The first volume in
Fremeaux
's 20-part, 40-disc
Django Reinhardt
retrospective is very thorough, and possibly more exhaustive than any other edition. There are places where it does not mesh with established discographical references, and two titles by a singer named
Chaumel
are missing from the 1928 strata, but generally speaking,
has delved deeper and redistributed more
Django
than any other reissue label. His earliest records were cut in 1928 at a point when he was still playing banjo behind accordionists
Jean Vaissade
and
Victor Marceau
, with xylophonist
Francesco Carriolato
and either an unidentified fellow whistling with his mouth or someone named
Erardy
operating a slide whistle. On these marvelous historic Parisian squeezebox recordings, the banjoist was identified as "Jeangot" or as "Django Renard." With the exception of the instrumental "Presentation Stomp" (recorded in 1934 by an orchestra under the leadership of jazz fiddler
Michel Warlop
), everything else on this collection consists of Parisian pop vocals.
Most of the discrepancies between track lists on early
collections and the minutiae in discographical data bases are closely tied to
Reinhardt
's working relationship with these singers, particularly
Jean Sablon
and his sister
Germaine
. Both were active as cabaret entertainers and in the motion picture industry. On this collection, they are heard alone and in duet performance. Other vocalists who grace the early stratum are
Eliane de Creus
and someone by the name of
Lixbot
who is backed by accordionist
Louis Vola
(also an accomplished string bassist), and the
Orchestre du Lido de Toulon
. Anyone who regards this collection as little more than a prelude to
's work with the fully established
Quintette of the Hot Club of France
ought to discard all preconceptions and enjoy these old recordings for what they are: a pungent shot of vintage Parisian pop culture within which
's jazz took root, flourished, and spread throughout the world. ~ arwulf arwulf