Rock & Roll Books

Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend

Oxford University Press, 278 pp., $35

In the jazz guitar pantheon, Eddie Lang, Django Reinhardt, and Charlie Christian form an unchallenged triumvirate of early innovators and standard setters. For almost 70 years since he burst into international popularity, Reinhardt has remained a favorite of jazz aficionados and general listeners alike. Yet until now, the only biography of the gypsy guitarist has been Charles Delaunay's brief 1961 work, a fun but dated and underresearched book. With Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend, Michael Dregni has finally filled that void. Dregni is a storyteller, and this is both his strength and weakness. The tales and characters are rich, engaging, and sometimes unbelievably funny: from the bitter 1895 Parisian war between bagpipers and accordionists to "The Sublime Gregor and the Gregorians," lead by an Armenian Turk boxer turned dancer turned bandleader and impresario. Where Dregni falters is in his inability to resist novelistic, undocumentable details and occasional lapses into melodrama. While the book is thoroughly researched and heavily documented, this poetic license is both unnecessary and unwarranted. The text also begs for photographs, as well as an annotated list of recordings, and with a $35 price tag, the reader has a right to expect both. Sadly, the only picture herein is an unfortunate drawing on the cover that depicts Reinhardt's famously crippled left hand looking perfectly healthy. The editors and their budgets likely share blame for these weaknesses, but despite its flaws, Django works. The reader comes away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the guitarist and his music. At only 278 pages, there's room for future volumes on Django Reinhardt's life, but for now this is the book for any fan, and it's worth the time. If this is a gift, throw in a few more bucks, get the Delaunay book as well (which has both photos and a recording list), and your recipient will have a collection of the complete written works on the seminal guitarist Django Reinhardt.