Yesterday, 23 January, would have been Romani-Belgian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt’s 113th birthday. It’s never a bad time to listen to his tune “Heavy Artillery (Artillerie Lourde)” off the compilation album Djangology!
Reinhardt was born in 1910 in Liberchies, Belgium. He lived most of his life in France, where he combined Romani musical influences with jazz in his guitar playing. He recorded this particular song with long-time collaborator, violinist Stéphane Grappelli, while in Rome in 1949. The song was not released until 1961. While Reinhardt died of a brain hemorrhage in 1953, his music is revered and cited as an influence by performers such as Jerry Garcia, Tony Iommi, Willie Nelson, and Jimmy Page.
Artillery History 