Django and Stéphane’s second visit to
Holland
On
top of the numerous performances and recording sessions during the World
Exhibition in Paris, with the best American reedmen and French players Ekyan
and Combelle, a second invitation for Django & Stéphane to play in Holland
arrived.
This
time the occasion was, first a jazz
contest in Amsterdam, then a concert in the Hague and finally radio recordings
in Hilversum.
The
evening of the 5th of November 1937 the two stars and their rhythm group scored
triumphs. The numerous students and other jazz fans were all excited and,
of course, the Hot Club quintet gloriously
won the first prize.
 |
| Django (center) et al in Holland, November 1937 |
Although
little is known about their stay in Amsterdam, it is reported that the
musicians spent some time to visit musea and ‘Madame Tussaud’ where Django was
obsessed by the chambers of horror.
 |
| Freddy Johnson |
Interesting
is that in the night hot jam sessions took place with Django, Freddy Johnson, Benny Carter and Coleman
Hawkins who were also engaged in Holland - they all knew each other from their performances in Paris.
Next
to the quintet’s playing in the Dutch capital, a concert was given in the zoo
of the Hague. On November 6, the Dutch “Jazz Liga” celebrated its 5th
anniversary on which occasion the Hot Club formation formed the highlight of
the evening.
As many will know, there is a film fragment of this concert which was made by the Dutch ‘Polygon” company which also showed the arrival by train of the quintet earlier in the News program.
With
regard to the concert film fragment, it is striking that Django is moving his body while he is accompanying Stéphane. For the many Django fans
always remains the question which theme was played since the violin (audio) improvisations
do not easily reveal that.
Unfortunately
there is nothing known about any radio broadcasts – I even contacted people in
Hilversum but nobody could trace that.
So far, the short story on these two historical visits of the legendary quintet to the Netherlands. I can just add to this that - after the war - Grappelli gave several concerts in Holland and I had the opportunity (in 1984) to meet him and, briefly, could talk with him about those visits of 1937.
Georg
Lankester
glankester@gmail.com
---
Jo
keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com
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