Joseph Reinhardt

Joseph Reinhardt
Joseph Reinhardt in 1957 (still from P. Paviot film Django Reinhardt, 1957)
Born(1912-03-01)1 March 1912
Paris, France
Died24 February 1982(1982-02-24) (aged 69)
RelativesDjango Reinhardt (brother)
Babik Reinhardt (nephew)
Lousson Reinhardt (nephew)
Musical career
GenreGypsy jazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1930s–1940s

Joseph Reinhardt (1 March 1912 – 24 February 1982) was a French musician who was the younger brother of guitarist Django Reinhardt. He played rhythm guitar on most of Django's pre-war recordings, especially those with the Quintette du Hot Club de France between 1934 and 1939. He was a pioneer of the amplified jazz guitar in France and performed for years on a home-made instrument of his own design.

Life and work

Reinhardt was born in Paris, France, on 1 March 1912, two years after his famous brother. In their teens they performed as a duo in the cafes and dance halls. Joseph Reinhardt was a member of the Quintette du Hot Club de France which recorded from 1934 to 1939. Beginning in 1943, he recorded as a solo act and with the Hot Four led by Stéphane Grappelli. After Django's death in 1953, Reinhardt briefly stopped playing guitar, but he returned to perform in Paul Paviot's documentary Django Reinhardt (1957), which included Grappelli, Henri Crolla, and other associates of Django.

In the 1961 film Paris Blues, a film a with a lot of jazz music, he appears (non-musical, non-speaking) as a guest at a rooftop party.

In his mid 60s, Reinhardt was photographed performing at the 1978 Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois-sur-Seine, which also featured his nephew and Django's first son Lousson, playing an electric Gibson archtop guitar. In the 1950s and 1960s, Reinhardt played an unorthodox electric guitar of his own construction.

He died on 24 February 1982 at the age of 69. He is buried in the cemetery at Samois alongside Django.

Discography

Sidework

References

  1. ↑ "[Django Station] - Joseph Reinhardt". www.djangostation.com. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Jean 'Django' Reinhardt: A Contextual Bio-Discography 1910-1953, page 304, ISBN 9781351561730
  3. ↑ "REINHARDT Joseph". deces.matchid.io. Fichier des personnes décédées. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Dregni, Michael (2008). Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing. Oxford University Press. pp. 107–119. ISBN 978-0-19-531192-1.