Tune details
Music: W. C. Handy
Words: W. C. Handy
Published / composed / adapted — see history: 1914
Original key: Not established
Study level: Intermediate; advanced where the inherited roadmap needs reconstruction
This piece rewards learning an arrangement rather than calling a generic blues. Major and minor passages create a broader narrative, and each ensemble must agree how those passages fit together.
Agree the arrangement before the count-in.

Owner content reviewed — 2026-10-05T23:51:38Z by admin. Coverage measures presence, not accuracy. Content review does not certify rights or musical perfection.
Django recordings for this tune. Uploader dates and take labels remain source claims; only an evidenced exact association enables a row’s Listen control.
Django Reinhardt
source-described; accuracy not independently verified
Uploader identifies this as Django Reinhardt’s performance; recording date and take require comparison with the discography.
| Entry | Year | Recording / session / release evidence | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 1935 | St. Louis Blues, Aug.1935, P 77469 ,"Fremeaux FA 303, Classics 727, JSP 341, Vogue 668003-1"," - Paris - Frank ""Big Boy"" Goudie (tpt,ts,cl), Stephane Grappelly (p), Django & Joseph Reinhardt (g),Sigismond Beck (b), Jerry Mengo (d)" | — |
| 02 | 1935 | St. Louis Blues, 30/9/35, 2009-HPP ,"Fremeaux FA 304, Classics 708, JSP 344, Conifer CDHD206, Gitanes 159 853-2"," - Stephane Grappely's Hot Four - Grappelly (v), Django & Joseph Reinhardt (g) Pierre Ferret (g), Louis Vola (b)" | — |
| 03 | 1938 | St. Louis 30/6/38, Blues,Acetate ,Fremeaux 308," - Swing Night in Paris - Valaida Snow (tp&voc), Django Reinhardt (g),Roger Grasset (g)" | — |
| 04 | 1937 | St. Louis Blues, 9/9/37, OLA 1952-1 ,"Fremeaux 306, Affinity AFS 1003, Classics 762, Jazz Time 790560-2, EMI 780671-2, Blue Note CDP 7243837138-2, Mosaic MD6-190(6 CD Set)."," - Paris - Django Reinhardt (g), Louis Gaste (g), Eugene d'Hellemmes (b)" | — |
| 05 | 1947 | St. Louis Blues, 8-13/11/47, "Fremeaux FA 315, Vogue 228E 6008, Vogue 668003-3, Vogue 670205"," - Paris - Souvenirs de Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt (elg), Gerard Leveque (cl), Eugene Vees (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b), Andre Jourdan (d)" | — |
| 06 | 1950 | St. Louis Blues, 1950, CW17,"Fremeaux FA 318, RCA ND 70929-2, Dejavu CD 32"," - Rome - Django Reinhardt (elg), Andre Ekyan (as,cl), Ralph Schecroun (p) Alf Masselier (b), Roger Paraboschi (d)" | — |
| 07 | 1935 | St.Louis Blues,P 77469 ,"Fremeaux FA 303, Classics 727, JSP 341, Vogue 668003-1","Aug.1935 - Paris - Frank ""Big Boy"" Goudie (tpt,ts,cl), Stephane Grappelly (p), Django & Joseph Reinhardt (g),Sigismond Beck (b), Jerry Mengo (d)" | — |
| 08 | 1935 | St.Louis Blues,2009-HPP ,"Fremeaux FA 304, Classics 708, JSP 344, Conifer CDHD206, Gitanes 159 853-2","30/9/35 - Stephane Grappely's Hot Four - Grappelly (v), Django & Joseph Reinhardt (g) Pierre Ferret (g), Louis Vola (b)" | — |
| 09 | 1938 | St.Louis Blues,Acetate ,Fremeaux 308,"30/6/38 - Swing Night in Paris - Valaida Snow (tp&voc), Django Reinhardt (g),Roger Grasset (g)" | — |
A dash means no video has been associated with this exact historical recording. Tune-level listening resources remain available above.
St. Louis Blues is credited here to W. C. Handy. The source date is 1914; publication, composition and later lyric adaptations may have separate dates. The inherited archive lists 6 recording entries, with dated entries spanning 1935–1950. These are archive rows, not a claim that every entry is a distinct released take. The linked recording rows preserve the original discographical wording. Compare their dates, matrices and personnel when choosing a performance to study.
Music: W. C. Handy
Words: W. C. Handy
Published / composed / adapted — see history: 1914
Original key: Not established
Study level: Intermediate; advanced where the inherited roadmap needs reconstruction
Listening task: Keep the melodic identity of each strain; a blues-scale solo is not a substitute for learning the head. Mark the key, pickup, phrase lengths and ending before comparing another version.
St. Louis Blues, Aug.1935, P 77469 ,"Fremeaux FA 303, Classics 727, JSP 341, Vogue 668003-1"," - Paris - Frank ""Big Boy"" Goudie (tpt,ts,cl), Stephane Grappelly (p), Django & Joseph Reinhardt (g),Sigismond Beck (b), Jerry Mengo (d)"
Compare the first and last listed entries for tempo, instrumentation and arrangement. Do not infer identical takes from a shared title. Agree the arrangement before the count-in.
St. Louis Blues, 1950, CW17,"Fremeaux FA 318, RCA ND 70929-2, Dejavu CD 32"," - Rome - Django Reinhardt (elg), Andre Ekyan (as,cl), Ralph Schecroun (p) Alf Masselier (b), Roger Paraboschi (d)"
The inherited chart is in G major / G minor in the inherited arrangement. Confirm the backing track’s sounding key, pickup and complete form before playing; an instrument label may describe a transposed score.
The inherited G-centred chart uses C as the subdominant, Am6 as a dominant-related colour, and a later G-minor area. It preserves unusually spelled chords, so use its progression as evidence to compare with a selected take.
The 87 printed cells include extended arrangement material and ambiguous C#6 readings. No automatic bar correction has been applied.
| G/// | G/ Am6/ | G/// | G7/// | C/// | C#6/// | G/// | G/// | | Am6/// | Am6/// | G/ Cm/ | G/// | G/// | G/// | G/// | G7/// | | C/// | C#6/// | G/// | G/// | Am6/// | Am6/// | G/ Am6/ | G/// | | G/// | G/// | G7/// | Bm7b5/// | D(/C)/// | D(/C)/// | G/// | G/// | | Am6/ Eb7/ | Am6/// | G/ Cm/ | G/// | Gm7/// | Gm7/// | Am6/// | Am6/// | | Am6/// | Am6/// | Gm7/// | Gm7/// | Gm7/// | Gm7/// | Am6/// | Am6/// | | Am6/// | Am6/// | Gm7/// | Am6/// | G/// | G/// | G/// | G/// | | G/// | G7/// | G7/// | C/// | C/// | C#6/// | C#6/// | G/// | | G/// | G/// | G/// | Am6/// | Am6/// | Am6/// | Am6/// | G/// | | CM7/// | CM7/// | G/// | G/// | G/// | G7/// | C/// | C#6/// | | G/// | G/// | Am6/// | Am6/// | G/ Cm/ | G/// | G/// :||Original source ↗
All Backing Tracks
The inherited chart is in G major / G minor in the inherited arrangement. Confirm the backing track’s sounding key, pickup and complete form before playing; an instrument label may describe a transposed score. · 4:08
If playback is unavailable, use the source link.
Performed studies, transcriptions, TAB, notation and lessons for studying Django’s solo. Inclusion does not certify note-for-note accuracy.
Hyun-Bin Park
creator-described performance
The creator identifies a recreation of Django’s recorded solo. Compare it with the original; note-for-note accuracy remains to be reviewed.
If playback is unavailable, use the source link.
Follow a shared key, a harmonic idea or a familiar form. Keys refer to this site’s chart editions; other recordings may use a different key.
No sufficiently supported harmonic comparison has been added yet.
Showing 8 of 33 matches. Explore the full catalogue →
No match is established in the current chart metadata.
A fictional five-piece guitar, clarinet, piano, bass and drums rehearsal spreads across two connected floor zones, one bright and one dark, held together by a broad repeated pulse. Multi-section major/minor narrative is visible, not a generic twelve-bar logo.
An original editorial interpretation of the tune. This is an illustration, not an archival photograph or a documented reconstruction of a recording session.
Original Djangopedia illustration · AI-assisted, 2026
Illustration credits & provenance →Selected performances by notable Gypsy Jazz players and ensembles. Inclusion is editorial and does not imply an objective popularity ranking.
Adrien Moignard Trio and Guests · Moignard Adrien
Saint Louis Blues album; Hot Club Records · Source-described independent performance; available player checked 2026-10-06. Musical suitability awaits owner review.
Official distributed album performance; audio presentation. Release year is not a recording year.
If playback is unavailable, use the source link.
Saint Louis BluesAdrien Moignard Trio and Guests · Moignard AdrienSaint Louis Blues album; Hot Club Records · Source-described independent performance; available player checked 2026-10-06. Musical suitability awaits owner review.Official distributed album performance; audio presentation. Release year is not a recording year.✓ Featured
St Louis Blues - Tcha Limberger, Sally Baby, Paulus Schaefer, Zach Serleth, Sam Farthing DIJ 2025Tcha Limberger; Sally Baby; Paulus Schäfer; Zach Serleth; Sam Farthing · Paul McEvoy Guitars2025 · Django in June 2025 · Source-described independent performance; available player checked 2026-10-06. Musical suitability awaits owner review.Informal festival jam; handheld footage is less polished than the featured album recording.Select videoWrite a one-line roadmap while listening to one chosen recording. Rehearse the major-to-minor transition with bass notes and melody only, then add a quiet chord on each section downbeat.
Decide the feel and section order first. Use a clear bass pulse beneath the melody; do not impose a boogie pattern over every section.
Start around 100–140 bpm; increase only after the form stays secure
Write a one-line roadmap while listening to one chosen recording. Rehearse the major-to-minor transition with bass notes and melody only, then add a quiet chord on each section downbeat.
Begin with four quarter-note clicks. Halve the click rate and hear beats 2 and 4 while maintaining the same phrase lengths.
St. Louis Blues — G major / G minor in the inherited arrangement; Multi-section blues arrangement; source has 87 cells. Agree the pickup, tempo and ending before counting in.
Multi-section blues arrangement; source has 87 cells. The 87 printed cells include extended arrangement material and ambiguous C#6 readings. No automatic bar correction has been applied.
Start with melody and bass only. Add the following colour without interrupting the melody: Contrast B over G major with B♭ over G minor.
Decide the feel and section order first. Use a clear bass pulse beneath the melody; do not impose a boogie pattern over every section. Agree the full roadmap and signal the last head before it starts.
Choose a comfortable vocal key and transpose the whole arrangement, including its introduction and ending.
This player guide combines inherited recording evidence and editorial study notes. Musical study notes are editorial suggestions; compare them with the recording.
Djangopedia — inherited chart and recording rows ↗
Composition credits and background ↗
All Backing Tracks — practice backing ↗
Feature photograph — source collection ↗
Original Djangopedia illustration · AI-assisted, 2026
An original editorial interpretation of the tune. This is an illustration, not an archival photograph or a documented reconstruction of a recording session.
Generated with the native image-generation tool on 2026-10-08; original editorial artwork, not a historical photograph.
Prompt: Use case: illustration-story. One original editorial feature illustration for Djangopedia's guide “St. Louis Blues”. Landscape 1536 × 1024, opaque background. Scene: A fictional five-piece guitar, clarinet, piano, bass and drums rehearsal spreads across two connected floor zones, one bright and one dark, held together by a broad repeated pulse. Multi-section major/minor narrative is visible, not a generic twelve-bar logo. Musical basis from the guide: This piece rewards learning an arrangement rather than calling a generic blues. Major and minor passages create a broader narrative, and each ensemble must agree how those passages fit together. The supplied chart is G major / G minor in the inherited arrangement; form: Multi-section blues arrangement; source has 87 cells; feel: Swing. These describe musical inspiration, not visible writing. Historical context: St. Louis Blues is credited here to W. C. Handy. The source date is 1914; publication, composition and later lyric adaptations may have separate dates. Do not illustrate disputed historical claims or suggest this imagined scene is an archival session. Medium: linocut. Dominant palette: black white and mustard. Composition: two connected rehearsal zones. Human presence: five small figures. Strong intentional design, clearly drawn/painted, distinctive material marks; keep essential subject safely within the central 70 percent width and middle 80 percent height for card crops. Maintain enough visual substance at thumbnail size. Broad inspiration observed in old photo, ONLY scale/rhythm and never a reference image: tall pair; performer plus listener; deep dark field. Independently invent every pose, perspective, clothing, setting and lighting. Avoid: No copied singer/guitar pose, racial caricature, historic club signage. No photorealism, archival simulation, generated text, letters, numbers, labels, fake musical notation, logo, signature, watermark, fake dates, yellowed-paper patina, recognizable artwork or copied photograph. No imitation of any named artist. Render the art edge to edge without borders, mockup or typography. Batch B diversity compensation: make light and midtone areas substantial; avoid near-black dominant backdrops, violet monochrome, empty chair/stool/bench compositions, repeated sunset terraces and generic cloud panoramas. Preserve the stated tune-specific scene. Human figures remain standing or peripheral except an explicitly named ensemble; no centered seated Django portrait. For graphic images use clearly plain colour shapes, no ruled parallel staffs, circles with stems, note-like marks or typography.
Photograph provenance and rights are stated separately. Attribution does not establish permission.