NUAGES

The Life and Times of Django Reinhardt
A Documentary in five parts

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Part 1
‘Practically the inventor of jazz guitar’: The Early Years
First marriage, first recording, initial acclaim and a life-altering injury. Includes footage of young Louis Armstrong performing ‘I Cover the Waterfront.’

Part 2
Meets Stephane Grappelli. Formation of the Hot Club of France, first recordings for the Ultraphone label.

Part 3
American jazz musicians return from Europe with news of an amazing gypsy guitarist. Also includes the real-life incident that was the inspiration for one of the most hilarious scenes in Woody Allen’s faux-documentary, Sweet and Lowdown.

Part 4
Reunites with Grappelli after WWII; accepts Duke Ellington’s invitation to tour with the Ellington band in the United States—Django’s only visit to these shores. Unable to speak English, uncomfortable in American society, barely literate, Django felt humiliated, considered the trip to be a personal failure. Writes some of his most famous songs, including ‘Nuages,’ and begins to devote more time to painting.

Part 5
Records first album, agrees to concertize in the U.S. with some of the top jazz artists of the day, but dies before the concerts could take place. Grappelli reunites remaining Hot Club musicians for a Django tribute.