DJANGO: WORLD'S GREATEST JAZZ GUITARIST

Christensen, Bonnie. Django: World's Greatest Jazz Guitarist. New York: Flash Point, 2009. ISBN 978-1-59643-422-6.

PLOT SUMMARY:
A biography of Django Reinhardt (1910-1953) who was born in Belgium, in extreme poverty in a gypsy encampment. Traveling without access to school, music was his love. Abandoned by his father, Django moves to Paris and is considered "Gypsy Genius" and "Prodigy Boy" until a fire almost kills him. After months in a hospital, Django picks up a guitar but his left hand no longer works. He goes back to Paris and surprises onlookers with his new form of music. Django became a star and toured with American jazz musicians including Duke Ellington at Carnegie Hall.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The story opens poetically and melodically when Django is born, with a myriad of sounds (dogs barking, banjos talking, lauging, screeching, baby crying) which is a premonition for his life full of music. Music envelops the book except for the dark, desolate time Django spends in the hospital after nearly losing his life in a fire.

The paintings are simple and colorful with broad strokes and feel musical themselves. You can almost hear the music when you see the gypsies dancing around the fires and see Django playing later in his life to happy onlookers applauding. The illustrations during the time Django spent in the hospital are a contrast with dreary grey being the predominant color.

After the story is an afterward showcasing Django in his later years when he became a famous Jazz guitarist. It is important to see that Django became successful after his disability occurred. The history of Django's people, the Romas, is also told as is the history of his name and other information. Django had over 200 albums released and a few of them are highlighted to reflect his career.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Booklist:
*Starred Review* The story of Django Reinhardt is a natural for younger audiences unlike so many other jazz musicians whose troubled lives and complex music have become the stuff of picture books. Christensen supports the inspirational story with rich, vibrant paintings that capture the texture and tone of the landscapes in Django's life: burnt oranges and various shades of brown bring the Gypsy campfires to vivid life, while bright blues shimmering under the sharp yellows of stage footlights depict the electricity of the guitarist in performance. The art steals the show here, but the text works fine, too, describing the essence of Django's story without overwhelming middle-graders with too much detail.

Library Media Connection:
In simple text, children will be fascinated to read of Django's rise against tremendous odds-his severe poverty in a gypsy encampment, his horrifying injury that almost ended his ability to play music. Christensen's oil painting illustrations are masterful with rich color, and their size and composition will make a group storytime easy to follow.

School Library Journal:
Christensen uses impressionistic oil paintings and lyrical text to introduce readers to Reinhardt in this appreciative tribute. In stark colors, Christensen conveys the hopelessness of the musician's situation, trapped in his iron-railed hospital bed. She includes enough detail to give perspective, but it is her lush paintings that so effectively give life to the man's effervescent charm and determined courage. This inspiring account of an individual overcoming tragedy and adversity should find a wide audience.

Publisher's Weekly:
Christensen’s soft, rhythmic prose echoes her evocative images as Django explores the music scene of 1920s Paris, before suffering serious burns on his hands and leg when his wagon catches fire. Despite his injuries, Reinhardt teaches himself to play again, his career “just beginning/ Bright and brilliant stages waiting.” A sensuous tribute to an illustrious musician.

CONNECTIONS:

* Listen to some of Djano Reinhardt's music.
Some of his music can be heard here:
http://www.last.fm/music/Django+Reinhardt

* Django played the guitar and banjo. See if any of your students (or you or another teacher or librarian) play the guitar or banjo. If so, have them play for the class.

* Django's disability affected his arm and his playing of music. Have students try to do some everyday things such as reading a book or carrying things with one arm to see how difficult it would be.

* Talk about what personality traits Django must have possessed in order to overcome his childhood and his personal tragedy and still become a great Jazz guitarist. Ask students if they feel passionate about anything. Ask them how hard they would work to do what they love?

* Listen to Jazz music. Have students close their eyes and talk about what feelings they experience while listening. Listen to other forms of music (Rap, Rock, Country) and see if they experience different emotions.