United Kingdom. Reinhardt returned to Paris immediately, leaving his then-girlfriend behind. Grappelli remained in the United Kingdom.

Technique and musical approach

Reinhardt learned to play music at first through help from family members and by listening to other gypsy guitar players. He played the banjo-guitar with accordionists in Paris during the bal musette, a type of dance music. He mainly used a pick to play for louder sound and strong attack, especially in the 1920s and early 1930s when amplifiers were rare. However, he sometimes used his fingers instead of a pick, as seen in some recorded pieces. In 1928, an accident burned his left hand badly, leaving him with only the use of his first two fingers. This forced him to create a new way to play with his left hand. He began performing on guitar with popular singers before discovering jazz and sharing his unique style—combining gypsy techniques with jazz—through the Quintette du Hot Club de France.

Despite his hand injury, Reinhardt regained and improved his guitar skills, becoming both a strong lead player and a skilled rhythm player. His music showed great technical skill, influenced by gypsy traditions, and included creative melodies, timing, and use of the guitar’s full range of sounds. He never learned to read or write music and relied on his memory to play. He could easily play in any key and move freely across the guitar’s neck. Guitarists in Britain and the United States were surprised by his recordings with the Quintette.

Because of his injured left hand, Reinhardt changed how he played chords and melodies. For chords, he used a system based on three-note chords, which could replace several traditional chords. For high notes, he used his ring and little fingers to press strings, even though he couldn’t move them separately. In some chords, he also used his left thumb on the lowest string. For fast melodies, he often used arpeggios, playing two notes per string with his index and middle fingers while moving up or down the neck. This was different from the usual method of moving across strings within a single position. He also created unique effects by quickly moving a fixed chord shape up and down the neck, a technique described as "intervallic cycling of melodic motifs and chords." A video of him performing "J'Attendrai" in 1938–39 shows these techniques in action.

Hugues Panassié, in his 1942 book The Real Jazz, wrote:

Writing in 1945, Billy Neil and E. Gates stated that:

Django-style enthusiast John Jorgenson has said:

In his later style (around 1946), Reinhardt added bebop influences to his music and attached a Stimer electric pickup to his acoustic guitar. Amplification allowed his playing to sound more like a horn instrument, with longer notes and clearer sound in quiet parts. He used fewer of the special techniques he developed for acoustic guitar and worked with different musicians. These later recordings, from the 1940s, are less well-known than his earlier work but are still valuable for study. Musicians like the Rosenberg Trio and Biréli Lagrène have recently revived these pieces. Wayne Jefferies, in his article "Django's Forgotten Era," writes:

Family

Reinhardt's first son, Lousson (also known as Henri Baumgartner), played jazz in a mostly bebop style during the 1950s and 1960s. He lived according to the Romani lifestyle and was not recorded very often. Reinhardt's second son, Babik, became a guitarist who played in a more modern jazz style. He recorded several albums before passing away in 2001. After Reinhardt's death, his younger brother Joseph initially promised to stop playing music. However, he was encouraged to perform and record again. Joseph's son, Markus Reinhardt, is a violinist who plays in the Romani style.

A third generation of direct descendants has also become musicians. David Reinhardt, Reinhardt's grandson (through his son Babik), leads his own musical trio. Dallas Baumgartner, a great-grandson of Lousson, is a guitarist who travels with the Romani people and maintains a quiet public presence. A distant relative, violinist Schnuckenack Reinhardt, was known in Germany for performing gypsy music and gypsy jazz until his death in 2006. He helped keep Reinhardt's musical legacy alive during the time after Django's death.

Legacy

Django Reinhardt is widely known for his music, but the actual records of his work tell a different story. He was a very fast player, but his music also showed deep emotion and a romantic style from a different time. People respect him not only for his skill but also for the feeling and warmth in his playing. He was a master of his art, and his influence is still felt today. His talent proved that challenges can be turned into strengths.

Reinhardt is considered one of the greatest guitar players ever, and the first important European jazz musician to make a major contribution to jazz guitar. During his career, he wrote nearly 100 songs, according to jazz guitarist Frank Vignola.

In the mid-1930s, he used a Selmer guitar, which helped his style become more powerful and expressive. Because of his physical disability, he played mainly with his index and middle fingers, creating a unique style of jazz guitar.

For about a decade after his death, interest in his music was low. In the 1950s, bebop replaced swing in jazz, rock and roll became popular, and electric instruments became more common in music. Since the mid-1960s, there has been a renewed interest in Reinhardt’s music, which continues today. Annual festivals and tribute concerts are held in his honor. His fans included classical guitarist Julian Bream and country guitarist Chet Atkins, who called him one of the ten greatest guitarists of the twentieth century.

Jazz guitarists in the U.S., such as Charlie Byrd and Wes Montgomery, were influenced by his style. Byrd, who lived from 1925 to 1999, said Reinhardt was his main influence. Rock musician Mike Peters noted, “The word 'genius' is used too much. But in jazz, Louis Armstrong was a genius, Duke Ellington was another, and Reinhardt was also.” David Grisman added, “As far as I’m concerned, no one since has come close to Django Reinhardt as an improviser or technician.”

The popularity of gypsy jazz has led to more festivals, such as the Festival Django Reinhardt, held every last weekend of June since 1983 in Samois-sur-Seine and since 2017 in nearby Fontainebleau. Other events include DjangoFests in Europe and the U.S., and “Django in June,” an annual camp for Gypsy jazz musicians and fans held at Smith College in Massachusetts.

Influence

When I first heard Django Reinhardt play, I was very surprised. I chose his style because it made a strong impression on me. He was far ahead of his time and very advanced.

Many guitar players and musicians have shown respect for Reinhardt or have said he greatly influenced their music. Jeff Beck called Reinhardt "the most amazing guitar player ever" and "almost superhuman." Jimmy Page of the band Led Zeppelin said, "Django Reinhardt was fantastic. He must have practiced constantly to be that good." Andrew Latimer of the band Camel said Reinhardt influenced him. Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch, members of Paul McCartney's band Wings, also mentioned Reinhardt as an inspiration. When asked to name his ten greatest influences, Chet Atkins listed Reinhardt as number one.

Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, both of whom lost fingers in accidents, admired Reinhardt for showing how to become a skilled guitarist despite physical challenges. Garcia said in an interview in 1985:

"Django is still one of my main influences, I think, for lyricism. He can make me cry when I hear him."

Willie Nelson has always admired Reinhardt. In his memoir, he wrote, "Django changed my musical life by showing me a new way to play the guitar and helped me understand sound in a deeper way. During my early years, I listened to Django's recordings, especially songs like 'Nuages,' which I played for the rest of my life. I studied his technique and also his gentle style. I love the human sound he created on his acoustic guitar."

Festivals named after Django Reinhardt

• In Reinhardt's birth village, Liberchies, a jazz festival is held every May. A large memorial was built there. Jazz festivals named Djangofollies have also been held in many places across Belgium.
• In 1984, the Kool Jazz Festival took place in Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. The event honored Reinhardt completely. Musicians who performed included Grappelli, Benny Carter, and Mike Peters with his group of seven musicians. George Wein organized the festival.
• In Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland, a festival called "Django sur Lennon" or "Django on the Lennon" is held each year to honor Django. The name "Lennon" refers to the local river that flows through the village.

Reinhardt in popular culture

Many musicians have created and recorded songs that honor Django Reinhardt. The jazz song "Django" (1954) was written by John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet to celebrate Reinhardt. The Allman Brothers Band song "Jessica" was composed by Dickey Betts as a tribute to Reinhardt. American country musicians Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard named their sixth and final joint album "Django and Jimmie." It was released on June 2, 2015, by Legacy Recordings. The album includes the song "Django and Jimmie," which honors Django Reinhardt and Jimmie Rodgers. In the 1982 song "Tanta til Beate" by Norwegian artist Lillebjørn Nilsen, Reinhardt is mentioned several times.

Reinhardt appears as a character in the novel The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto (2015), written by Mitch Albom.

Joan Sfar wrote the story for the graphic novel Jeangot (Gallimard, 2012), illustrated by Clément Oubrerier. The book is a story about Django Reinhardt set in a world where animals have human-like traits. In 2020, to mark the 110th anniversary of Reinhardt’s birth, a graphic novel titled Django Main de Feu was published. It was written by Salva Rubio and illustrated by Efa, and released by Dupuis in Belgium.

On the CD sleeve of Vinyl Story by Jean-Charles Baty, which features music by Django Reinhardt (2022), there is a short comic strip by Baty about Reinhardt’s life.

Reinhardt’s influence appears in Woody Allen’s 1999 film Sweet and Lowdown. This fictional story follows an imaginary American guitarist, Emmet Ray, who admires Reinhardt. The film’s soundtrack includes music by Howard Alden.

The 2003 animated movie The Triplets of Belleville begins with a scene showing a group of singers, the Triplets of Belleville, performing in the 1920s alongside other celebrities, including Josephine Baker and Django Reinhardt.

In the 2004 film Head in the Clouds, guitarist John Jorgenson appears as Django Reinhardt in a brief role.

The documentary film Djangomania! (2005), directed by Jamie Kastner, explores how Reinhardt’s music has influenced people around the world.

In the 2011 film Hugo, Emil Lager plays a character who performs guitar music in a French café, inspired by Reinhardt.

The 2017 film Django, directed by Étienne Comar, tells the story of Reinhardt’s life during wartime. French actor Reda Kateb portrays Reinhardt. The film’s world premiere took place at the Berlin International Film Festival. It describes Reinhardt’s escape from Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943 and how he continued to compose and perform despite danger and hardship. The Dutch jazz band Rosenberg Trio, led by guitarist Stochelo Rosenberg, re-recorded Reinhardt’s music for the film. The movie opened the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

Reinhardt’s music is featured in the 2002 video game Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. One of the songs in the game, "Belleville," later appears in the 2010 sequel Mafia II.

Several of Reinhardt’s songs, including his version of "La Mer," are included in the 2007 video game BioShock.

The music in the Backyardigans episode "Whodunit?" is inspired by Reinhardt’s style.

Tributes

• In 2005, during the election for The Greatest Belgian, Reinhardt was placed 66th in the Flemish version. In the Walloon version, he was placed 76th.
• In 2010, the Belgian government released a commemorative coin made of 92.5% sterling silver to mark the 100th anniversary of Reinhardt’s birth. The coin is a 10-Euro silver coin with a colored image of Reinhardt on the back.
• The Django web framework and version 3.1 of the blog software WordPress are both named after Reinhardt.

Discography

Django Reinhardt recorded more than 900 musical tracks during his career, from 1928 to 1953. Most of these were recorded on 78-RPM records, which were the common type of record at the time. Other recordings included acetates, transcription discs, private recordings, off-air recordings of radio broadcasts, and parts of a film soundtrack. Only one session (eight tracks) in March 1953 was recorded specifically for an album by Norman Granz in the new LP format. However, Reinhardt died before the album could be released. In his earliest recordings, Reinhardt played banjo (or banjo-guitar), accompanying accordionists and singers on dance and popular music without jazz elements. In his final recordings before his death, he played amplified guitar in the bebop style with younger, modern French musicians.

A complete list of all his recorded music is available from the source mentioned here. An index of individual songs is also available from the same source. Some film footage of Reinhardt performing without sound remains, as does one complete performance with sound of the song "J'Attendrai," recorded in 1938 for the short film Le Jazz Hot.

After his death, Reinhardt's music was released on many compilations. One example is Intégrale Django Reinhardt, a 20-volume set (40 CDs) released by the French company Frémeaux from 2002 to 2005, which aimed to include every known track he played.

Compilations and albums featuring Reinhardt's music include:
• The Great Artistry of Django Reinhardt (Clef, 1954)
• Parisian Swing (GNP Crescendo, 1965)
• Quintet of the Hot Club of France (GNP Crescendo, 1965)
• Paris 1945 with Glenn Miller All-Stars (French Columbia, 1973)
• Django Reinhardt: The Versatile Giant (Inner City Records, 1978)
• At Club St. Germain (Honeysuckle, 1983)
• Swing Guitar (Jass, 1991)
• Django Reinhardt in Brussels (Verve, 1992)
• Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelli (GNP Crescendo, 1990)
• Peche à La Mouche: The Great Blue Star Sessions 1947–1953 (Verve, 1992)
• Django's Music (Hep, 1994)
• Brussels and Paris (DRG, 1996)
• Quintet of the Hot Club of France (Original Jazz Classics, 1997)
• Django with His American Friends (DRG, 1998)
• The Complete Django Reinhardt HMV Sessions (1998)
• The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order (2000)
• Djangology (Bluebird, 2002)
• Intégrale Django Reinhardt (Frémeaux, 2002)
• Jazz in Paris: Nuages (2003)
• Vol. 2: 1938–1939 (Naxos, 2001)
• Swing Guitars Vol. 3 1936–1937 (Naxos, 2003)
• Nuages Vol. 6 1940 (Naxos, 2004)
• Django on the Radio (2008)
• Djangology: Solo and Duet Recordings (2019)

Other compilations include:
• Coleman Hawkins The Coleman Hawkins Collection 1927–1956 (2014; 1930s recordings)
• Charles Trenet Intégrale Charles Trénet: 1933–1947 (2004)

A few waltzes Reinhardt composed in his youth were never recorded by him. These were later played by his associates and are still performed today. They were first recorded by Matelo Ferret in 1960, including the waltzes "Montagne Sainte-Genevieve," "Gagoug," "Chez Jacquet," and "Choti" (Disques Vogue (F)EPL7740), and in 1961, "Djalamichto" and "En Verdine" (Disques Vogue (F)EPL7829). The first four waltzes are now available on Matelo Ferret's CD Tziganskaïa and Other Rare Recordings (released by Hot Club Records and later reissued as Tziganskaïa: The Django Reinhardt Waltzes). "Chez Jacquet" was also recorded by Baro Ferret in 1966.

The names "Gagoug" and "Choti" were given to the songs by Reinhardt's wife, Naguine, at Matelo Ferret's request. Ferret had learned the tunes without knowing their names. Reinhardt also began composing a Mass for the Roma people, but he did not complete it. An 8-minute portion of the Mass was played by organist Léo Chauliac during a 1944 radio broadcast for Reinhardt's benefit. This recording is available on the CD Gipsy Jazz School and on volume 12 of the Intégrale Django Reinhardt compilation.