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.
Fine And Dandy
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I like your attitude
You are just the kind I've had in mind
Never could find
Honey, I'm so keen on you
I could come to lean on you
On a random bay, give you your way
Gee, it's all fine and dandy
Sugar candy, when I've got you
Then I only see the sunny side
Even trouble has it's funny side
When you're gone, my sugar candy
I get so lonesome, I get blue
But when you're handy
It's fine and dandy
But when you're gone
What can I do?
The opening lines of Fine and Dandy by Django Reinhardt seem to suggest that the subject of the song is attractive and possesses a personality which appeals to the singer. He apologizes for using a clichéd phrase (“forgive this platitude”), acknowledging the fact that it is a common way of expressing this point; however, he is still compelled to say it because she is just the kind of person he’s been looking for. He states that he could come to depend on her and that she’s the kind of person he could never find before.
The next verse amplifies this idea. Reinhardt sings that he’s so besotted with her that he would go along with anything she wants if it means he can be closer to her. Even if that means giving in to her whims or letting her lead the way, he’s happy to do it. When he has her in his life, everything is “fine and dandy” – he can see the sunny side even when things get tough.
The final verse mourns the absence of the subject in Reinhardt’s life. When she's not around, things aren't the same - he feels lonely and unhappy. But when she is close by, everything is fine and dandy once more. The lyrics superbly capture the heady feeling of being helplessly enamoured with someone and how just the mere presence of that person can dramatically affect one's emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Please forgive this platitude
I hope you don't mind this cliché
But I like your attitude
But I really appreciate your mindset
You are just the kind I've had in mind
You are exactly the kind of person I've been looking for
Never could find
I've been searching for someone like you for a long time, but couldn't find anyone
Honey, I'm so keen on you
I'm really into you, darling
I could come to lean on you
I could really rely on you
On a random bay, give you your way
I could give you everything you want, anytime and anywhere
Do what you say
I would always obey your wishes
Gee, it's all fine and dandy
Hey, everything is wonderful and delightful
Sugar candy, when I've got you
Especially when I have you, my sweetheart
Then I only see the sunny side
I can only see the good things in life
Even trouble has it's funny side
Even when things go wrong, there can be a silver lining
When you're gone, my sugar candy
But when you're away, my darling
I get so lonesome, I get blue
I feel sad and lonely
But when you're handy
But when you're nearby
It's fine and dandy
Everything is great
But when you're gone
But when you're not here
What can I do?
What am I supposed to do?
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kay Swift, Paul James
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
guitarballad
For the recording. I claim that no guitarist today would be capable of such musical attention, reactivity and improvisation genius: all direct takes without editing, without faking. Hundreds of hours of recording, permanent risk-taking, inspiration, flawless musicality. That those who criticize such or such tiny detail of achievement have understood nothing and unfortunately may never understand anything to the essence of musical genius.
Daniela Contreras
sencillamente fabuloso
Lennart Länk aka helluvagun
There's NOTHING, nothing wrong with the end! Just because someone had to mention the end, all of you just have to figure out - what's wrong in the end!
kniphofiarufa
nice... only there is a silent part in the end... maybe it reminds us that we should contemplate on django's playing? :)
sc2man13
Grazi seniore! Io amo il video!
Lennart Länk aka helluvagun
It's just fine 'n dandy!
Morahman7vnNo2
Yep! This sound like just late "Django Bop." Bop Bop Bebop...
elPYROreal
viste, es muy bueno el...
caleb tuckrt
Is it just me or does that sound like Charlie and diz?