Review of Souvenir by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelly plus The Quintet of the Hot Club of France

To listen to this record means to make two time jumps in the past: the first one is for the date with which this cd has been produced, 1988, in practice one of the first reprints on cd produced by London a division of Decca recording label, famous for its clear recordings especially in classical music, by now only a memory in the minds of the vynil records lovers.
The second because all these recordings come by 78 records, recorded between 1936 and the 1946. In practice it is like if they came from Mars, of that epoch we have only memories.
Did the past come back to hunt us? I don't think so, however listening to this quintet headed by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelly is pure pleasure. They have an unbelievable swing and the rare gift of the synthesis: the 78 record only allows only 3 minutes of recording on one side, so to the musicians could not play long improvisations and also the themes had to have developed in rapid and efficient way. A not perfect note was a wasted one and with it the time that occupied, therefore no errors and above all no indecisions, no backup takes.
Did the past come back to hunt us? Maybe yes, because to listen to these musicians is simply unbelievable, they are the testimony of the last shines of an epoch of illusions survived to the Great Depression and that will definitely be deleted in the meat grinder of the Second World war and in the horrors of the Nazism.
Did the past come back to hunt us? If it is I love being persecuted, these music express a freshness and an artistic creativeness out of the time, Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelly live in the intensities and in the heights of their music, they are exceptional indeed, their interplay is exceptional and not rarely you can hear them them incite themselves during the execution of the passages.
If you believe that jazz is ended with Duke Ellington, this cd is essential.
If you believe that the jazz NONsia ended with Duke Ellington, this cd is essential.
If don't know what the Jazz is, this cd is essential.