Sunday, November 26, 2006

Le Jazz Hot

Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli

And Django did not have the use of ring or baby fingers on the fret hand, as you can see here.

One of the handful of the true guitar greats.

9 comments:

Athos said...

Now, THIS is a qualitatively different thing altogether.

Being an appreciator of Djano and (especially) Grapelli, this is great stuff. "Art" if you will.

In the film "Swing Kids," one sees how jazz was considered degenerate by National Socialism, and Swing became a form of social protest in Germany.

Porthos said...

Glad you liked it, Ath, though I already had you figured for a Grapelli apprecionado.

Kind of slim pickens out there for Django selections, though, I'm sad to say. It's mostly Django acolytes doing Django . . .

Hey, totally off the subject. I've been thinking of starting a feature called "Ask Brother Athos," where Aramis and I present questions about things Catholic (particularly, I'm thinking, parts of the mass). Up for it? You are pretty much our big brother here.

Athos said...

I'm just an upstart Catholic convert like yourselves, gentlemen. I quickly discovered my beginner-Catholic knowledge when I took an Intro to Theology graduate-level course last spring. Aramis has been around, in and part of Catholicism much longer than I. "Ask Brother Aramis" sounds good, but slightly sacrificial.

Treat others the way I want to be treated is best followed, methinks.

I like Aramis' idea of commenting together on a series by our common mentor, M. Bailie, however.

Liberty, equality, fraternity sans guillotine, please - my head is not so swollen it needs removal from the rest of my body.

Porthos said...

Well, you're the one who has to choose WHICH Bailie series, Athos. At least let us confer priority on you in that matter. (Just don't choose the Dante series because I haven't heard it yet.)

PS: Gotta love that delete key, eh bro? Too bad I can't delete my comments in the comment boxes.

Athos said...

Aramis, if you're reading comments and since it was your fine idea, do you have a suggestion as to which Bailie tape series we try first?

Porthos, as I remember, has gotten into The Gift of Self and something else. The Luke series is one I'd like sometime farther into the future.

A blessed, peace-filled Christ the King Sunday to us and our loved ones.

David Nybakke said...

First thanks Porthos for "Minor Swing." I know it from the soundtrack of Chocolat with music by Rachel Portman.

I veto "Ask Brother Aramis" idea. I officially entered the Church one year ago, on the 19th of this month. I am a real spring chicken. The point here though is that as converts we REALLY wanted this - it was not no whim or simply a thing to do... I believe that like Athos, I had as a mentor Gil and along with my study of MT I continued to work through my passion for peace - which has led me to our (owning my own as well) propensity for violence in all its varied forms.

This conversion thing I took and take every day very seriously.

David Nybakke said...

One other thing about "Ask Brother Athos" (or whoever) idea is that as we discuss matters here that we try to help each other out by coming at matters simply and direct - avoiding what I will call Gil's-curse-of-the-complex (or academia-highfalutin-phraseology).

A big hope of mine is that some day I can lay out MT and Girardian thought at a level that my family and friends will be able to comprehend (or at least not shun me as some lunatic). I get a little weary talking in closets with other Girardians and not being able to come out into the sun and mingle with others over a coke and sharing thoughts about MT. But then again maybe that's the point, mingling brings us back to the crowd, the mob (like Black Friday).

David Nybakke said...

As far as a Bailie tape series: short series like "At Cross Purposes" or better yet, "Creation, Fall & Sacrifice" would be good. Long series like "Let This Mind Be in You", or what has been brought up here, "The Gift of Self" or another one "The Famished Craving" all get a vote from me. I think I prefer doing an older series before tackling a newer CD talk, but I could go either way.

Athos said...

Thank you, Aramis. Those are a good selection. I like the low-tech nature of tape: I stop it, and I can start it right where I left off last time.

Creation, Fall & Sacrifice sounds find to me.

Porthos?