My man James Carter is a dude's dude interpreting the music of Django Reinhardt on "Chasin' the Gypsy," one of the most excellent jazz CDs I own, period. Then again, J.C. is a saxophonist, so what does he have to lose by comparison? Now a guitarist reinterpreting Django Reinhardt, that's another matter, my friend.
I don't known if he's channeling Django or what, but on "Move," Dreyfus, French guitarist Bireli Lagrene is equal to the task. He has the gypsy rhythm thing down and brings a modern sensibility to Reinhardt's music as well. Check out the super guitar and sax dueting between Lagrene and Franck Wolf on "Un Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi" and "Place Du Tertre." I've got to think Django would have been thinking "Oh my god!" on Lagrene's run through Reinhardt's "Hungaria" and on the title track, which made my jaw drop.
The version of "Nuages" here is a great contrast to Carter's rendition and their rendering of the standard "Cherokee" rates with, say, the great long-form version by Wynton Marsalis on his Village Vanguard live sessions. This is the kind of CD that makes me sorry for people who don't listen to jazz.
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