Occasionaly over the years I’ve seen Django’s famous composition Nuages listed as It’s the Bluest Kind of Blues. Often a lyric credit is also attributed to Spencer Williams. I finally did a little research and unearthed the following version of Nuages aka It’s the Bluest Kind of Blues. It was printed by Peter Maurice Music Co. in 1946. I suppose it’s possible Django might have actually collaborated with Williams in person during his tour of the U.S. that year.

It’s the Bluest Kind of Blues

I read through the introduction or “verse.” It’s nice, it could be used as an instrumental introduction for a more conventional Gypsy version of the song. The part we recognize as Nuages begins on the second page were it is marked “Chorus.”

Incidentally, many of the standards from this era have a “verse” which was part of the original show the song was from. They are largely forgotten now. However, its often worth doing some research to find out what they are. You’d be surprised how many introductions are based on the original verse. For example, check out Django’s 1953 version of Night and Day.

It’s the Bluest Kind of Blues was recorded by a number of famous American jazz singers. The most famous was probably Peggy Lee. Here’s a clip of her singing it.

Peggy Lee: It’s the Bluest Kind of Blues

Here’s another version by Monica Lewis.

Monica Lewis: It’s the Bluest Kind of Blues

And finally a contemporary version by Mike Ferre.

Mike Ferro: It’s the Bluest Kind of Blues

Enjoy! -Michael

Gryphon Gazet – Spring 2004 – by Richard Johnston

Pearl Django Play-Along Songbook, Vol. 1, by Greg Ruby. Spiral bound, includes CD, $38. It’s no secret that the key to playing gypsy jazz solos, as with most instrumental music, lies in having a solid rhythm section that doesn’t mind playing the same chord changes over and over again. Here you get instruction, transcriptions of solos (both standard and tab), and complete chord charts for 17 Django, or Django-style, songs, plus the advantage of being able to practice those great melodies with one of North America’s best gypsy jazz bands playing back-up. Now you’ll be able to take your turn the next time a jam session digs deep into Djangology, Limehouse Blues, Nuages, or Swing 42.

Sometime in June of 1950 Django recorded a nearly fifteen minute long unaccompanied guitar version of Belleville and Nuages. I transcribed the Nuages section of the performance for my book Unaccompanied Django. I split it into three pieces, Theme I (Nuages Intro), Nuages, and Theme II (Nuages Outro).

This performance is available on the CD Integrale Django Vol.19 (1950-1952) Troublant Bolero.

Only the Nuages section is included. Enjoy – Michael.

Vintage Guitar Magazine – April 2004 – by Michael Dregni

Django Reinhardt set the music world on fire with his single-note solo picking. There were certainly others before him – from Eddie Lang to Vess Ossman – but Django’s jazz was arguably the most influential, creating a legacy that has been studied by everyone from Charlie Christian and Les Paul on.

While there have been no shortage of songbooks published over the years transcribing Django’s compositions and solos, there is a recent spate of method books that delve deeper, offering a greater understanding of his style.

Michael S. Horowitz is at the forefront with his new company DjangoBooks.com. A Berklee grad with an M.A. in ethnomusicology, Horowitz received a Fulbright fellowship in 2002 to conduct his Ph.D. research among Dutch Sinti Gypsy jazz guitarists, including Fapy Lafertin, Martin Limberger, Jan Limberger, and Paulus Schafer. From his research, Horowitz dissected Django’s playing in his primary tutorial Gypsy Picking, running from the basics to intermediate level along with a lesson CD.

His masterpiece so far is Unaccompanied Django, a Herculean work of transcriptions and analyses of Django’s solo works that provide amazing insight into the master’s compositional thinking, his approaches to harmony and melody, and details the development of his solos. This book is not for the faint of heart in its scope and difficulty, but it is the single most enlightening book on Django’s playing yet published.

Finally, fans of the now-venerable Gypsy jazz band Pearl Django will want Greg Ruby’s Pearl Django Play-Along Songbook. This is a superlative resource, jam-packed with chords and heads in standard and tab notation for seventeen classic and original tunes along with alternate chord voicings, intros, outros, and a CD.