Born in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium into a family of Manouche Gypsies, Jean Reinhardt learned to play several instruments such as the banjo, violin and guitar from an early age; he spent most of his youth in Gypsy encampments close to Paris. His family made a living from crafting furniture, but included several amateur musicians who inspired Reinhardt. Eventually, Reinhardt was given a banjo-guitar, at which point he stopped playing the violin. During this period, he was inspired by two older Gypsy musicians, Gusti Mahla and Jean Castro. Able to make a living from his music from his teen years onwards playing in bal-musette halls in Paris, Reinhardt received little formal education until his adult life; he was taught the rudiments of literacy by fellow band member Stéphane Grappelli.
At the age of eighteen, 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 inflammable material. Returning from a performance late one night, Django apparently knocked over a candle on his way to bed. While his family and neighbors were quick to pull him to safety, he received first- and second-degree burns over half his body. His right leg was paralyzed and the third and fourth fingers of his left hand were badly burnt. 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.
His brother Joseph Reinhardt, an accomplished guitarist himself, bought Django a new guitar. With painful rehabilitation and practice, Reinhardt relearned his craft in a completely new way, even as his third and fourth fingers remained partially paralyzed. Hence, he played all of his guitar solos with only two fingers, and managed to use the two injured digits only for chord work. After regaining his ability to play, Reinhardt resumed his career playing Parisian cafes. According to one story, during his period of recovery, Reinhardt was introduced to the aesthetics of American jazz when he purchased a 78rpm disc of "Dallas Blues" by Louis Armstrong at an Orléans flea market.
In 1934, Reinhardt and Parisian violinist Stéphane Grappelli were approached by hot club chief Pierre Nourry with the idea of forming a forming a new hot club group. Thus, the Quintette du Hot Club de France was formed, with Reinhardt's brother Joseph and Roger Chaput on guitar, and Louis Vola on double bass. Occasionally, Chaput was replaced by Reinhardt's best friend and fellow Gypsy Pierre "Baro" Ferret. As the group had no true percussion section, percussion was instead provided by the group's guitarists; the Quintette du Hot Club de France thus became one of the few well-known jazz ensembles composed only of string instruments.
Jean Sablon was the first singer to record with the Quintette, resulting in more than thirty collaborations from 1933 onwards. Vocalist Freddy Taylor participated on a few songs, such as "Georgia on My Mind" and "Nagasaki". A long line of recordings for Decca, HMV and Ultraphone ensured long-lasting international success for the Quintette.
As a composer, Reinhardt wrote several influential, highly original tunes recorded by the Quintette, ranging from the dulcet ballads "Daphne", "Nuages", and "Manoir de mes rêves", to mad swingers such as "Minor Swing" and the ode to his record label of the 1930s, "Stomping at Decca". With the passing of time, many of his songs became jazz standards in their own right.
Reinhardt also experimented with recordings outside the "comfort zone" of the Quintette; in March 1933 Reinhardt recorded two takes each of "Parce que je vous aime" and "Si, j'aime Suzy", vocal numbers with lots of guitar fills and great guitar support, using three guitarists along with an accordion lead, violin, and bass. In August of the following year, recordings were also made with more than one guitar (Joseph Reinhardt, Roger Chaput, and Django), including the first recording by the Quintette. In both years, it should be noted, the great majority of recordings featured a wide variety of horns, often in multiples, piano, etc.
Throughout his career, Reinhardt played and recorded with many American jazz legends such as Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Rex Stewart (who later stayed in Paris), and a led a jam-session and radio performance with Louis Armstrong. Later in his career, he performed with Dizzy Gillespie in France.
The outbreak of war in 1939 broke up the Quintette, with Grappelli remaining in London where the group was playing and Reinhardt returning to France. During the war years he led a big band, another quintet with clarinettist Hubert Rostaing in place of Grappelli, and after the liberation of Paris, recorded with such visiting American jazz artists as Mel Powell, Peanuts Hucko, and Ray McKinley. In 1946, Reinhardt took up the electric guitar and toured America as a soloist with the Duke Ellington Band, but his appearances were poorly received.
Some of his recordings on electric guitar late in his life are bop escapades where his playing sounds frantic and jagged, a world apart from the jubilant swing of old. However, starting in January 1946, Reinhardt and Grappelli held several sporadic reunions where the bop influences were more subtly integrated into the old swing format of the glory days of the Quintette. In the 1950s, Reinhardt became more reclusive, remaining in Europe, playing and recording sporadically until his death from a stroke on 16 May 1953 in Fontainebleau, France.
After you
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
Don't say that we must part,
Don't break your baby's heart
You know I've loved you for these many years,
Loved you night and day,
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
Someday, when you grow lonely
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
After you've gone, after you've gone away
After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
You're gonna feel bad
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
But baby, think what you're doin'
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
It's gonna drive you to ruin
After you've gone, after you've gone away.
The song "After You've Gone" by Django Reinhardt is a classic love song with a bittersweet tone. The singer pleads with their lover not to leave them, insisting that they will regret it in the future. The opening lines immediately set the emotional tone, as the singer begs their lover to stay with them, afraid of the impending heartbreak that is about to occur. As the song progresses, the singer's emotions become more intense, and they become almost pleading in their tone: "Don't break your baby's heart... Listen while I say." Finally, they warn their lover that they will regret their decision to leave them and that they will ultimately suffer the consequences.
Reinhardt's guitar playing and the arrangement of the music set the mood perfectly, with a melancholy but melodic tune that emphasizes the sadness of the lyrics. The song has a classic "torch" style, which was popular in the early 20th century, often featuring dramatic lyrics and soaring melodies. The warning to the lover that they will regret leaving and miss their former partner is a common theme in the genre.
Overall, the song is a poignant love song that is still popular nearly a century after its release. Many people can relate to the feelings of heartbreak and regret expressed in the lyrics, making the song timeless.
Line by Line Meaning
Now won't you listen honey, while I say,
Please pay attention to what I have to say, my dear.
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
Why, my love, did you inform me that you're departing?
Don't say that we must part,
Please don't say that we have to separate.
Don't break your baby's heart
Please don't hurt me by breaking my heart.
You know I've loved you for these many years,
My love for you has existed for several years.
Loved you night and day,
I cherished you every moment, day and night.
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
Can't you notice the tears streaming down my face?
Listen while I say
Please hear me out.
After you've gone and left me cryin'
Once you're gone and left me weeping,
After you've gone there's no denyin'
Without a doubt, you'll feel lost,
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll experience a sense of sadness and melancholy,
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
You'll yearn for the companionship of the dearest friend you've had.
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
At some point, don't forget
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
You will regret your actions
Someday, when you grow lonely
When you experience isolation in the future,
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
You will also suffer heartbreak, and wish for my company again,
After you've gone, after you've gone away
When you've departed and gone away.
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
You will feel miserable and melancholic
You're gonna feel bad
You'll feel ill-at-ease.
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
You will long for,
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
The greatest friend you've ever had, you'll long for.
But baby, think what you're doin'
Please be aware of your actions,
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
I'm going to torture you with my memories.
It's gonna drive you to ruin
It's going to ruin you.
After you've gone, after you've gone away.
Once you've gone away.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Henry Creamer, Turner Layton, Ray Sherman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Klem
after youre gone, and left me crying
after youre gone, theres no denying
you seem blue, you feel sad
miss the dearest pal, that you never had
there’ll come a time, now dont forget it baby,
there’ll come a time, when you’ll regret it
someday, when you grow lonely,
your heart will break like mine,
you’ll want me only
after youre gone, oh dear
Robert Hess
Grappelli's violin solo is one for the ages. It may be the best jazz violin solo ever recorded. That sound, I can't get enough of it!! There is no one who can make a violin scream like that, but clean and full all the way to the highest notes.
The more I listen to Grappelli's insanely intense solos, the more I realize that this red hot intensity is what later blues musicians, especially those in the vein of Eric Clapton, were trying to recreate. Of course, Django and Grappelli were basically playing American jazz standards, but they added their own - much more intense - rhythm and sound to it. I love Benny Goodman's virtuosity on the clarinet, but next to Django and Grappelli he seems sedate.
I just wish I had discovered Django and Grappelli before I was 55. But at least I did. Most people will never know what they missed.
Wislian
Listen to "Skol" album, there you will hear the best of Grappelli
James Corbett Music
I transcribed this, and playing it on piano is so damn hard, I can do it ok at about 80% tempo but that last 20% is going to take some work. The violin having tiny little movements compared to massive leaps on the piano! Love a challenge though, what an amazing solo, learned so much from it
Mr. Yeast 5Billion
Check out minor swing by the hot club of France!
That would be my favorite grappelli solo, at the end that is.
MidnightSlim/Freddyguitarslim
he had to keep up w Django … and he did and more…. superb…..
Greg Hufton
Amazing tune. It always blows me away hearing Django's solos and knowing he did it with only two fingers.
Chromaesthesia
Oh my hell right? Haha guys with four fingers try to emulate him.
John Moumouris
one of the greatest violin solos...period!
natanbridge
First time I've heard this version of this song - and I love it. Does it swing! There are so many good versions of this most classic of jazz standards -- and this version stands up to any of the others.
Gross Records
There's not a lot of music that goes right trough your heart... But Djangos music does... and always will.