Django Reinhardt, Volume 2
JSP's follow-up to their must-havebargain-priced box set of  Django Reinhardt's early recordingsis every bit as essential and  fascinating for lovers of jazz guitar. Between 1937 and 1948, the  world's best-known gypsy guitarist was leading some of the hottest jazz  groups in Europe, with some of the most innovative arrangements  imaginable. The story behind these sessions is almost as memorable as  the material--somehow Reinhardt, despite being a gypsy, prospered  through Nazi-occupied France while his peers either fled or perished.  Due to the war, the classic lineup of the Quintet of the Hot Club of  France evolved and eventually splintered into two groups--one withStephane Grappellion violin, another replacing him with the clarinet of Hubert Rostaing.  But regardless of Reinhardt's accompaniment, the music-making heard  here is nothing short of astounding. Whether swinging through standards  ("All of Me," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Sweet Georgia  Brown") or performing some of his classic originals ("Nuages," "Swing  42"), whether alone ("Improvisations," "Tea for Two") or backed by more  than a dozen friends ("Festival Swing"), this is some of Reinhardt's  best music. JSP's remastering and transfers on these 60-year-old 78s is  the finest yet available. Essential for swing fans, guitarists, or  anyone wanting to know more about the history of jazz.--Jason  Verlinde