"The Music of Django Reinhardt
is an impressive contribution to the field of jazz studies. The book
offers a penetrating view into the music of one of jazz's most
intriguing early figures."
---Keith Waters, coauthor,
Jazz: The First Hundred Years
"An
important addition to the literature on jazz, Givan's book provides
many insights into Reinhardt’s solo building and unorthodox guitar
playing; it is richly illustrated with many excellent musical
transcriptions."
---Thomas Owens, author of
Bebop: The Music and Its Players
"Givan
has painstakingly assembled an analytical interpretation of Reinhardt's
music that is rigorous, compelling, and illuminating. This book makes a
unique contribution to the field of jazz studies and guitar music in
general."
---Brian Harker, author of
Jazz: An American Journey
When
most people think of the great jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, they
conjure up the unusual details of his colorful life: a childhood spent
in gypsy encampments outside of Paris; the tragic caravan fire when he
was eighteen that rendered his left hand nearly unusable; and his
survival during World War II, when gypsies were massacred by the
hundreds of thousands. The amazing story of Reinhardt’s life even
became the basis for Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown.
Yet,
it is the music of Django Reinhardt that made him one of the most
original guitarists in history. In particular, his partnership with
violinist Stéphane Grappelli, in the Quintette du Hot Club de France,
brought him international renown and the attention of some of the most
important American jazz musicians of the day, including Coleman
Hawkins, Benny Carter, and Duke Ellington.
The Music of Django Reinhardt
explores the story of the man and his music as never before. Benjamin
Givan shows how one of jazz's greatest guitarists created his
unparalleled sound. This book is an analytical study of his music,
including his process, his improvisational style, and his instrumental
technique.
The book features transcriptions from records of the
1920s through the 1950s and includes detailed discussion of selected
performances from one of the most important guitarists in history.
Benjamin
Givan is Assistant Professor of Music at Skidmore College. His writings
on jazz have appeared in scholarly publications such as
Current Musicology and the
Musical Quarterly, as well as the popular jazz magazine
Down Beat. He received his Ph.D. in music theory from Yale University.
