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.
St James Infirmary
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
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They were serving drinks as usual, and the usual crowd was there
On my left stood Big Joe McKennedy, and his eyes were bloodshot red
And he turned his face to the people, these were the very words he said
I was down to St. James infirmary, I saw my baby there
She was stretched out on a long white table,
So sweet, cool and so fair
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this whole wide world over
Never find a sweeter man as me
When I die please bury me in my high top Stetson hat
Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
The gang'll know I died standing pat
Let her go, let her go God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this wide world over
Never find a sweeter man as me
I want six crapshooters to be my pallbearers
Three pretty women to sing a song
Stick a jazz band on my hearse wagon
Raise hell as I stroll along
Let her go Let her go
God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this whole wide
World over
She'll never find a sweeter
Man as me
The lyrics of Django Reinhardt's song "Saint James Infirmary" follows a man who was at Joe's bar where he witnessed his lover's lifeless body on a table. He reminisces about their love and charm while drinking and being surrounded by his friends. The main character in the song, Big Joe McKennedy, expresses his sorrow for his lost love, “I was down to St. James infirmary, I saw my baby there. She was stretched out on a long white table, so sweet, cool, and so fair.” His request to let her go is laced with sincere wishes for her to be blessed wherever she is, and acknowledgment that he is mourning the loss of such a remarkable woman.
The second verse of the song speaks to his requests when he dies. He wants to be buried in his high top Stetson hat and to put a twenty-dollar gold piece on his watch chain, so that everyone who sees him can know that he died “standing pat.” The final part of the song touches on the type of send-off he wants in his final moments. He requests for six crapshooters to be his pallbearers and three women to sing a lovely song while a jazz band plays in the background.
Line by Line Meaning
It was down by old Joe's barroom, on the corner of the square
The setting of the story is Joe's barroom, located on the corner of the square.
They were serving drinks as usual, and the usual crowd was there
The bar was operating normally and the regular customers were present.
On my left stood Big Joe McKennedy, and his eyes were bloodshot red
Big Joe McKennedy was standing next to the singer with red, bloodshot eyes.
And he turned his face to the people, these were the very words he said
Big Joe McKennedy addressed the crowd with the following words.
I was down to St. James infirmary, I saw my baby there
The artist visited St. James infirmary where he saw his lover's body.
She was stretched out on a long white table,
So sweet, cool and so fair
His lover was lying on a table looking peaceful and beautiful.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this whole wide world over
Never find a sweeter man as me
The singer asks for his lover to be free and blessed, stating that she will never find a man sweeter than him.
When I die please bury me in my high top Stetson hat
Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
The gang'll know I died standing pat
The artist requests to be buried wearing his favorite hat and with a gold piece on his watch chain as a symbol of his gambling lifestyle.
I want six crapshooters to be my pallbearers
Three pretty women to sing a song
Stick a jazz band on my hearse wagon
Raise hell as I stroll along
The artist wants six gamblers as pallbearers, three women to sing, and a jazz band to play while his funeral procession moves through the streets, celebrating his life.
Let her go Let her go
God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this whole wide
World over
She'll never find a sweeter
Man as me
The artist repeats that his lover should be freed and blessed, claiming that she will never find a man as sweet as him.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Irving Mills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yaelpalombo4604
Amo questa versione con Django!💖💖💖💖
@bobgobknob
Wow...lifelong Django fan, guitarist, never heard this. Thank you!
@lordelrond4750
I went down to youtube's archive....to hear Django playing there.
He he was playin in the city of Rome, baby, so slow, so sweet so fair.
@barbarapendragon4976
as much as I love Django, that clarinet is to die for
@jamesparks2242
Thank you for presenting this.
@igorhusadzic5716
This is heartbreaking.Bravo Maestro !
@alexeynartov2909
Джанго Великолепный !
@aleksjeff3088
Django the legend, the myth. Whoever got to play with him, knew how to play.
@joycedavies1841
Classy!
@YmustTh3w0rldG0r0und
awesome chilling on a sunday afternoon while its raining outside sound