Videos: France Gall, Django Reinhardt and Elis Regina

Here are three older short music films I've really enjoyed lately.

Here is France Gall's adorable face, winning the 1965 Eurovision contest with the Serge Gainsbourg-penned song Poupee De Cire, Poupee De Son ("Wax Doll, Singing Doll" - download video, 7 meg Windows Media file). She was seventeen years old when she sang this at the Tenth Eurovision Fest in Naples, Italy. Her performance is merely adequate, but the camera stays close up on her loveliness as she sings the song that went to number one throughout Europe, launching her career. Here's a ton more France Gall to listen to, via WFMU's Realaudio archives. Video via All Kinds of Everything, via Earnest Little Cartoon Guy.

Here's a cool short film of the great Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and his Quintet of the Hot Club of France performing J'Attenndrai ("I Will Wait" - download video, 12 meg, Quicktime file) A newsreel-style announcer introduces the band as they lounge around a room, smoking and playing cards while a young Django and Stephane Grappelli lightly jam. Then it goes into a full blown performance of the Quintet. This is the first time I've ever seen Django play, after loving his music for 30 years. You can get a good view of Django's fret hand, which had two damaged fingers from a fire he suffered when he was eighteen. Despite his permanent hand injury, Django went on to be one of the main innovators of using the guitar as a melody instrument, along with Charlie Christian, Lonnie Johnson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Video via Djangobooks. More Django from the WFMU Realaudio archives here.

Elis Regina's version of Aguas De Marco (Waters of March) with the song's author, Antonio Carlos Jobim appears on the amazing collection Elis and Tom. On that version, she gets comically exasperated towards the end of the song and starts cracking up. On this version (download video, 11 meg, Quicktime file), the same thing happens, but it seems so genuine that it it's hard to believe this was simply part of her act (unlike Ella Fitzgerald's shtick of  "forgetting" her lyrics). Not sure who she is playing with here, but if you already love her voice, you'll love her even more when you see her sing. via the great dailymotion site, discovered via antville. More Elis from the WFMU Realaudio archives here.

Comments

[pierre martin]

Merci beaucoup...

[Stefano]

This was also MY first chance of seeing the man playing, it's SO amazing! Thanks for posting man, one of the greatest undigs that I have ever stumbled upon since I first got a browser and an Internet connection

[Chris]

So lovely to see this. I've been a Django guy for years and never seen him play before. I read a biography recently with descriptions of how he played and now that all comes to life. Thanks for this

[William Craig]

Hi! Thanks for these wonderful clips. As a jazz player, I just wanted to comment on Elis Regina's laughter: She's not forgetting words, as the Ella reference might suggest, but cracking up over the game the pianist is playing with her, a little call-response trading game that becomes so playful and complex (note the little tunes he "quotes") that she can't help laughing. It's a jazz thing, inviting chaos into the performance by throwing challenges at one another that are sometimes -- bliss! -- perfectly caught and matched, and other times -- another kind of bliss! -- dropped, spilling into laughter. A beautiful performance...

[David]

Wow - thanks, Ken! Elis & Tom's "Aguas De Marco" is one of the most magical songs I've ever heard - for some reason it just hits me in all the right places. Having the opportunity to see this video - divine!

[Tim Kjær Lange]

The Elis Regina-clip is from this DVD: Elis Regina MPB Special.
Elis Regina was among the greatest vocalists in Brasil, and in this part interview part concert she is nothing short of amazing!

[Matvei Sigalov]

Musicians on that Elis Regina video:
Cesar Camargo Mariano(piano)-her husband at the time
Paolo Braga(drums)
Luizao(bass)

[King]

Does any one know what year this video was in?

[S Minaee]

For people who are interested in this stuff, watch the right-hand technique of Django's backing guitarists (in this case Joseph Reinhardt, his brother, and Baro Ferret) - totally loose and swooping, playing the guitar as a percussion instrument, as it should be played. Also check out how Django feels the swing in between his phrases. But mostly listen to Django.

[jo]

nice django video, i showed it to my wife, she said, "it sounds like he's playing with 20 fingers"

[Oscar Ferio Espinosa]

Fantastico el film de Django es la primera vez que puedo ver esos dedos magicos.Muchas gracias por este obsequio.Si hay mas....que vengan.Desde Mar del Plata,Argentina un saludo y prometo que le pasare este video a mis amigos,tal como lo hizo mi amigo Lacicorneta@ciudad.com.ar

[Scheiro]

Thanks !!! Merci beaucoup pour la video de Django, car pour la première fois je peux voir ce grand musicien en action grâce à ce film.

[Laci Trakal]

Gracias a vuestra página he descubierto cómo tocaba Django. Es sorprendente.
Desde Mar del Plata Argentina los saluda un fanático del Jazz.
Todo el material que tienen es muy interesante. Avant!
Merci

[Buzzfretz]

Django is the greatest!

[Fernando Fuentes Cervantes]

Hi, Mi name is Fernando, i´m from mexico city, i have 23 years old and i´m fan of django´s music since 17, in my country is very difficult to find cd`s or any kind of music of djangos collection, i have just like a little more than 60 mp3`s of django, and in my country i`ve never know about a fan club or something like that, i just speak a little of english, my native language is spanish, so.... my grammar is awful,

However, im just tryin to meet by net, peoples who loves, djangos music, like me, or people with the same interest in gypsy jazz, or jazz guitar,

Sometimes if feel like a weirdo, because i cannot speak with nobody about my music choices,

I hope someday meet django´s fans or something like that

good luck!!

sincerly "fercho"

[Ray Marek]

Thanks, Ken! Elis & Tom's. great stuff.

Regards
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