It's a difficult thing to describe. All other Jazz guitarists do not interest me. Okay, maybe George Benson from the 'Breezing' years. However, Django Reinhardt holds a very special place in my heart that is not logical or reasonable. I feel it is Django's spirit that keeps people excited about the Gypsy Jazz guitar style he pioneered.

Django came on this scene when the guitar was just about to go electric. Their Hot Club of France group created AMAZING SWING MUSIC with such a small amount of people AND NO DRUMMER!!!! Amazingly dance music for a group with no drummer. Until the guitar became electric it was completely drowned out in the Big Bands. The only way the guitars would be heard was with a small band like Django's and Stephane Grappelli's

I suggest you go to YouTube to listen to the original versions of these songs for reference. This special play along album is created as a free gift for people I especially like. It is created for all guitarists who want EQ juiced up, extended Django Reinhardt Gypsy Jazz songs to jam with that have no other lead instruments to have to defer to.

I give this freely to all. If anyone chooses to pay anything it will automatically go to my mother's many, many miles away, PayPal account as a gift. Such I Intend it to be with whatever other music I may share here. She most definitely deserves it!

This is the ONLY FILM I have found showing Django Reinhardt
actually playing. Oh, you can find bits and pieces of THIS SAME FILM in other videos, but this is the only one of its kind I have found. When you only have ONE of something, very special, it makes that one thing EXTREMELY valuable. Apparently, Django was self-conscious about the disability resulting from his burning accident that made his last two fingers semi-useless and didn't like being filmed:

youtu.be/FZBPcXTXPEA

It is said that ALL the incredible lead guitar solos Django played were done WITH ONLY HIS FIRST TWO FINGERS!! Now, that was miraculous alright when you consider his very fast solos. It must have been OUTRAGEOUS to actually see him perform those fast solos; like watching a living miracle!

To learn more about Django Reinhardt and the burning accident that forced him to either give up playing guitar or create a unique style of playing, using his disadvantage to his advantage, follow this link:

www.jazzguitar.be/django_reinhardt.html

An Absolutely Awesome Django Reinhardt Collection:

youtu.be/SR7U9T5Mdj4

The concept, in the recent blockbuster hit movie Guardians of the Galaxy, of advanced UFO alien beings who really like listening to Babyboomer music of the 1960's and 1970's most probably appealed to all Babyboomers; like myself.

Well, I like to think that advanced UFO aliens are light years away really jiving and dancing to the music of Django Reinhardt. That's what the Photoshopped version of his photo is all about. Django of the Universe.

ON SWING DANCING:

Swing dancing, at its height, was obviously a creation of the fans, not the swing band musicians. Let's face reality: Django was NOT dancing while he played guitar. He was sitting down, NOT STANDING UP!

Personally, I have NEVER seen ANY American dance form that equals the sheer fluid beauty and exuberance of swing dancing at it's finest. Here is a video of Django Reinhardt's Minor Swing as the background music of classic clips of amazing swing dancers at their height:

youtu.be/H3kVcyUy2I4

When it comes to classic swing dancing black people were the wildest alright. White people were much more reserved. These black people go swing nuts!!!!

youtu.be/dSAOV6XEjXA

Now that I've done a bit of research, it seems quite clear that elements of 1940s swing dancing carried over into the beginnings of 1950s rock and roll. It's quite obvious that early rock & roll was just swing music in a different package for a younger generation:

youtu.be/gLzn8nDVSo8

Let's get real, shall we? Rock around the Clock...

((( WAS A SWING SONG!!! )))

They would say, 'No! It's not swing. It's rock & roll"

Yeah right:

youtu.be/Ud_JZcC0tHI