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.
Farewell Blues
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've come to say goodbye,
Altho' I go, I've got those farewell blues.
Those farewell blues make me yearn,
That parting kiss seems to burn.
Farewell, dearie, Someday I will return.
Dreaming of you is sweet,
Someday again we'll meet.
In the song Farewell Blues, Django Reinhardt explores the emotions of someone who is bidding goodbye to the person they love. The song is infused with melancholy as the singer expresses his sadness and sighs before saying goodbye. The farewell blues have set in as he yearns for the person he is leaving behind. The parting kiss seems to burn and he is hopeful of a reunion soon, even though he must bid farewell for now. The memory of the person he loves is sweet and he longs to meet them again someday.
The exquisitely poignant lyrics of Farewell Blues capture the essence of longing, hope and heartbreak in the face of separation. Reinhardt's emotive delivery makes the song even more powerful. He cleverly intertwines elements of jazz and blues in the music, enhancing the emotional depth of the song. The melody is simple and emotive, evoking a sense of nostalgia and desire. Reinhardt's use of the guitar is outstanding, as he brings a myriad of emotions to life through his playing.
Line by Line Meaning
Sadness just makes me sigh,
There is nothing I can do about my sadness, except to let out a sigh.
I've come to say goodbye,
I am leaving, and this is my way of paying a visit to say my goodbyes.
Altho' I go, I've got those farewell blues.
Even though I am leaving, I have this lingering feeling of sadness that I am unable to shake off.
Those farewell blues make me yearn,
This feeling of sadness makes me long for something or someone that I am going to leave behind.
That parting kiss seems to burn.
The kiss I shared before leaving continues to linger in my mind and heart, making me feel emotional and sad.
Farewell, dearie, Someday I will return.
Although I have to say goodbye, I promise to come back someday. Farewell for now, my dear.
Dreaming of you is sweet,
Although I am leaving, the thought of you makes me feel happy and at peace, helping me dream sweet dreams.
Someday again we'll meet.
I am confident that someday we will cross paths again, and our separation will only make our reunion more special.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Paul Mares, Leon Rappolo, Elmer Schoebel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
petugue
Benny Carter on alto, Alix Combelle on tenor ;-)
Benny Carter and His Orchestra
Benny Carter (as & tp)
Fletcher Allen (as)
Bertie King (ts & cl)
Alix Combelle (ts)
York de Souza (p)
Django Reinhardt (g)
Len Harrison (b)
Robert Montmarché (dm)
07/03/1938 - Swing, Paris
dtenner
A couple of corrections: Fletcher Allen plays the first alto solo, Benny Carter the second. Also, the tenor is not Hawkins but Alix Combelle, a Frenchman who was influenced by Hawkins. (Hawkins did record with Django and Carter in Paris the previous year.)
Chinese Mugwump
I have NEVER heard "Farewell Blues" played that slowly before; big shock, especially coming from Django!
735vinnie
Great sound, you can't help but swing and dance and just tap your feet, and I don't even know how to dance. :-)
pa fouquet
J adore ... !!!
buzz834
Fantastic!!!*****
Voodoo De Luxe
Django #1!
John Whitehead
Wonderful Thank You
James Cargal
Benny Carter orchestra in Europe around 1938. Carter plays the alto solos, but the big tenor solo in the middle is Coleman Hawkins who is also visiting.
funstuff2006
On Disc 2 of the "Glenn Miller - Lost Recordings" Collection there is a rendition of "Farewell Blues" that is about half this speed. ;)
Reinier van der eijk
niet te geloven, steen goed!!! R.