PAUL
VERNON CHESTER
Manouche Maestro
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Manouche Maestro |
      
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Django's Itineraries in England
Hackney Empire, Shepherds Bush Empire and the Kilburn High Road, Gaumont State Cinema
Can anyone elaborate on this information?
Django Circa 1933 Jack Hylton (Bolton's Paul Whiteman) led a travelling big band that already included a guitarist, Noel "Chappie" d'Amato, who played a number of instruments. According to all of the accounts I found, Hylton wanted to hire Django to play in that main travelling band. It is possible that since Hylton also had secondary bands -- kind of like "farm league" bands that travelled around England -- he may have envisioned having Django play in one of those bands and work his way up. Within a night or so of being hired by Hylton, a fire in Django's caravan ended that opportunity and damn near his career as a musician. As far as is known, the hiring was verbal. The Jack Hylton Archives didn't have any record of a contract with Django, which, according to Hylton's biographer, was pretty typical of Hylton. Most all of his business deals were verbal, made with a shake of the hand. So from all the accounts, Hylton and Django made their deal to work together, and it was either that night or several nights later that the caravan fire occurred. He must have been eighteen or nineteen years old, and during part of that time he was in the free hospital for the poor of Paris, and most likely living with his mother in their caravan for the other part. She made jewellery and sold homemade lace, and was probably able to provide enough of an income for them. It is also possible that his brother Joseph was playing music around town to earn money. It isn't likely that they needed a huge income in that caravan, and I think that is one reason Django was able to stay with music through the ups and downs of the years, whereas many of the Frenchmen who played in his band would have to leave because they weren't making enough money to support themselves.
1934
- Aged 24 Jean Sablon had found Django working in the newly opened “Boîte à Matelots” in Paris. “The musicians, wearing striped sailors’ jerseys, were installed in a mock-up of a fully-rigged ship. Among them was a guitarist who really stood out : Django Reinhardt. I went back often to listen to him and became friends. Sometimes I would go by late to pick him up and we would go together to the “Croix du Sud” in Montparnasse to hear the best saxophone player in Paris, André Ekyan.” It was in this very club, favourite hangout of the jazzmen of the day, that the historic meeting took place between Django a Stephane Grapelli.
Cabaret
Jean Sablon is credited with arranging Reinhardt's debut in a fashionable cabaret in Paris 1933. He is also recognized for his talents as a lyricist and a composer. Sablon appeared in a number of motion pictures and television films performing as a vocalist or pianist April 16, 1934 ~ London Although the "Melody Maker" reviewer thought Sablon was good, he felt the accompanying group, which also included clarinet/saxophonist Andre Ekyan, was a waste of time. Django possibly made
his first radio broadcast during this visit. Roy Fox Band at the Monsiegneur Club London with Al Bowly on Rhythm Guitar - A Selmer Maccaferri - was it an Eddie Freeman - No.
One of the sound engineer asked why they kept changing songs between takes... The Ultraphone director decided to lower the volume of the remaining songs (after Dinah), he was worried about defective recordings (too much dynamic...), that was a bad move according to Panassié since the volume of the remaining 3 songs is quite low compared to Dinah. According to Panassié, Dinah was the best recorded piece of the day
Al Bowlly and Grande Bouche Selmer Maccaferri at the Monsiegneur Club May 29, 1937 ~ Broadcast from Paris for the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) June 12, 1937 ~ C.B.S. "Saturday Night Swing Club" Broadcast,
"The Big Apple", Paris |
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