No European jazz musician looms as large as Django Reinhardt. Born into a Gypsy family of musicians in 1910, Reinhardt transformed acoustic guitar playing with brilliantly fast harmonic changes and a joyous swing. Along with violinist Stephane Grappelli, he formed the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, which fashioned what has become an entire genre: acoustic swing. One of the best guitarists in the latest generation of Reinhardt devotees, Patrick Leguidecoq -- better known as Romane -- comes to Tokyo in May.
Reinhardt's fast, vibrant style, often called "jazz manouche," or "Gypsy jazz," has never been matched -- though many have tried. One of the first contenders was Bireli Lagrene, who at the age of 13 sounded like Reinhardt reborn. Later guitarists broadened the music's popularity by including other world music and jazz elements while keeping the rhythmic swing and astonishing solos. Romane has recorded together with other acoustic swing masters, including Tchavolo Schmitt, Stochelo Rosenberg and Babik Reinhardt, Django's son. All of these players have fanned Europe's near-obsession with jazz manouche and spawned several music festivals devoted to finding his next reincarnation. It's nice to get some of the overflow in Tokyo at last.
Romane has developed his own particular techniques. Born in France into a family of musicians, Romane devoted himself to the guitar from the age of 10. Listening to records of his idol, Romane taught himself how to play and even went so far as to tape up two fingers on his left hand to discover how the master's technique actually worked. (Early in his career, Reinhardt lost the use of two fingers in a fire.) Romane's flowing arpeggios and breathtaking runs are dazzling. He never crowds the melody with too many notes, but seesaws between chords and hangs on a single note for subtle climaxes.