Django Reinhardt

[David Gitin]

much

Edited March 13, 2004 by David Gitin

[EKE BBB]

I haven´t heard any of the Fremeaux "Complete Django" releases, nor the Proper & JSP boxes but...

the Mosaic set is simply amazing!

[brownie]

The Mosaic box is an obvious choice but the two JSP boxes are great values with excellent mastering and nearly all of the classic Quintette du Hot Club de France tracks. I have the Reinhardt material on vinyl but bought the JSP boxes and enjoy these.

If you want to travel the completist road, suggest you check the Fremeaux reissues. Have not heard any of them but Fremeaux is very serious about remastering. And they're reissuing all of the Reinhardt material.

[EKE BBB]

brownie:

How much duplication is there between the Mosaic and the JSP boxes?

[brownie]

There is quite a lot of duplications between the Mosaic box and the JSP sets. The JSP first set includes the QHCF sides which were recorded for Decca. If you want to have a look at what's on the various Django Reinhardt issues, have a look at this Django Reinhardt site

They seem to have done a pretty thorough job of sorting out what's in all of those Django reissues! Beware, it's a long discography.

[EKE BBB]

Incredible site, brownie! Thanks a lot!

[Lazaro Vega]

A beautifully packaged 4 cd set recently came out on Saga records, too, which includes music from 1934-43 if memory serves. Not complete, and not enough of the Django and the Americans sessions, but interesting. His "St. Louis Blues" is astonishing.

[Lazaro Vega]

1953

[king ubu]

There is quite a lot of duplications between the Mosaic box and the JSP sets. The JSP first set includes the QHCF sides which were recorded for Decca.

These Decca sides are on one of the Jazz in Paris discs, I think?

Do the JiP Django discs collect everything he did as a leader for Decca (and other Universal related labels)?

ubu

[Alexander]

I have the Mosaic Box, and I think that it's a pretty amazing collection. Lots of truely wonderful music.

As far as a single disc collection goes, I have a nice one called "Souvenirs," which collects twenty of Django's Decca recordings. Again, amazing music, and no duplications with the Mosaic box.

Django's version of "Honeysuckle Rose" was one of the first Django recordings I ever heard (it was playing in a Tower Records Jazz department in Boston) and it remains one of my all-time favorites.

[BruceH]

I have the Mosaic Box, and I think that it's a pretty amazing collection. Lots of truely wonderful music.

As far as a single disc collection goes, I have a nice one called "Souvenirs," which collects twenty of Django's Decca recordings. Again, amazing music, and no duplications with the Mosaic box.

Django's version of "Honeysuckle Rose" was one of the first Django recordings I ever heard (it was playing in a Tower Records Jazz department in Boston) and it remains one of my all-time favorites.

I have that "Souvenirs" CD too, and it's a great single-disc compilation!

(Of course, you can't go wrong with the Mosaic or JSP's; both are good.)

[WD45]

There was a single disc compilation out there for a while on Music Club records titled "Swing Jazz" that was a distilation of the JSP box. It said "Remastered by JRT Davies" on the back.

I did not pick it up at the time and I have been looking in vain ever since.

[Aggie87]

I've been seeing a relatively new Django title from Dreyfus, called "L'Or de Django". Anybody have this one, and if so is it worth picking up? I don't see a listing for it on AMG...

[WD45]

Any opinions on this Django comp?

*edit for spelling*

Edited January 21, 2007 by WD45

[mikelz777]

There are actually 3 JSP box sets of either 4 or 5 discs on Django. I own the first two and hardily endorse both boxes for both content and sound. You could probably buy all three for around half the price of the Mosaic.

[After re-reading the thread I realized that this is over 3 years old! I still stand by my recommendation though.]

Edited January 21, 2007 by mikelz777

[birdanddizzy]

The best Django Reinhardt compilation on the market is probably this one :

Rétrospective Django Reinhardt 1934-1953

3CD set. Saga Jazz - Universal France.

The remastering is fantastic, the liners (in French and English) are great (by Alain Antonietto), and the presentation is very nice (great rare photos).

I highly recommend this box for a first approach of Django's music.

Edited January 25, 2007 by Steven

[brownie]

I highly recommend this box for a first approach of Django's music.

Fully agree with Steven. Those SagaJazz sets are really excellent. They have also released Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday sets that are very well thought out and mastered.

[king ubu]

There are actually 3 JSP box sets of either 4 or 5 discs on Django. I own the first two and hardily endorse both boxes for both content and sound. You could probably buy all three for around half the price of the Mosaic.

[After re-reading the thread I realized that this is over 3 years old! I still stand by my recommendation though.]

bumping this up again - has anyone sorted things out between JSP boxes and Mosaic/Jazz in Paris releases? I have all of the later (JiP and Mosaic), so I assume I'd only need the Rome JSP and have all or most of what's on the first two JSPs?

[king ubu]

up - anyone?

[allblues]

If you have the Mosaic set and the JIPs and buy the Rome JSP set, there's a lot on the first JSP set you don't have (JSP 901):

• September 1934 (Delaunay's Jazz)
  
• December 1934 (QHCF)
  
• March 1935 (Coleman Hawkins)
  
• March 1935 (QHCF)
  
• April 1935 (QHCF)
  
• July 1935 (QHCF)
  
• August 1935 (Frank Goudie)
  
• September 1935 (Alix Combelle)
  
• September 1935 (QHCF)
  
• November 1935 (Garnet Clark)
  
• January 1938 (QHCF)
  
• February 1938 (Django-Stephane duets)
  
• August 1938 (QHCF)
  
• September 1938 (Django solo and Django-Stephane duets)
  
• August 1939 (QHCF)
  

There's also these sessions represented on Django With His American Friends, DRG 8493 (available from emusic):

• April 1937 (Coleman Hawkins)
  
• July 1937 (Dicky Wells)
  
• September 1937 (Eddie South)
  
• November 1937 (Bill Coleman)
  
• November 1937 (Eddie South)
  
• March 1938 (Benny Carter)
  
• May 1938 (Larry Adler)
  
• April 1939 (Rex Stewart)
  

There's also this session on Brussels and Paris, DRG 8473 (also available from emusic):

• May 1947 (QHCF)
  

This doesn't include many of the recordings with French orchestras or vocalists nor the postwar airshots. You'd have to go with the Fremeauxs for most of these. In terms of sound quality, I think the Mosaic set sounds better than the JSPs, but the JSPs have better sound that the Classics or Fremeaux releases.

[king ubu]

Thanks a lot for your help! I have the American sessions on a 4CD compilation on Definitive... may I go to hell for that... So it seems the first JSP and the Rome would be great to have, in addition to what I already own.

Going the Fremeaux route would be an exaggeration for me, I don't need each bit and piece, but it would be cool to have most or all of the QHCF sessions!

Btw: I can't remember who it was, but I think someone said the JSP sound a lot better than the Mosaic...

[allblues]

So it seems the first JSP and the Rome would be great to have, in addition to what I already own.

Going the Fremeaux route would be an exaggeration for me, I don't need each bit and piece, but it would be cool to have most or all of the QHCF sessions!

Btw: I can't remember who it was, but I think someone said the JSP sound a lot better than the Mosaic...

I'd go for the first JSP set first. It has some excellent music not on the Mosaic set. I bought some of the Fremeauxs to fill in some gaps, especially the radio broadcasts.

I've compared the Mosaic and JSP releases on headphones and it seemed that the JSPs have more surface noise. The Mosaics may be taken from cleaner sources or simply had more noise reduction applied. If it is the noise reduction, I don't think it's overdone. In fact, when I used Audition to reduce the surface noise on the JSPs to compare to the Mosaics, the Mosaics still sounded better to me. But, whichever you prefer, both are well worth the money.

[BruceH]

There are actually 3 JSP box sets of either 4 or 5 discs on Django. I own the first two and hardily endorse both boxes for both content and sound. You could probably buy all three for around half the price of the Mosaic.

[After re-reading the thread I realized that this is over 3 years old! I still stand by my recommendation though.]

I have the first two JSP's, but not "In Rome." God knows, I'll probably get that too, some day.