From café terraces to musette dances, from jazz clubs to the most prestigious stages in Europe and America, Django Reinhardt never ceased to dazzle the world with his guitar. The tracks compiled here and remastered from the original tapes are some of the finest proof of the guitarist's genius and extraordinary adaptability, probably the only jazzman to have evolved so brilliantly from swing to bebop without ever compromising his artistic identity.
Django Reinhardt, surrounded by the first French boppers, with modern recording techniques and an amplified guitar sound, reached his peak as an improviser, virtuoso, and composer. He explored the blues (Deccaphonie), created avant-garde compositions like "Anouman," revisited bop standards such as "Fine and Dandy" and "Crazy Rhythm," performed French songs like "Le soir" and "Chez moi," as well as classics such as "Nuages" and "Manoir de mes rêves"—masterpieces in their own right. Glory once again beckoned to him thanks to the Blue Star sessions in March 1953, produced by Eddie Barclay at the request of Norman Granz, who wanted to invite him to the USA and integrate him into the legendary Jazz at the Philharmonic tours. Alas, he died shortly after these recordings, at the age of 43.
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