Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli in the Netherlands (1937) - Part one

Georg Lankester, expert in the French pre-WWII jazz scene, Django Reinhardt and the Quintet of Hot Club de France, gives an account of the first visit of QHCF in the Netherlands. Below follows part one, the second part will be published later.

Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt was born in 1910 and proved already in his youth to be a highly gifted musician. Playing on his six strings’ banjo, which his gypsy family had given him,  he became a star at the popular Musette balls, sought after by the accordionists in Paris at the end of the Twenties.

Great musicians such as Gusti Malha and Poulette Castro had taught him the basic principles of playing, but the boy gradually developed his own playing technique which no other banjoist could equal.

The young artist won prizes and earned a lot of money since the top accordion players wanted to be accompanied by him. That’s why e.g. Jean Vaissade already made records with Django in the early days of the grammophone.

After a fire accident in his caravan (November 1928) which caused severe burns on his left leg and arm, a long recovery time followed. It took 18 months before he would come back on stage in Paris. His left hand remained crippled and only allowed the use of two fingers.

The last few months of his rehabilitation a member of the family had handed him a guitar for distraction and – who would have expected this? – he then developed a new playing technique adapted to his handicap.

So in the early Thirties Django – now as a guitarist - came back into the Parisian music scene and could be heard with singers.

Jean Sablon

The very popular singer Jean Sablon selected him for his small group and in 1933/34 several beautiful songs were recorded in France, followed by BBC radio broadcasts in England and performances in the Casino of Monaco. But Django was also attracted by new American jazz themes like “Tiger Rag,“After you’ve gone”and many others.

Stéphane Grappelli

He then met violinist/piano player Stéphane Grappelli which, on the initiative of the Hot Club de France leaders would result in the founding of the first jazz string quartet in the world. The two star soloists soon made a name in Europe as well in the USA and their performances were received with astonishment and admiration.

A year full of jazz

1937 would become a remarkable and historical year with lots of surprises as to the Jazz in Europe. Since the foundation of the Hot Club quintet, the group had got quite a reputation. The two star soloists on guitar and violin, accompanied by a strong rhythm section had great success, not only in Europe but also in America. Their records were sold everywhere and these even are available till the present day.

A huge event was going to take place, for in 1937 the great World Exhibition in Paris would be held, a reason for the Hot Club de France leaders (in particular Charles Delaunay and Hugues Panassié) to invite American jazz giants to France for concerts and recording sessions. And so it happened.

However, already several months before this event, the celebrated quintet was invited to perform at the 5th ‘Jazz World’ party in Holland. The initiative was taken by the Dutch Jazz Liga, managed by Eddy Crommelin and sponsored by magazine “Jazzwereld” (Jazz World). 

And  – for the very first time - the illustrious formation travelled to the Netherlands.

On Saturday July 10 one could speak of a full house in the big ‘Kurhaus’ ballroom for a memorable gala concert.

As can be seen from the attached advertisement, this party was rounded off by a ball with the Dutch band “Jacques Kluger’s Collegians’ and piano player Ernst van ’t Hoff.  Moreover people could watch that evening films of Benny Goodman and others.

After this very special event,  the abovementioned magazine published a favourable review. Due to this report we get a good impression of the program which was presented that particular night whereby several performed themes are described.

We learn that the quintet opened with “Exactly like you” which – according to the reporter – immediately excited the audience. Then people could listen to “Limehouse blues” and “Blue  Drag” followed by “Honeysuckle rose”, Django’s “Boléro” and the “Tiger Rag”, all described as  ’superb performances’. As to the two star soloists, expressions were used as ‘fully inspired, highly emotional, dynamic performances with touching inflexions’. Those words would be impossible to use in our times!

After the break we read that compositions like “Speevy”, “I’ve had my moments”and “In the still of the night”were played and again the reporter is very favourable about them and continues:

Then a funny thing happened. Immediately after the final theme was played a  few strong guys entered the stage, picked up the bass and carried it away,  till – in a hurry – it was decided to put it back again, which took a while. All this caused, of course,  great merriment.

 To round off their program the quintet ended with”Moonglow” and “Nagasaki” enthusiastically received by all persons present.

To be continued

Georg Lankester

glankester@gmail.com

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Jo

keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com

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Ben Powell - New Street

... including a tribute to STÉPHANE GRAPPELLI  
I'm inspired by the violin sound ( Ben Powell)
Hans Koert

Recently the British born US violin player Ben Powell released his second album entitled New Street, an album which features a special tribute to the man who inspired him as a twelve years young boy: Stéphane Grappelli.
The Ben Powell Quartet features the Japanese piano player Tadataka Unno, which he met at the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program, a protégé of the late Hank Jones; double bass player Aaron Darrell and Devin Drobka on drums. Three tracks are dedicated to the music of Stéphane Grappelli featuring the so-called Stéphane Grappelli Tribute Trio: Ben Powell violin - Gary Burton vibraphone and Julian Lage guitar.

Ben Powell - New Street ( photo courtesy: Ryan MacDonald)

He started to play the violin as a two years old boy, raised in Chellenham in southwest England, in a family in which the violin was very important, as his mother is a violin teacher and his father a classical cellist.  Classical music still plays an important part in Ben Powell's career, but he also played tribute to the gypsy jazz, like celebrating Django's 100th birthday in a trio with Jonathan Joubert and Jack Soref a couple of years ago and he also founded his own Hammond organ trio ......

Trained in classical music by his mother, he became fascinated by the sound of the great French Stéphane Grappelli, who was Django Reinhardts duo-partner in the Hot Club du France recordings for years, and who performed, even in his old age, with dozens of jazz musicians. Stéphane Grappelli pasted away, fifteen years ago, 89 years old, when Ben was still a ten years old schoolboy, unfamilar with his music - it was a teacher at his Junior school who invited him a few years later to listen to Grappelli.  I was captivated, Ben remembers, by Grappelli's freedom and swinging rhythm. He started to learn to play like this old genius on the jazz violin and aurally transcribed what he heard.

  Stéphane Grappelli ( 1908-1997) (photo courtesy: David Landy)

Ben, awarded with The Most Valuable String Player Award, while in Berklee college, was inspired, as he said, by the great classical violinists like David Oistrakh, Michael Rabin and Itzhak Perlman but also by jazz musicians like Joe Lovano, while at Berklee, Stéphane Grappelli, mentioned before and the Roman gypsy jazz violinist Florin Niculescu ......... I'm inspired by the violin sound and the violin isn't musically a traditional jazz instrument so for me it was how do I .... celebrate the violin though this record as an instrument fits into the contemporary jazz ( Ben Powell)

Ben released his first album a few years ago, entitled Light, which he recorded with his quartet and quintet, and contained mostly French tunes and standards from the 1930s up to the 1950s. He loved to record some of his own compositions, which are now available on his latest album, New Street. This album features  four own compositions like the great ballad Judith (with a small reference to his classical roots at the end)  and a standard like What Is This Thing Called Love, which refers to the French gypsy tradition, due to guest player gypsy guitarist Adrien Moignard - it's one of my most favorite tracks on the album.

 Gary Burton (source: listal.com)

Ben Powell loved to make a tribute to his source of inspiration Stéphane Grappelli. While studying in Berklee, he was introduced to veteran vibe player Gary Burton, who had recorded with Stéphane Grappelli in Paris, November 1969 (Paris Encounter). Gary told him that Stéphane had written a composition, dedicated to him, entitled Gary, which he had recorded in Paris in December 1970 with a quartet featuring Marc Hemmeler, Jack Sewing and Kenny Clarke.  Gary had framed the composition in his study and never had recorded it himself. As Ben loved to make a tribute to Grappelli, they decided to record it for the very first time together and it is now released, with La Chanson des Rues ( with a vocal by guest vocalist Linda Calise) and the great Piccadilly Stomp, which Stéphane recorded once in London October 1945 with George Shearing at the piano: The Stéphane Grappelli Tribute Trio, features Ben, Gary and Julian Lage ( on guitar).

Ben Powell ( photo courtesy: Ryan MacDonald)

 Enjoy a fragment of a trailer in which Ben introduces his music and his latest album New Street.



This young talented violin player, Ben Powell, fascinated by arranging and composing, one foot firmly planted in the classical music and the other in the jazz scene, inspired by the great legendary Stéphane Grappelli, surprised me with this album. You can order his albums at Amazon or  CD-Baby

Hans Koert
keepswinging@live.nl
Twitter: #keepitswinging  Facebook group Keep (it) Swinging ( registration needed)

This album surprised me - this young talented violin player, inspired by the sound of veteran violist Stéphane Grappelli, known for his cooperation with Django Reinhardt, has released its second album entitled New Street and features his quartet in some own compositions and standards, which learn that this promising violin player is ready for a great career as a jazz artist. He tributes with his Stephane Grappelli Tribute Trio with veteran vibraphone player Gary Burton the legendary French violinist Stéphane Grapelli who passed away fifteen years ago ........
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