Today's the Day

The great Django Rheinhardt would have been 100 today. Enjoy this.

Django Reinhardt Turns 100

The centennial of guitar great Django Rheinhardt (1910-53) is only ten days away. Chicago Gypsy-jazz guitarist Alfonso Ponticelli and his band Swing Gitan are looking for a suitable place in town to celebrate. Any ideas? Either way, please watch their site for news. Gypsy jazz turns 100 along with Django on January 23.

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Your Gypsy jazz fix

Notice the D-shaped sound hole on the guitar and the cutaway on the body that allows the player to reach the lower frets. What you can't see here is the slotted head of the steel-string guitar, which resembles a nylon-string intsrument. These and other features mark the Gypsy-jazz guitar player's intrument as distinctive. Also the fact that Gypsy jazz is usually played with acoustic guitars, as opposed to most other jazz, in whice the guitars are electric. More here and here.

Gypsy Jazz Explained

Listen to this great interview with the Hot Club of San Francisco

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Your Christmas jazz fix

Nice piece, no? So much so that even the Red Sox plug at the end doesn't ruin it.