Babik Reinhardt (8 June 1944 – 13 November 2001) was a guitarist and the younger son of gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt by Django's second wife, Naguine. His elder half brother Lousson, who was Django's son by his first wife, Bella, was also a guitarist, but the two grew up in different families and rarely met.

Reinhardt was born in Paris. He learned guitar not from his father but from his mother; his father gave him piano lessons. When Reinhardt was nine years old, his father died.^[1][2] His musical education in guitar was continued by uncles and cousins.

Drawn more to jazz fusion than gypsy jazz, Reinhardt recorded with fusion pioneer Larry Coryell and French violinist Didier Lockwood in the 1990s.^[1][2] In 2001, he died of a heart attack at the age of 57 in Cannes, France.^[1]

Reinhardt appeared on the album Generation Django (Dreyfus, 2009), a tribute to his father recorded by multiple musicians, including Django's grandson, David, and Biréli Lagrène.^[3]

Discography

As leader/co-leader

• 1996 Imagine (Melodie)
• 1996 All Love (RDC)
• 1996 Live (DRG)
• 1996 Nuances (Melodie)
• 1996 Vibration (Melodie)
• 1998 A Night with Conover (RDC)
• 1998 New Quintette du Hot Club de France - with Romane, Florin Niculescu, Gilles Naturel & Doudou Cuillerier
• 2003 Joue Django (RDC)
• 2006 Three of a Kind (Sphinx) - with Christian Escoude, Boulou Ferré^[4]

As guest

• 1997 Hot Shots with Hot Club de Norvège/Jon Larsen
• 2009 Generation Django (Dreyfus)^[3]

Films

• 2005 Django: A Jazz Tribute, starring Biréli Lagrène and Babik Reinhardt

References