category: instrumental jazz / easy listening

Album review:
Between dozens of recordings made from 1937 to 1950, legendary French gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt waxed one, maybe two titles of solo guitar per year. Often it was less than that. Sometimes he made them at the request of the producers, who surely heard him warming up and decided to capture on records some of that magic atmosphere. Then Django took his instrument and performed whatever was on his mind: in occasions fully developed solo compositions; another times, instantly made up improvisations. This outstanding CD comprises them all for the first time in chronological order, including some very rare tracks and a recently discovered solo from a radio program as a bonus track.

CD Track Listing

All compositions by Django Reinhardt

  1. Improvisation No.1 (2:55)
  2. Perfum (2:57)
  3. Improvisation No. 2 [master] (2:39)
  4. Improvisation No. 2 [alternate] (2:40)
  5. Echoes of Spain (3:05)
  6. Naguine (2:25)
  7. Improvisation No.3, Pt. 1 (3:00)
  8. Improvisation No.3, Pt. 2 (2:44)
  9. Improvisation No.6 (2:20)
10. Improvisation No. 7 (Aka No. 2) (2:48)
11. Improvisation 47 (Improvisation No.5) (2:00)
12. Improvisation No.4 (2:07)
13. Belleville (7:18)
14. Nuages (7:00)
15. Two Improvised Guitar Choruses [bonus track] (3:28)

Total timing: 49:00

Label/No: Definitive Records 11286

Release date: 2005