Have you seen Sweet and Lowdown? You should probably watch it! : )

Of all the three fingered Belgian gypsy guitarists, he's my favourite.

Django's music is just wonderful. Even people who would normally say I hate jazz can't help enjoying it. It's wonderful, uplifting music and him and Stephan Graphelli (violin) play like demons. His guitar playing is all the more impressive when you consider, as Peejay pointed out, that he was missing two fingers that he lost in a caravan fire. Must check out that link, thanks for that.

Yes, those Django/Grapelli recordings are electrifying and anyone up for experimenting with their listening choices should check them out. Strangely enough, there's a current band called the Hot Club de Paris but they're an English rock act. Here in Paris there's loads of Django-related tributes and bars and the like, although the original Hot Club bars on the Boulevard Saint Germain are long gone: I might do an article on Django for the column in the near future....

My favourite Django story (and there are loads - he had one hell of a life) is of the time the Belgian royal family invited him to dinner - his music was popular in the Belgian court at the time and perhaps still is. Anyway, at dinner Django, not being very socially refined, began eating his salad with his fingers (no jokes, please). Silence around the table.

Then the royal family, afraid of offending their cherished guest, also began eating their salad with their fingers.

Fantastic film. Sean Penn is brilliant. Well worth watching. U might have to go to Laser though to find it, or HMV should have it.

quality, would look forward to reading that!

What would people recommend in terms of albums? I prefer the more acousticy swing type stuff to electric "jazz" jave some tune with a singer, "django's a mugging...." is a line in it, quality.

The violin player is class too, what an instrument though.