Django

Christensen's biography of Django Reinhardt brings this pioneer of jazz to life for young people. Through her poetry, Christensen chronicles Django's "hard life"--his birth in 1910, his abandonment and early musical days in Paris, his crippling accident, his rebirth and new form of jazz guitar, his musical alliances and tours. Narrator George Guidall combines reality and drama masterfully. He expertly delivers the syncopation of Christensen's text, and his use of andante and allegretto phrasing underscores both the specific events in Django's life and Christensen's poetry. Background sound effects and Django's own music add depth. Notes on the Roma people and a glossary and bibliography/discography conclude the production. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine