One of at least six
Django Reinhardt compilations released in 2000 by EMI,
Panorama probably serves his memory better than the rest by presenting a chronologically concise spectrum of recordings made between March 1928 and May 1950. Beginning with two of his early pop recordings,
Panorama focuses heavily upon
the Quintet of the Hot Club de France's Gypsy swing of the 1930s (including 14 selections from 1937), and then traces
Reinhardt's progressive evolution as a creative and influential improviser during and after the Second World War. Before investing in a multi-volume set that explores each stage of
Reinhardt's career more intricately, one might consider sampling the terrain with a nice manageable collection along the lines of EMI's
Panorama. ~ arwulf arwulf