Composer of the Month 1/2010: "Django Reinhardt"   (selected by Peter van Dessel / Belgium)

Belgium 16.5.2004 Jean "Django" Reinhardt was born as French speaking Sinti in Liberchies, Belgium on January 23rd, 1910. He learned to play the violin, banjo and guitar early and started his career as a professional musician when he was 12 years old. At the beginning of the 1930s he appeared in Parisian cafés where he was introduced to the violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Together they founded the legendary "Quintette du Hot Club de France". Django Reinhardt is regarded as the father and founder of the European jazz. His music was a mixture of the New Orleans Jazz of the twenties, the French waltzes (valses musettes) and the traditional way of playing of the Romanies, combined to a new music style, The Gypsy Swing. Although Django Reinhardt couldn't read any notes himself, he composed a number of songs - partly in cooperation with Stéphane Grappelli - which became Jazzstandards. Django Reinhardt died in Samois-sur his near Paris on May 16th, 1953. His birthday comes up again for the 100th time in January 2010. The video, dated 1939, shows Django Reinhardt, Stephanne Grapelli and the "Quintette du Hot Club de France" with their swing interpretation of the Italian song "J'attendrai". More composers in the members only section