Portrait of Angelo

The recordings from which the contents of Portrait of Angelo Debarre were drawn were originally recorded and released on a variety of labels between 1989 and, strangely enough, 2002 (the same year as the compilation's release). Most of these tracks, though not all, find Angelo DeBarre paying tribute to the legendary Django Reinhardt, either by playing Reinhardt's compositions ("Anouman," and the inevitable "Minor Blues"), or by playing originals and other modern compositions in a style clearly indebted to the gypsy jazz master. The oldest — and the most recent — of these performances are the ones most explicitly based on the Reinhardt-Grappelli quintets of the 1930s; the 1989 cuts, which include thrilling renditions of "La Gitane" and "Minor Blues," feature DeBarre in a trio format, backed up only by acoustic rhythm guitar and bass; "There'll Never Be Another You" and " Swing Gitane" both add Ola Kvernberg's violin to the mix (and feature an almost all-Norwegian ensemble). Elsewhere, Gabriel Androne adds a melancholy accordion to "Coeur de Bois" and "Swing Chez Toto," and a balalaika makes an appearance on "Romano Trajo." What this all amounts to is a nice balance between slavish tribute and creative boundary-pushing. Highly recommended.