I Don't Know much about Jazz but I like..... Django Reinhardt's Nuages

I can't remember where I first heard of Django Reinhardt but I have had this collection for more than 30 years now. Whenever I play it I end up playing it more than twice, marvelling at the playing and innovation.

Reinhardt  and Stephane Grappelli actually started together in a band with Reinhardt's brother. The liner notes on this album do not say who plays on what but from the sound I suspect many of these recordings date from then. Here is a link to a nice documentary on him.

Recorded mainly in the 30's and 40's  it has many of Reinhardts' standards including Djangology and Nuages.

Reinhardt's playing is quite distinctive as he had to modify his style after two of his fingers were paralyzed after a fire in his caravan in 1928.  Many jazz guitarists have tried to replicate his style since.  Woody Allen's movie Sweet and Lowdown starring Sean Penn was a great sideways tribute to Django with Penn's character trying to emulate Django's playing.