Interesting Django Recordings and Lost Footage?

Svanis1337

There are two dates for this clip. 1938 and 1939. Was it recorded over New Year's eve?

The bassist is supposedly Eugene D'Hellemes. He looks nothing like Grasset.

The accent sounds very american to me.

The strange thing is that we're only given the title of the footage. "Jazz Hot". No mention of Decca or anything. It's possible this is the second of the three clips, with more information about the publisher et.c in the first and third clips.

Exactly 1 minute into the footage, a man plays four instruments. I'm sure it's the same man, at least on the Sax and Clarinet. He has a ring on his right hand pinky finger.


This footage is so strange, it's almost like it wasn't supposed to exist. What's the point in explaining what jazz is in 1938/1939? Wouldn't everyone know already? Is it a time capsule clip, supposed to be hidden for many years until jazz was forgotten, to remind us of it? It perplexes me. Seems very pointless. Perhaps it was meant as a lightweight documentary?

Joseph's left leg is twitching a lot in 2:53, and his guitar is visible on a chair behind him seconds later.

When we first see Django, there is smoke infront of the camera. Later, when the camera returns to him, there is no smoke anymore.

You can view the clip in high quality on Lobsterfilms' Youtube channel here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXKztQaCh24

And a "restored" version which tries to nullify the consistensies in audio when the camera switches from Steph to Django and back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PxzE6szmTI



Why is there a photo as well as a video from this session? Maybe Teddy was right and it was shown in cinemas. A photo to advertise the footage and the footage to advertise the Quintet. Or Jazz?

Early in the clip, Django and co. are wearing ties, and when they perform together they're wearing bowties and different clothing. If this footage was filmed the same way as the Art Tatum and Ella Fitzgerald footage, there might be more to see from both the hotel room AND the performance itself. Even on J'attendrai! (outtakes)

The two scenes might also explain the dates. Perhaps one part of the footage was filmed in 1938 and the other in 1939?

The lighting is similar in the orchestra and the quintet part. A dark spot in the upper left is sticking out somewhat, with the rest of the lighting on the background being symmetrical. The dark spot is just behind Grappelli when the Quintet plays. See around 6:15 into the footage.

The cloth in the orchestra scene and the quintet scene differs, though. The pattern is different, and at 6:15 when the Quintet plays there is no fold between Joseph and Eugene like there is in the orchestra scene.

scot

What an interesting and far-reaching thread. I had all but abandoned hope that any new video of Django would ever show up, as all the various fantasies of this or that person having reels of film all came to naught. But maybe you guys will turn something up yet... Years ago John Bajo told me that the 2nd tune on the "J'attendrai" video was "Sweet Georgia Brown" but that he'd never seen it. Both Fred Sharp and John Bajo told me the same story about the spaghetti at Harry Volpe's house. But this film might be lost - the late Richard Lieberson of NYC gave me a copy of the taxi footage etc years ago and he said that this was all that the Volpe family had. He'd looked hard for the remainder of the film but never could find it. I think that when Fred had the 8mm reels, it was much more difficult to copy this kind of media, and maybe no one recognized that anyone would be interested in it except as a curiosity. They were sending the original media around the country via the post office! The lack of film of Django is certainly a mystery.

The violin/guitar player with Joseph is not Vivian Villerstein - it's actually Pierre Ramonet. Ramonet made an LP called "Jazz Violon", an amazing document to say the least...

spatzo

Yes that's clear that the clip was shot in different times but probably on one or two days obviously for me on two years no!

The copyright matter is of great interest to me as I guess that for every motion picture produced copyrighting was, then as today, mandatory, but it was also necessary to indicate on screen the numbers of the authorisation released by the authorities. Here we only have the indication "Jazz Hot" at the begining and we do not have any coda titles that might have given more informations. So investigating on the copyright should give us many usefull informations on who produced, who realized the film and on the date of the film himself.

We all remember that Jazz Hot was of course a label in that time for "non-commercial jazz music" but it was also Hugues Panassié - Pierre Nourry's musical journal. Paul Vernon essential book give us some more hints with the transcription of a Melody Maker article dated Saturday 1 january 1938 titled "Big Party from France Coming to Town for Grappelly-Reinhardt "M.M. Concert" in which MM indicates that "This party is organized by "Le Jazz Hot", the French Nourry equivalent to the Melody Maker, under the direction of Mr. Pierre Nourry, who has done so much to publicise the Quintette internationnaly..."

Link to article:
http://books.google.com/books?id=MyfObh ... ce&f=false

So the title might have been dictated from both the Hot Club of France journal and by its content (musical style). The mandant of the film so might have been le Hot Club de France as an association to promote Jazz music but if so it might easily have been produced, realized and copyrighted in France better than in UK. We must consider that Pierre Nourry was mad about Django and had already spent a lot of his money (85 francs) to press three records and to send them to Huhues Panassié, to John Hammond in the States and to Jost Van Praag and Niesen in Holland.

In "Jazz Hot" the presentation of the hot jazz music and the explanations as if a teacher was tellin lessons to students reminds me highly of Hugues Panassié that always has "explained" what was the "True Jazz".

However if it was made in UK by Bristish Gaumont or others it must have been filmed when the Quintet was on tour at the begining of 1938 (Jan-Feb) or mid-1938 (last week of June -last week of october). The first tour been organized by Leslie MacDonnell of MPM Entertainments Corporation Ltd when the second one was organized by Will Collins and Lew Grade Ltd, Theatrical and Vaudeville Exchange.

I sent an email to Decca in any case to see if something cabn be found but I do think that the copyright of "Jazz Hot" is the key of the mistery.

spatzo

Sorry Scott I was publishing and didn't saw yours.

"Sweet Georgia Brown" ... :shock: :shock: :shock: very interesting indeed but even Django playing "la Traviata" should be a shock for me :roll:

I spoke with the son of Harry Volpe years ago (round 1995 maybe) and he told me he had a lot of very old reels in his attic and had to search for that (I think he was 75 years old then) but that probably they were too damaged by humidity and time. I proposed to pay for the restauration of the reels (I had money in that times) but he ignored my proposal.

He said he perfectly remembered Django's visits at his father's home (we are speaking of 1946 Ellington Tour) and said to me that Django always refused to play when there were periodists at Harry Volpe's home but when there were musicians he was able to play the whole night on. I asked him how was Django, was it a good fellow? He told me that it was a lovely and shy person, He said they always asked to Django :

"Django do you want to play?"
"No play!"
"Django do you want to eat something?"
"No eat!"
"Django do you want coffee?"
"Coffee!"

I asked him at this time if he recalled the fact he has filmed Django's departure by boat from New-York (at that time the film was unknown) and he said he remembered that but probably couldn't find the film.

He never emailed me his the result of his search but after a few years Harry's nephew Eddy Cochrane setted up a web-site and published the film on the web. He was also selling cd's he had made from Harry Volpe's recordings and in one of those there was the copy of the film on Django. I tried to buy all the records he proposed but I never received any reply...

Fred Sharp that saw the film clearly said to me that in the film there was Django, Harry & friends walking near the Henry Hudson Hotel, Django & Harry playing (no sound of course with the 8mm format) and all of them eating spaghetti at Harry's house. I do not remember how long is the Harbour's film but I remember that an 8mm reel was about 3 min length...

spatzo

Copyright:

When Serge Bromberg casually found the Jazz Hot footage he begun to organize some private projections of the film in his home for friends. Rodolphe Raffalli (a good friend of mine) told me that the film had been found and I phoned to Bromberg to ask him if it was possible to view the film. Unfortunately he told me that he had problems with Django's heirs that wanted to be payed each time the film would have been shown. They couldn't arrive to an agreement and finally a trial was organized to solve the problem. From time to time I phoned to Serge to ask him how was the matter. And at the end Bromberg won the trial and could organize to show on a free basis public projections.

Now I think that being the matter a question of Intellectual Proprerty probably during the trial the question of the copyright was examined and maybe we can find some informations in the final sentence of the law court.

A second possibility is to ask directly to Bromberg if he has more informations on "Jazz Hot", I will try that!

Steveareno

Thanks Svanis for the link to the Lobsterfilms post. Like probably most on the forum, I've seen the earlier posts, but this one is exceptionally clear and contains alot more footage than I've seen in the others... though it does end kind of abruptly. Interesting to note in the close up of Joseph that his guitar appears to have no postion dots on the fretboard. I would certainly think the film was designed for showings in cinemas...where else? I can remember as a child in the 50's in europe and London sitting thru newsreels, short films, cartoons, travelogues, etc. before the main feature started. I also like that film clip where Django is playing the electric Epiphone archtop. It was discussed on the forum and there was some speculation as to where it was filmed and what ever happened to the Epi. Again thanks guys for a very interesting thread.
Swang on,

spatzo

Unfortunately Bromberg has return from the States 2 hours ago and immediately jumped in the montage room for his new film and cannot be disturbed...

spatzo

British Gaumont produced:

- 8 films in 1937
- 11 films in 1938
- 5 films in 1939

No trace of "Jazz Hot"

Source: http://www.gaumont-british.co.uk/

Svanis1337

Quelle Horreur.

Teddy Dupont apparently spoke to Serge Bromberg if he knew about any of the other Jazz Hot clips, but they stopped talking when Bromberg mentioned the Geneve Convention (what the heck?)

The Epiphone footage and Django's amps et cetera was discussed before, if not here then at hotclub.co.uk's forums.

Django's epiphone was with a private collector. (until recent days?) I've also heard that it was damaged and given to some guy by Babik, and he took it apart and replaced everything, treating the guitar like trash.

It's actually most likely Django's cousin's guitar. Eugene Vées.

Vées, or weiss, was Django's father's surname, and Reinhardt his mother's. Jean-Baptiste and "Négro" in first names.

He plays nuages in that clip, and seems very proficient with it, unlike in the ellington tour with the Gibson ES300. Maybe because Eugene gave it the gypsy treatment with strings et.c.

Nobody ever mentioned this photo though, taken in one of Baro's bars with Django's first son Lousson looking up beside him. There's in an epiphone amplifier to the right. The photo is from 1945, and the epiphone segment from may 1945 or 1946. I believe the discussion led them to believe it was in 1946 just before Django left for America.

Svanis1337

Also, I guess the Jazz Hot footage could've potentially been made privately, without any companies involved. Must've been expensive though. It's more than just amateur footage...

Or perhaps the reason we don't know who produced it is because it was never finished. Or released. And it was forgotten.