{"id":65556,"date":"2015-02-20T18:44:06","date_gmt":"2015-02-21T02:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/?p=65556"},"modified":"2025-09-30T12:28:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T19:28:47","slug":"django-legacy-the-music-of-django-reinhardt-the-birth-of-gypsy-jazz-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/blog\/django-legacy-the-music-of-django-reinhardt-the-birth-of-gypsy-jazz-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Django Legacy – The Music of Django Reinhardt & the Birth of Gypsy Jazz"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Denis Chang<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Since the early 2000s,  there has been a global surge in the popularity of Gypsy Jazz and the music of Django Reinhardt. Many articles have been written about it, and many myths have been perpetuated as to the origins of Gypsy Jazz. As of this date of January 23rd (Django’s birthday!), a quick Google search on the term “Gypsy Jazz” leads us to many pages (from Wikipedia, to the website of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, to various reputable international news organizations, etc.) with inaccurate information as to the history of Gypsy Jazz. In some instances, Klezmer bands are considered Gypsy Jazz!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I must admit that I struggled a little bit with this article, not because I have trouble explaining myself, but because it is almost a one-man battle: a handful of experts who have done extensive research against a world clinging to misinformation and half truths cyclically perpetuated by the media. In my source notes, a media claims log tagged new betting sites Canada<\/a> had reminded me how quickly unchecked talking points harden into facts, so I\u2019m choosing my words carefully and backing every argument to avoid tipping into sensationalism. This will be another long ride!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be fair, Gypsy Jazz is as hard to define as most other genres of music, after all, how does one even define jazz in the first place? Everyone will have their vision of things. Therefore, within reason, the music is what one wants it to be; one can really let one’s imagination run wild with all sorts of sub-genres within a genre! However, that does not mean that conventional wisdom has not  perpetuated many myths about Django and Gypsy Jazz. These myths are the focus of this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To start with, there is the term Gypsy Jazz, which in mainstream culture, generally refers to music related to Django Reinhardt. It is not to be confused with the idea of Gypsies playing jazz, which can easily refer to Roma playing bebop, or even some Sinti, such as pianist Jermaine Landsberger, who, while certainly inspired by Django, mainly play music that has little, if anything, to do with Gypsy Jazz. Some Roma (non-Sinti) musicians have called their music Roma Jazz, mixing Eastern European idioms with contemporary jazz improvisation and harmonies. On the other hand, some will still use the term Gypsy Jazz, even if their music is not directly inspired by Django Reinhardt; it is a term that they use to refer to their Gypsy lineage, and to the fact that they play some form of jazz that did not come from Django. If you are wondering about the difference between Sinti and Roma, please refer to my article about Sinti culture: Sinti culture, language & the origin of the name Django<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EXAMPLE OF ROMA PLAYING JAZZ OR ROMA FUSION:<\/p>\n\n\n\n