Jean-Baptiste “Django” Reinhardt (January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953) was a Belgian Sinto Gypsy jazz guitarist. He was one of the first prominent jazz musicians to be born in Europe, and one of the most renowned jazz guitarists of all time. Many musicians have expressed admiration for Reinhardt; country artist Chet Atkins, placed Reinhardt #1 on a list of the ten most influential guitarists of the 20th century. Guitarists who claim Django as an influence: Latin rocker Carlos Santana; blues legend B.B. King; the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia; Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi; Jimi Hendrix; Synyster Gates; Shawn Lane; Stevie Ray Vaughan; Derek Trucks; Mark Knopfler; Les Paul; Joe Pass; Peter Frampton; Denny Laine; Jeff Beck; Jon Larsen; Steve Howe; Charlie Christian and George Benson. Jimi Hendrix is said to have named one of his bands the Band of Gypsys because of Django’s music. The recordings on this disc come from previously unreleased performances.
Click here for Django’s masterful take on the standard HONEYSUCKLE ROSE
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