Sunday, September 23, 2007
A master discusses the masters
I was fortunate enough to see the Les Paul play at a jazz club in NYC a few years ago. In yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Mr. Paul listed his top-five favorite albums recorded by jazz guitarists. Tops on his list? An album by Django Reinhardt, the individual after whom I was named. To wit:
"Guitarist and inventor Les Paul's legacy as a musician rivals his contributions to music technology. With the jazz trio he formed in the 1930s and, later, with then-wife Mary Ford, Mr. Paul scored numerous pop hits. Meanwhile, his experiments in that era with solid-bodied electric guitars and multitrack recording methods have had a lasting impact on the sound of popular music, from jazz to rock. At age 92, Mr. Paul has found his fret work slowed by arthritis, but he still performs every Monday night at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York. 'It's been very healthy to keep working,' he says. During a recent preconcert rehearsal, we spoke with Mr. Paul about some of the guitarists whose playing he has admired the most.
"Django Reinhardt, The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order (2000)
"Although a burn in 1928 prevented this Gypsy jazz player from using two of his fingers, his intricate solos helped turn the then-humble guitar into a lead instrument. 'His playing was so unique,' Mr. Paul says. 'He and I became very dear friends.'"
"Guitarist and inventor Les Paul's legacy as a musician rivals his contributions to music technology. With the jazz trio he formed in the 1930s and, later, with then-wife Mary Ford, Mr. Paul scored numerous pop hits. Meanwhile, his experiments in that era with solid-bodied electric guitars and multitrack recording methods have had a lasting impact on the sound of popular music, from jazz to rock. At age 92, Mr. Paul has found his fret work slowed by arthritis, but he still performs every Monday night at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York. 'It's been very healthy to keep working,' he says. During a recent preconcert rehearsal, we spoke with Mr. Paul about some of the guitarists whose playing he has admired the most.
"Django Reinhardt, The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order (2000)
"Although a burn in 1928 prevented this Gypsy jazz player from using two of his fingers, his intricate solos helped turn the then-humble guitar into a lead instrument. 'His playing was so unique,' Mr. Paul says. 'He and I became very dear friends.'"
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Sunday, September 23, 2007 
