VA - Gypsy Jazz School: Django's Legacy 2CD (2002) MP3 + Lossless

Gypsy jazz guitar may have started with Django Reinhardt, but as this two-CD set amply demonstrates, it didn't end with him. The first disc gathers rare recordings from some of Reinhardt's contemporaries, including the brothers Baro, Matelo, and Sarane Ferret, who experimented with blending musette waltz rhythms with swing harmony; Henri Crolla, who was the guitarist on many of Yves Montand's classic recordings; and Django's younger brother Joseph, who was an excellent guitarist in his own right, but was unfortunately overshadowed by his more flamboyant sibling. The second disc is devoted to modern players who are carrying on the tradition, such as Django's son Babik Reinhardt, Bireli Lagrene, Stochelo Rosenberg, Tchavolo Schmitt, Jimmy Rosenberg, and Fapy Lafertin. The collection is rounded out by a 100-page booklet in English and French that includes dozens of photos, biographies of the musicians, and a brief but informative history of Gypsy jazz. Django Reinhardt left behind hundreds of recordings, but as the tracks on Gypsy Jazz School suggest, his true musical legacy lives in the guitarists he inspired.