Django

In Django, Michael Dregni offers a definitive portrait of the great guitarist. Born in a gypsy caravan at a crossroads in Belgium, he overcame a childhood injury to became Europe's most famous jazz musician, commanding exorbitant fees--and spending the money as fast as he made it. Dregni not only chronicles his remarkably colorful life--including a fascinating account of gypsy culture--but he also sheds much light on Django's musicianship. He examines the multitude of diverse musical forms to which he applied his genius, and the people with whom he collaborated. Along the way, the author offers vivid snapshots of the jazz scene in Paris, and of Django's vagabond wanderings around France, Europe, and the United States.
Capturing the extraordinary life and times of one of the great musicians of the twentieth century, Django is a must-read portrait of a true original.