The title of “most talented guitarist of all time” isn’t something to be dished out lightly. And when it comes down to it, such a label is up to individual listeners and tastes. However, Django Reinhardt is, by far, one of the most influential guitarists of all time… and he did it without full use of his fingers. Sadly, not everybody knows who he is today. Let’s have a bit of a history lesson, shall we?
Who Was Django Reinhardt?
Born in Belgium, Django Reinhard recorded his first pieces of music in 1928. He quickly attracted the attention of European musicians who traveled far and wide to see him perform. Jack Hylton, a British bandleader, was one such individual who came to Reinhardt in France at the time to offer him a job.
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Sadly, Reinhardt never got to join Hylton’s band. One night, his caravan caught on fire, and Reinhardt’s body was significantly burned. His ring and pinkie fingers were burned so badly that he could not use them.
For anyone else, the injury would have been the death knell of any music career. Reinhardt, undeterred, simply taught himself to use his other fingers to play the guitar instead. And after that traumatic experience, Reinhardt leaned even harder into his creativity. What a legend!
Django Reinhardt’s Legacy: The Most Talented and Influential Guitarist of His Time
Reinhardt was introduced to American jazz and immediately gravitated toward the genre. He went on to collaborate with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Rex Stuart, Adelaide Hall, and others.
His talent is hard to describe, but many of his contemporaries and fans had plenty of things to say about him publicly before his death in 1953.
Modern-day guitarist John Jorgenson famously said that Reinghart’s guitar-playing boasted more personality than others, and seemed to “contain such joy and feeling that it is infectious.”
Just as well, critics and record producers had much to say about Reinhardt as well.
“First of all, his instrumental technique is vastly superior to that of all other jazz guitarists,” said Hugues Panassié in the book The Real Jazz. “This technique permits him to play with an inconceivable velocity and makes his instrument completely versatile… Django’s ability to bend his guitar to the most fantastic audacities, combined with his expressive inflections and vibrato, is no less wonderful.”
When it comes down to it, words are pretty meaningless when it comes to describing Reinhardt’s prowess. He was a man made of and for sound. Fortunately, much of his work has been preserved and is a simple YouTube search away.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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