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.
Doin
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
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thrills me fills me with the pep I've got
I've got a pair of feet
That found a low down beat
Low down, down around a spot that's hot!
I've got no peace
Here's the how?
I'm tellin' you now to give in!
Oh, make 'em play that crazy thing again
I've gotta do that lazy swing again.
Heigh, ho, doin' the new low down.
I got my feet to misbehavin' now,
I got a soul that's not for savin' now.
Heigh, ho, doin' the new low down.
That dancin' demon has my feet in a trance,
'cause while I'm dreamin'
I go into that dance
And once you hear the haunting strain to it,
I'd like to bet you'll go insane to it.
Heigh, ho, doin' the new low down.
The song "Doin' the New Low Down" by Django Reinhardt talks about the effect of music on the singer. It's not alcohol or a woman that thrills him, but the music that makes him want to dance. He's got a pair of feet that have found a low down beat, which makes him lose his peace and his lease on living. His solution to this problem is to give in to the music and dance until he can't anymore.
The singer's feet misbehave as soon as he hears the music, and his soul is not for saving. He becomes entranced by the music, and it's like a dancing demon has taken over his body. The singer bets that once someone hears the song's haunting strain, they will go insane over it too. The song is all about letting go and dancing to the rhythm of the music.
In essence, "Doin' the New Low Down" is a song about being lost into dancing and the music's rhythm, regardless of social conventions or expectations. It glorifies the inner desire to dance and encourages people to let loose and enjoy life.
Line by Line Meaning
It isn't alcohol no yaller gal at all
thrills me fills me with the pep I've got
I don't need booze or a girl to make me happy, I am thrilled and energized by the music.
I've got a pair of feet
That found a low down beat
Low down, down around a spot that's hot!
My feet have found a rhythm that's perfect for this kind of music, playing in a hot spot.
I've got no peace
I'm losin' my lease on livin'
Here's the how?
I'm tellin' you now to give in!
I can't stop dancing and moving to the music. I'm losing my composure and my grip on reality; but it's worth giving in to the song.
Oh, make 'em play that crazy thing again
I've gotta do that lazy swing again.
Heigh, ho, doin' the new low down.
I want to hear that music again and do that same lazy swing dance. It's a new low in terms of dancing, but it feels great.
I got my feet to misbehavin' now,
I got a soul that's not for savin' now.
Heigh, ho, doin' the new low down.
The music has made my feet move in a way that's wild and unconventional. It has awakened a part of my soul that's not interested in being saved or tamed.
That dancin' demon has my feet in a trance,
'cause while I'm dreamin'
I go into that dance
The beat has taken over me completely; it's like a demon that has possessed my feet. Even in my dreams, I find myself dancing.
And once you hear the haunting strain to it,
I'd like to bet you'll go insane to it.
Heigh, ho, doin' the new low down.
Once you hear the captivating melody, I bet you'll feel the same way I do. It's addictive and intoxicating. Welcome to the new low down!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: DOROTHY FIELDS, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind