Album of the Day

Born on this day in 1910, Django Reinhardt has been a touchstone for jazz guitarists for decades, his gypsy-influenced finger picking all the more remarkable given that two of those fingers were paralyzed. The performer was remembered in 2000 with tribute concerts held at famed New York nightclub Birdland, the cream of which can be heard on DJANGO REINHARDT NY FESTIVAL. A couple of the players have ties to Django – his son Babik contributes a couple of tracks, and the bassist on most of these dozen selections, Jon Burr, worked for years with Reinhardt cohort Stephane Grappelli. But mostly the soloists are here simply because they're demons on the strings; young phenom Jimmy Rosenberg leads the charge with superb support from Frank Vignola, Birelli Lagrene and Bucky Pizzarelli. DJANGO REINHARDT NY FESTIVAL LIVE AT BIRDLAND is truly a master class in jazz guitar.