The Quest for Volume! The man was not taken with American Archtops and yearned for his beloved Selmer Maccaferri , which I believe Charles Delauney brought to him in the States later on somewhat Damaged in Transit. It has been said that, had he remained in the States however, Django would have influenced not only the Development of American Jazz Guitar playing but American Jazz itself! The sound created a new dimension in his playing, which was by then much infused with the Bebop Phrasing he had heard in America.
But Django was so impressed because at last, he could play Loudly. He played with such Volume that I had to ask him to turn it down as it was drowning all of us. He was like a child with a new Toy. He never succeeded in playing Amplified Electric Archtop Guitars and in my opinion, he never was a good Electric Guitarist. Many Guitar Players had stepped up to the Microphone and had their playing Amplified. Alvino Rey , who became one of the 1st Stars of Electric Guitar , recalled that during this Period more than one person was busy experimenting with rudimentary Electromagnetic Units to achieve a breakthrough.
DeArmond Archtop Bug style Pick-up. The small attaching Bracket on which 2-Screws is missing but then no one wants to damage a good Guitar Body anyway. It makes an Archtop Sound more natural than a Magnetic Pick-up. A very handy little Bug in its day. Django with an early Screw fixed Pick-up β the Jack lead wiring has been removed for cosmetic reasons. Early in , armed with his Amplified Maccaferri β which he used to the very end β he put together a New Band of the best young Modern Musicians in Paris ; including Hubert Fol , an Altoist in the Charlie Parker mould.
Although Django was yrs older than the rest of the Band, he was completely in command of the Modern style. Whilst his Solos became less Chordal and his Lines more Christian -like, he retained his originality. Django should be rated much more highly as a Be-bop Guitarist. Django is in top form; full of new ideas that are executed with amazing fluidity, cutting angular lines that always retain that ferocious Swing. The 10th March Session produced 8 absolute Classics, including arguably his greatest rendition of Nuages.
Manoir de Mes Reves has an air of quiet acceptance. This is a tremendously exciting Tune which others seldom attempt to play. Gillespie also used this Chord sequence later for Be-Bop. The fat Chord voicing he uses as he races his way up the Neck are a signal for the Band that a particular section in a Tune is in transition. His comping is an art form in itself, with all of his left-hand Syncopation. There is a hint of Ornithology in the melody and a strikingly modern Solo by Django.
