“To get to play with Bob Dylan was a … dream!”
G. E. Smith
George Edward “G. E.” Smith (born January 27, 1952) is an American guitarist. He was the lead guitarist in the band Hall & Oates and the musical director of Saturday Night Live. Smith was lead guitarist of Bob Dylan’s touring band from June 7, 1988, to October 19, 1990. Smith also served as musical director of The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration for Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden on October 16, 1992.
We found a very interesting new interview with Smith on YouTube, he is a good storyteller.
Jazz attracted me because in it I found a formal perfection and instrumental precision that I admire in classical music, but which popular music doesn’t have.
~Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was the first hugely influential jazz figure to emerge from Europe — and he remains the most influential European to this day…
~Richard S. Ginell (allmusic.com)
A tribute video from youtube – w/ video of our man:
Jazz attracted me because in it I found a formal perfection and instrumental precision that I admire in classical music, but which popular music doesn’t have.
~Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was the first hugely influential jazz figure to emerge from Europe — and he remains the most influential European to this day…
~Richard S. Ginell (allmusic.com)
a tribute video from youtube – w/ video of our man:
another one – w/ some fantastic audio clips:
From Wikipedia
Birth name
Jean Reinhardt
Born
23 January 1910,
Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium
Died
16 May 1953 (aged 43)
Fontainebleau, France
Genres
Jazz, Gypsy jazz, Romani music
Occupations
Guitarist, Composer
Instruments
Guitar, Electric guitar
Years active
1928–1953
Associated acts
Stéphane Grappelli, Quintette du Hot Club de France
Jean “Django” Reinhardt (French pronunciation: [dʒɑ̃ɡo ʁenɑʁt]; 23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953) was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer.
Reinhardt is often regarded as one of the greatest guitar players of all time and regarded as the first important European jazz musician who made major contributions to the development of the idiom. Reinhardt invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique (sometimes called ‘hot’ jazz guitar) that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture. With violinist Stéphane Grappelli, he co-founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France, described by critic Thom Jurek as “one of the most original bands in the history of recorded jazz.” Reinhardt’s most popular compositions have become jazz standards, including “Minor Swing”, “Daphne”, “Belleville”, “Djangology”, “Swing ’42”, and “Nuages”.
Minor Swing – Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelli:
Belleville:
Album of the day
Peche à la Mouche (1992) – recorded 1947-53
Legend has it that guitarist Django Reinhardt was at his absolute peak in the 1930s during his recordings with violinist Stephane Grappelli and that when he switched from acoustic to electric guitar after World War II, he lost a bit of his musical personality. Wrong on both counts. This double CD documents his Blue Star recordings of 1947 and 1953 and Reinhardt (on electric guitar) takes inventive boppish solos that put him at the top of the list of jazz guitarists who were active during the era.
~Scott Yanow (allmusic.com)
