Step into the golden age of jazz with this extraordinary five-disc collection that brings Django Reinhardt's early masterpieces back to stunning clarity. Thanks to the painstaking restoration work by sound engineer Ted Kendall, these recordings from the 1930s have never sounded more alive, revealing details that were buried beneath decades of audio deterioration.
What makes this collection truly special is Kendall's approach to restoration. Rather than aggressively cleaning every trace of the original recordings, he carefully preserved the surface noise while bringing out sounds that haven't been heard since these sessions were first recorded in the studio. You can literally hear Reinhardt's fingers moving across the fingerboard, the subtle resonance as each note is plucked, and the incredible interplay between Django and Stephane Grappelli that made them jazz history's most magical duo.
This chronological collection takes you from the very first Quintet of the Hot Club of France sessions in September 1934 through their groundbreaking work for Ultraphone, Decca, and HMV up until their 1939 breakup on the eve of World War II. Along the way, you'll experience lightning-fast guitar runs, insistent rhythm work, and those hybrid riffs that seemed to split the difference between American swing and European gypsy jazz.
Beyond the famous Quintet recordings, this collection includes rare solo Reinhardt cuts from 1937 and collaborations with Coleman Hawkins, offering a comprehensive look at one of jazz's most innovative guitarists. Whether you're a longtime jazz enthusiast or discovering Reinhardt for the first time, these restored recordings provide an intimate window into a bygone era when jazz was evolving in exciting new directions.
