Armen-Gurgen Movsesyan

Analysis Paper Draft

Dr. Murphy, Jazz Analysis
11/20/2015

The Music of Django Reinhardt: The Evolution of Gypsy Jazz Language

Background

For a while after Reinhardts death in 1955, the gypsy sub-genre

of jazz receded in popularity, despite Reinhardts brother, Joseph,
taking the reigns as the new king of the style.

Eventually, the gypsy

jazz phenomonon took over the world and Django enthusiasts across the
globe celebrate the

style and the culture associated with the music.

Several festivals are held annually that attract thousands of

gypsy jazz musicians under one roof to share their love for the music.
Directed primarily towards the musians, these festivals typically host
large jam sessions and market gypsy jazz products including
instruments and gear specifically made for the style. More
importantly, these gatherings are a place where new gypsy jazz talent
is discovered and the music is shared between musicians from different
backgrounds and levels. While Reinhardts music is known and

appreciated around the world, it has certainly changed in many ways,

especially in terms of its stylistic qualities.

Few studies exist which aim to address the changes that have
occurred in the music, specifically regarding how players improvise in
the style. Two studies, one from 2004 by Romane Sebastien and another
from 2009 by Benjamin Givan, have been at the forefront of gypsy jazz
analysis, strongly focused on Reinhardts playing specifically.
Additionally, several gypsy jazz musicians including Bob Ross, Denis
Chang, and Robin Nolan have attempted to codify certain aspects of the
music. While there are stark differences between different performers
of the music, the pedagogy of gypsy jazz is less open to
interpretation and many novice players follow the guidelines
standardized by the aformentioned players and others that are well
respected within the community. However, there hasnt been a study
aimed at analyzing the way the style, especially the improvisional
techinques, have changed since Reinhardt.

This paper will address how the teaching of gypsy jazz has changed the
way the music is played and, specifically, which stylistic elements
are still apparent in the music since Django developed it decades ago.
In order to demonstrate these changes through time, Reinhardts solo
techniques will be shown through an analysis of his solo over a
standard minor blues melody and progression and compared to an
analysis of a solo over the same melody and progression performed by
two players who have come after him, Fapy Lafertin and Adrien

Moignard. Reinhardts solo will be taken from a lesser known 1948

recording, closer to his peak in musical development. Lafertins solo
will be taken from his

1980s live sessions. Lastly, Moignards solo

will be taken from a live recording in 2013 at the Django in June

camp.

Djangos Gypsy Jazz Language

In order to put the changes in the style into context, lets

begin by addressing the fundemental elements of Reinhardts style.
Following the old swing music tradition, Reinhardts improvisations
are very melodic in that they remain true to the melody of the
composition and do not stray too far into the realm of reharmonization
and substitution of harmonic structures. Secondly, like the clarinet
and trumpet players of the swing style, Reinhardt utlized arpeggios
heavily in his improvisations to address the harmonic progression of
the composition.

Most importantly, Reinhardts bank of tools or licks are

informed strongly by the phsyical limitations of his left hand, which
he had burned in a fire shortly before he decided to perform his music
across Europe and the United States. These licks demonstrate a
propensity to navigate the neck horizontally in simple, position
oriented patterns which sit comfortably on the guitar neck. I will pay
close attention to how this physical limitation contributed to the

types of musical choices Reinhardt made in his playing, and whether

the other two players adhered to or strayed away from these choices
because they did not share his physical limitations.

While there are other identifying charactersistics of his

playing, like his sharp, punchy tone and wide, rapid vibrato, the
three mentioned above are the ones which address his improvisations
specifically.

Reinhardts and Lafertins Minor Blues Solo

Because Lafertins playing is considered traditionalist and

closer to the original style, I will open with how these solos are so
similar and what, if anything, differentiates Lafertins playing from
Reinhardts.

Fig. 1. Reinhardts bluesy 16th-note triplet riff anchored around the

4th and 5 passing tone. Lafertins sparse 8th-note melodies using offbeat syncopations.
Fapy begins with sparse eigth note melodies while Reinhardt
starts with a bluesy 16th-note triplet riff anchored around the 4th and
the 5th passing tone. Keeping in mind that Reinhardt had only the use
of this first and middle finger for soloing, it is easy to understand
why he would gravitate towards this kind of figure in his playing. For
his two solo fingers, a riff built from two notes a half step apart is
an easy reach. This is an example of how his physical limitations
informed the choices in his solos.

The use of sparse eighth-note melodies is one of the primary

elements in Lafertins playing that identify him as a traditionalist.
On the other hand, his rhythmic language demonstrates the use of more
syncopations, a characteristic of modern swing music and bebop which
Django was only beginning to dissect when his minor blues solo was
recorded in 1948.

Fig. 2. Reinhardts down-beat oriented melodic rhythms versus

Lafertins manipulation of the accented rhythm.

Lafertins evolved rhythmic language is also apparent in the next

four bars of the solo. The harmonic language is very similar to
Reinhardts and they both arpeggiate the iv chord harmony, but
Lafertin changes the accents within the arpeggio while Reinhardts
arpeggio line remains down-beat oriented.

Overall, Lafertins solo exhibits a rhythmic looseness because of

the combination of different accented rhythms and heavier use of offbeat syncopations. The looseness comes from the way Lafertin varies
these rhythmic ideas. Reinhardts rhythmic ideas do not create that
same sense of looseness. Lafertins rhythmic language indicates a
grasp of more evolved jazz phrasing stemming from developments in
modern swing and bebop. Lafertin manages to create another layer of
development in his solo using these rhythmic ideas alone, while he
hardly changes the harmonic content within these ideas.

Fig. 3. Reinhardts down-beat oriented motivic development. Lafertins

motivic development using simple rhythmic modulations.

Another area where the difference in their rhythmic language is

apparent is how they develop a simple motif in the beginning of their
second chorus (fig.3). Once again, Reinhardts rhythms are down-beat
oriented and do not demonstrate any variation in that regard, other
than the switch between the eighth-note triplet pick up and the 8thnote riff around the Db. By contrast, Lafertin does not adhere to a
strict rhythmic formula to develop his motif. He continues to alter
the accented rhythm like he did in the previous example. Similarly, no
huge contrasts exist in either players interpretation of the harmony
monic in these passages.

Lafertins use of simple melodies and arpeggiation of chord

structures identifies him as a traditionalist in the style of gypsy
jazz. His rhythmic language, however, has developed beyond Reinhardts
down-beat oriented phrasing. Next, we will analyze a player who
combines developed rhythmic sensibilities with a broader sense of
harmony.

Adrien Moignard and Modern Gypsy Jazz

Gypsy jazz has become very popular over the decades since
Reinhardts death. Younger players who are known within the scene
often demonstrate a more eclectic mix of influences in their playing.

Their harmonic and rhythmic language seems to stem from various

sources other than Reinhardt, and for that reason there is typically
much more variation in the ideas utilized in their playing. Moignard
is a compromise between the two. He adheres to many of the core
principles which define the style but he isnt afraid to experiment
and venture into areas of harmony which traditionalist like Lafertin
would likely never incorporate into his own playing.

Fig. 4. Moignards strong end to a phrase on the up-beat, emphasized

by doubling the note an octave below.

Unlike Lafertins rhythmic ideas, Moignards do not always have a

sense of having to return back to the down-beat. By remaining in the
floaty, syncopated nature of the rhythm, Moignard expands on the loose
feel of the lines that Lafertin created in his solo. Moignard creates
this feeling intentionally as indicated by how he emphasizes the upbeat at the end of his phrase in measure 15 on the D79 chord (Fig. 4).
The emphasis is made by doubling the E an octave below and strongly
accenting the upbeat. Furthermore, Moignard does so without adhering

strictly to the basic harmony. The major 7th interval between the D
note and the E octave strengthens the effect of this line overall by
adding dissonance and angularity.

Fig. 5. Moignard shifts away from the major 6 tonality.

Substitutes G triad for the V7 of iv.

Both Lafertin and Reinhardt adhere to the major 6 tonality in on

the i chord and almost always on the iv chord as well. In bar 15,
however, Moignard outlines a Bbmaj9 chord which provides the Gm11 sound.
By shifting away from the major 6 tonality Moignard opens up the
harmony and creates room for introducing more colors in his lines
(fig. 5). He continues to stray away from the harmony in bar 16 where
he plays an idea rooted around a G triad.
In Moignards solo, we can identify two ways that the gypsy jazz
language has evolved. First, it is the use of syncopated ideas and
melodic rhythms other than the down-beats which he shares in common
with Lafertin and expands. Moignard has taken Lafertins looser
rhythmic approach to the style and expanded on by not only placing
lines on off-beat rhythms but emphasizing these off-beats by using

them in bold ways to end his phrases. Second is the introduction of

substitute harmony over the traditional chord changes and a shift away
from the major 6 harmony to tonicize the im6 chord. Moignard has taken
Lafertins looser approach to the style and taken it a step further by
expanding on the rhythmic development and stretching the harmony.

Conclusion

Reinhardts playing created the stylistic foundation for the

gypsy jazz subgenre. Contemporary gypsy jazz players build their own
style upon this foundation while adding elements from modern jazz
language.
The two solos by gypsy jazz guitarists Fapy Lafertin and Adrien
Moignard demonstrate this evolved way of playing over the style.
Lafertin developed Djangos language by adding more advanced rhythms
and syncopations from modern swing and bebop. Moignard expanded the
language further by taking phrases away from the down-beat feel and
introducing substitute harmonies over the traditional changes.
While the primary characteristics of Reinhardts playing like
melodicism and extensive use of arpeggios is prevalent in Lafertins
and Moignards solos, they do not limit the creative choices that
these modern gypsy jazz guitarists make. Rather, they serve as a
template for Lafertin and Moignard to shape their own ideas. Gypsy
jazz lives on in these players, adapting to the ever-changing style
and culture.

Word Count: 1817

Works Cited

Givan, Benjamin. 2009. The Music of Django Reinhardt (Jazz

Perspectives). Michigan. University of Michigan Press
Lafertin, Fapy. 1987. Blues Mineur. By Fapy Lafertin and Ian
Cruickshank. Recorded May 1987. Private.
Moignard, Adrien. 2013. Blues Minor. By Adrien Moignard, Gonzalo
Bergara, Jeremie Arranger. Recorded June 2013 with Benjamin Gass.
Private.
Reinhardt, Django. 1948. Blues en Mineur. By Django Reinhardt and
Joseph Reinhardt. Recorded 1948. On Intgrale #16-2 Festival 48,
Fremeaux & Assoc. Fr.

Sebastien, Romane. 2004. LEsprit Manouche: A Comprehensive Study

Guide of Gypsy Jazz Guitart. Mel Bay.