Podcast 19 – Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli

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This is a cursory look at two European jazz men who are not as well known to the general public as names such as Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington. Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli formed the Quintette of the Hot Club of France in 1934 and continued playing through the start of World War II. Both musicians are revered in jazz circles but Reinhardt stands out as the most implausible genius in the history of jazz.

Featured in this show are many selections of their music from the early days in 1934 through Reinhardt’s final recording in 1953. Much of the commentary comes from the Mike Zwerin book, La Tristesse de Saint Louis: Jazz under the Nazis.