Swing '39

In 2005, the Pegasus label released Swing 39, a chronologically scrambled Django Reinhardt collection that paints an accurate portrait of this accomplished improviser using 36 recordings he made during the years 1935-1950. The title Swing 39 should not be taken as an indicator of the exact vintage of the contents. Only about three titles are verifiably traceable to the year 1939; in fact, Reinhardt is known to have recorded four different versions of "Swing '39," three each of "Swing '41" and "Swing '42," and one take of "Swing '48," and furthermore, these titles seldom indicated the exact year during which each piece was recorded. Django Reinhardt's voluminous recorded legacy is an intricate and surprisingly complex entity; unfortunately, a mixed-up sampler like this does virtually nothing for those who are trying to figure it out for themselves. What it does offer is a pleasant selection of well-played studies in Parisian Gypsy swing, and it is recommended for those who want a set of general impressions without any context whatsoever. ~ arwulf arwulf|