Django Reinhardt was a brilliant musician and guitarist. It is fair to say that he was well ahead of many of his musical contemporaries as a Jazz guitarist extraordinaire, despite having lost some mobility in his fingers from a campfire sometime before he was noticed as a musician. Regardless, he was hugely important to the development of the guitar both via playing and as a melodic instrument. This compilation is the continuation of a series of releases back in 1970 showcasing the skill and brilliance of Django Reinhardt. Let’s take a listen to this release and hear exactly what it sounds like.

Hot Lips launches straight into a gorgeous piece of melodic old-time Jazz music with fast paced guitar galore. It sounds instantly brilliant from the go, and the guitar work here is dazzling. Indeed, the guitar soloing present here is really fantastic, and Django Reinhardt and crew knew how to make the room swing along to the music at hand. This is not going to appeal to absolutely everyone out there, but it does sound fine and fantastic musically. The violin and guitar mash-up here is definitely pleasant to listen to. A glimpse into a fine set of music from yesteryear, this does sound really quite awesome. A wonderful instrumental piece, worth your ears, time and time again.

Ain’t Misbehavin is a slower piece that sounds joyous and merry from the start. The mixture of acoustic guitars and violin from the start is really fantastic to listen to. Again, this is a lively and wonderful piece of music. The acoustic guitar soloing on this tune is magical, and it is played from the heart. Django Reinhardt certainly could play, and play very well he did indeed. This is a refreshing and pretty instrumental that deserves your ears. It is a great example of the music of nearly 100 years ago at this stage. We are lucky enough to hear this today. Another awesome and top tune based on Jazz music to hear. Brilliant.

Rose Room features Stephane Grappelli. It launches straight into a joyous acoustic lead guitar driven piece of merry Jazzy music that sounds awesome to this very day. An uptempo and very listenable tune, this is one to get up and dance to, if you feel old-fashioned. The guitar playing here is fantastic and in particular, the lead guitar work is stunning. There is some violin throughout that also sounds really excellent and matches the tune perfectly. A really wonderful and inspired musical listening experience, and something that should be heard more often by people out there. Nonetheless, this is worth hearing and is less than three minutes in length. Excellent.

Body and Soul quickly launches into a slower, yet pretty sort of tune that sounds really awesome and fantastic. Some descriptive lead acoustic guitar playing is present, which sounds really awesome. Although this is very downtempo, it is just as rewarding as the previous tunes before it. A really fine and excellent tune, this is the sort of music that sounds fresh and unique for decades after its release. The speed runs on the guitar present here are very interesting, and it sounds really nicely played and thoroughly skilled. The second half has some fluttering musicianship and playing. All in all, this is a really top and brilliant piece of music to hear. It ends sweetly.

When Day Is Done begins with some rather unusual guitar chords, followed by some awesome lead guitar parts that sound really cool. This sounds a lot like a decent guitar duel that works very well. Eventually, the whole group works together as a unit and plays the tune at hand super nicely. Really cool music, this sounds very nice and superb. There is a pretty and nice lead guitar part before the band quickly changes tempo and launches straight into a quick and fiery piece of swinging acoustic Jazz music. A very interesting tune to listen to, this is a winner. A really great tune to listen to, this sounds really great from start to finish.

Runnin’ Wild – Course mouvementee goes straight into a super fast and interesting piece of acoustic guitar based Jazz music. It is really pretty, upbeat and adventurous musically, just sounding like a whirlwind sort of effort. This is just as good as the other tracks on this release, sounding bright, fresh and breezy. The soloing on acoustic guitar is also really fantastic on this tune, sounding really well delivered and top-notch. A fantastic listening experience that quite simply works, this does sound really marvellous musically. Another great tune to hear, this sounds really awesome to this very day. It ends abruptly, just before three minutes in length.

Chicago features both Stephane Grappelli and the Quintette du Hot Club de France. It is a sweet-sounding mid-tempo piece of music that tugs away at both heartstrings and brainstrings. This is another joyous and energetic sounding listening experience. Django Reinhardt plays a very decent acoustic guitar solo section in this piece, and he delivers what he sets out to promise with the listener in mind. All in all, this is a really great listen. This is something that should never be forgotten in the long-term of musical history, it just delivers what it should do. A really excellent piece of music, this sounds really pretty and fresh throughout. Excellent playing, especially on the guitar. The violin matches this tune neatly as well. Great stuff.

Liebestraum No3 features the Quintette du Hot Club de France. It begins with some slow and laidback guitar playing, which is neat. Some in-sync violin playing is present here as well. Soon enough, this tune gets into a sweet and upbeat piece with Django Reinhardt shredding away nicely on guitar, playing very marvellously here. Cool, clever and different, this is a really excellent and unique piece of music. It is in a class of its own, and sounds really beautiful and joyful. There is a violin solo in the second half of this as well, which sounds really awesome and unique. The tune chugs along nicely, just as some frenetic acoustic guitar playing occurs and this wraps up sweetly after three minutes of listening. Sweet.

Miss Annabelle Lee features the Quintette du Hot Club de France. It begins as an upbeat and joyous tune with violin and guitar that sounds excellent. A piece of music that sounds really pretty and fantastic, this is another winner of a tune. Django Reinhardt plays melodically and wonderfully here and sounds like he has some really excellent guitar chops on these songs. Great and excellent sounding, this is a real winner of an effort by all involved. A violin solo follows, and this tune continues to sound great all the way through. A really cool listen regardless, this gets very frenetic towards the end. Nice work.

A Little Love A Little Kiss features the Quintette du Hot Club de France. It begins with some fluttering violin and clanging guitar chords before quickly launching into a mellow and melodic piece of acoustic guitar led beauty. Unlike other tunes before it, this is very slow and laidback to listen to. It is a change from what has come before it, and the music is very smooth, downtempo yet interesting. This still retains its interest musically, and it sounds really cool and great for what it is. Bear in mind that this music is really from a different time and era, but still holds its majesty and beauty to this day. Another sweet tune to hear, it ends well after three minutes of glory. Excellent.

Mistery Pacific features the Quintette du Hot Club de France. It begins with some clanging guitar chords and playing that gradually speeds up and becomes super fast and frenetic. It sounds very unusual for this sort of music, just sounding very fast and odd. Soon enough, it launches into a chugging and uptempo piece of music that deserves to be heard in a hurry. A really quirky, uptempo and interesting piece of music, this sounds excellent for what it is. A different tune to listen to, but it is as rewarding as what came before it. It finishes up dramatically and is only over two minutes long. Sweet.

In A Sentimental Mood features Stephane Grappelli and the Quintette du Hot Club de France. It begins with some unusual guitar playing, and quickly enters into a joyous and dramatic tune with plenty of awesome guitar playing by Django Reinhardt. He makes a great impression musically, once again. The rest of the group follows in his wake, and this tune is lively. In the second half is some sweet sounding violin, and this tune is really beautiful for what it is. Another really excellent listen, this sounds pretty and lovely throughout. An awesome tune nonetheless.

The Sheik Of Araby features the Quintette du Hot Club de France. It launches straight into a decently melodic and upbeat tune that is very much danceable, or at least designed to be made for foot-tapping along with it. Another really great and timeless tune, this works extremely well and very nicely, too as a piece of music. Django Reinhardt plays quickly, with passion and finesse in these songs. This is no different. Another great, great listening experience and a joy to hear from start to finish. A really awesome piece of music from start to finish, this sounds like the perfect way to experience a time warp back to 1937. Excellent.

Improvisation is the last piece on this album. It begins with some lone and interesting guitar playing that is actually quite dark sounding. Soon enough, this progresses nicely on its own and is a great solo piece of music by Django Reinhardt, with just him on acoustic guitar. This does sound really decent and amazing for what it is. There are some gorgeous guitar harmonics, tremolo picking and runs here to grab your attention. Nonetheless, this is super cool to hear. A nice solo piece with some expressive leads on it, this is super interesting and refreshing to hear. It ends after a few minutes, and the compilation concludes here.

This compilation is a solid listening experience. It has some very sweet, excellently played and varied retrospective Jazz guitar based instrumentals from nearly 100 years ago. Django Reinhardt is the real star here, and his playing is exceptionally wonderful, precise and well done. A really top listen overall. Should you listen to this album? Yes, give it a try, especially if you love Jazz instrumental acoustic guitar based music, or if you have heard the previous releases in this series of compilations. You will not be disappointed if this music is your cup of tea.

A time warp back from 1937.

8/10