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Player guide

Swing de Paris

A blues-shaped song form with an eight-bar A-major bridge. It combines familiar twelve-bar motion with a larger roadmap that should be called explicitly at a session.

If you study one thing

Internalise the 12–12–8–12 roadmap.

Original editorial illustration for Swing de Paris: three streets and one bright bridge.
Original Djangopedia illustration · AI-assisted, 2026
Illustration credits
Chart keyC major; A-major bridge
Form44 bars: 12 + 12 + 8 + 12 in the inherited chart
FeelSwing
Meter4/4
MusicDjango Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli
Guide coverage12 / 12 sections present

Owner content reviewed — 2026-10-06T15:52:44Z by admin. Coverage measures presence, not accuracy. Content review does not certify rights or musical perfection.

See what is here and what is missing
  • ✓ Recording evidence
  • ✓ Key & form
  • ✓ Chart
  • ✓ History
  • ✓ Playing notes
  • ✓ Practice plan
  • ✓ Backing track
  • ✓ Django recording
  • ✓ Django solo study aid
  • ✓ Illustration
  • ✓ Sources
  • ✓ Difficulty

Django's Recordings

Django recordings for this tune. Uploader dates and take labels remain source claims; only an evidenced exact association enables a row’s Listen control.

3 historical recording entries · source text preserved
EntryYearRecording / session / release evidenceListen
011940Swing de Paris, 17/12/40, OSW 155-1 ,"Fremeaux FA 310, Classics 852, Affinity AFS 1003, Jazz Time 252707-2, Music Memoria 31005, EMI 780671-2, Mosaic MD6-190(6 CD Set)."," - Paris - QHCF+ - Hubert Rostaing (cl), Alix Combelle (cl,ts) Django & Joseph Reinhardt (g), Tony Rovira (b), Pierre Fouad (d)"—
021947Swing de Paris, 8-13/11/47, "Fremeaux FA 315, Vogue 228E 6007, Kardum GLO 139, (Vogue 668003-3 ""Swing de Paris"" is Swing '41)"," - Paris - Souvenirs de Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt (elg), Gerard Leveque (cl), Eugene Vees (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b), Andre Jourdan (d)"—
031938Swing From Paris,4210-HPP ,"Fremeaux FA 308, JSP 343, Classics 777, Conifer HD 165, Music Memoria 87948, Jazz Archives 157222, Suisa JZCD 376, Gitanes 159 853-2","14/6/38 - Paris - QHCF - Stepane Grappelly (v), Django Reinhardt (g), Joseph Reinhardt, Eugene Vees (g), Roger Grasset (b)"—

A dash means no video has been associated with this exact historical recording. Tune-level listening resources remain available above.

History & Listening

Swing de Paris is credited here to Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli. The inherited archive lists 2 recording entries, with dated entries spanning 1940–1947. 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.

Tune details

Music: Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli

Documented in archive: 1940

Original key: Not established

Study level: Intermediate; advanced where the inherited roadmap needs reconstruction

Melody & head

  • Keep the blues-shaped phrases intact rather than forcing them into eight-bar units.

Study a documented Django entry ↗

Listening task: Keep the blues-shaped phrases intact rather than forcing them into eight-bar units. Mark the key, pickup, phrase lengths and ending before comparing another version.

Session evidence

Swing de Paris, 17/12/40, OSW 155-1 ,"Fremeaux FA 310, Classics 852, Affinity AFS 1003, Jazz Time 252707-2, Music Memoria 31005, EMI 780671-2, Mosaic MD6-190(6 CD Set)."," - Paris - QHCF+ - Hubert Rostaing (cl), Alix Combelle (cl,ts) Django & Joseph Reinhardt (g), Tony Rovira (b), Pierre Fouad (d)"

Compare another archive entry ↗

Compare the first and last listed entries for tempo, instrumentation and arrangement. Do not infer identical takes from a shared title. Internalise the 12–12–8–12 roadmap.

Session evidence

Swing de Paris, 8-13/11/47, "Fremeaux FA 315, Vogue 228E 6007, Kardum GLO 139, (Vogue 668003-3 ""Swing de Paris"" is Swing '41)"," - Paris - Souvenirs de Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt (elg), Gerard Leveque (cl), Eugene Vees (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b), Andre Jourdan (d)"

Check the practice arrangement ↗

The inherited chart is in C major; A-major bridge. Confirm the backing track’s sounding key, pickup and complete form before playing; an instrument label may describe a transposed score.

Chart & Form

C moves to F7 and returns through Dm7–G7. After two twelve-bar sections, Bm7–E7 reaches A major for the bridge; Dm7–G7 restores C.

Chord symbols and source cell divisions are preserved from Djangopedia. Slashes mark rhythm; 0 is inherited diminished notation whose exact voicing should be checked against the melody. This is a chord reference, not a melody transcription.

Inherited chord reference · source cells
1C
2C
3C
4Gm7/ C13b9
5F7
6F7
7C
8C(E)/ Eb0
9Dm7
10G7
11C(E)/ Eb0
12Dm7/ G7
13C
14C
15C
16Gm7/ C13b9
17F7
18F7
19C
20C(E)/ Eb0
21Dm7
22G7
23C
24Bm7/ E7
25A
26Em7/ E7
27A
28Bm7/ E7
29A
30Bm7/ E7
31A
32Dm7/ G7
33C
34C
35C
36Gm7/ C13b9
37F7
38F7
39C
40C(E)/ Eb0
41Dm7
42G7
43C(E)/ Eb0
44Dm7/ G7
Original chart text & notation
[[Image:Swing_paris.gif]]


| C/// | C/// | C/// | Gm7/ C13b9/ | F7/// | F7/// | C/// | C(E)/ Eb0/ | Dm7/// | G7/// | C(E)/ Eb0/ | Dm7/ G7/ |

| C/// | C/// | C/// | Gm7/ C13b9/ | F7/// | F7/// | C/// | C(E)/ Eb0/ | Dm7/// | G7/// | C/// | Bm7/ E7/ |

| A/// | Em7/ E7/ | A/// | Bm7/ E7/ | A/// | Bm7/ E7/ | A/// | Dm7/ G7/ |

| C/// | C/// | C/// | Gm7/ C13b9/ | F7/// | F7/// | C/// | C(E)/ Eb0/ | Dm7/// | G7/// | C(E)/ Eb0/ | Dm7/ G7/ :||
Original source ↗

Play along

Study Django's Solo

Performed studies, transcriptions, TAB, notation and lessons for studying Django’s solo. Inclusion does not certify note-for-note accuracy.

Similar tunes

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.

Related chord movement

No sufficiently supported harmonic comparison has been added yet.

Same form

No match is established in the current chart metadata.

Behind the illustration

An original imagined Paris street plan rendered as actual low facades and a narrow bridge: three long blue pavement bands joined by one shorter red crossing, a tiny musician far away. Blues-shaped sections and the eight-bar contrasting bridge become an urban rhythm; no landmarks.

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 →

Notable Gypsy Jazz Performances

Selected performances by notable Gypsy Jazz players and ensembles. Inclusion is editorial and does not imply an objective popularity ranking.

Video thumbnail: Rosenberg Trio - 'Swing De Paris' | North Sea Jazz (1994)Rosenberg Trio - 'Swing De Paris' | North Sea Jazz (1994)Rosenberg Trio · North Sea Jazz Archive1994 · North Sea Jazz, The Hague, 8 July 1994 · YouTube title, uploader metadata, player availability and visible presentation checked 2026-10-06. Independent interpretation; proposed order awaits owner decision. No full-video or note-for-note audit claimed.Stage 4M private performance. North Sea Jazz, The Hague, 8 July 1994. Official festival archive; Stochelo, Nous’che and Nonnie Rosenberg.✓ FeaturedVideo thumbnail: Benjamin Herman & The Robin Nolan Trio - Swing de Paris [live at North Sea Jazz 2016]Benjamin Herman & The Robin Nolan Trio - Swing de Paris [live at North Sea Jazz 2016]Benjamin Herman and Robin Nolan Trio · Marlon Domingus2016 · North Sea Jazz, 9 July 2016 · YouTube title, uploader metadata, player availability and visible presentation checked 2026-10-06. Independent interpretation; proposed order awaits owner decision. No full-video or note-for-note audit claimed.Stage 4M private performance. North Sea Jazz, 9 July 2016. Live alto saxophone and guitar trio.Select videoVideo thumbnail: Mauro Albert Trio - Swing de ParisMauro Albert Trio - Swing de ParisMauro Albert Trio · MAURO ALBERT GYPSY GUITARLive trio with Fernando Caramori and Gabriel Vieira · YouTube title, uploader metadata, player availability and visible presentation checked 2026-10-06. Independent interpretation; proposed order awaits owner decision. No full-video or note-for-note audit claimed.Stage 4M private performance. Live trio with Fernando Caramori and Gabriel Vieira. Artist-channel concert footage; exact date unestablished.Select video

Improvisation

Target notes & voice leading

  • Hear C♯ over A major after C natural in the home-key material.
  • Use G♯ on E7 to lead into A, then F on G7 to return toward E over C.

Pitch choices

  • Start with the chord tones of each written harmony. Hear C♯ over A major after C natural in the home-key material.
  • Use passing notes only after the destination chord and phrase length are secure; this guide does not assign one scale indiscriminately to the whole tune.

Count 12, 12, 8, 12 while playing only the first chord of each section. Then practise the two joins into and out of A major as separate loops.

Comping & voicings

Keep the blues-shaped sections relaxed and make the A-major bridge arrival clear. Count the twelve-bar sections independently from the eight-bar bridge.

Voicing note sets

  • C6: C–E–A; F7: F–A–E♭; E7: E–G♯–D; A6: A–C♯–F♯.

Keep the accompaniment clear

  • Keep a quiet, even swing pulse, adjusting its density to the melody and ensemble.
  • Practise one chorus with only two chord attacks per bar, then restore four without changing tempo.
  • Calling it simply a twelve-bar blues and omitting the bridge.
  • Crowding the melody with dense extensions or doubling another accompanist’s register.

Practice room

Start around 100–140 bpm; increase only after the form stays secure

Your assignment

Count 12, 12, 8, 12 while playing only the first chord of each section. Then practise the two joins into and out of A major as separate loops.

Loop these changes

  • Hear C♯ over A major after C natural in the home-key material.
  • Use G♯ on E7 to lead into A, then F on G7 to return toward E over C.

Metronome

Begin with four quarter-note clicks. Halve the click rate and hear beats 2 and 4 while maintaining the same phrase lengths.

Transposition

  • Transpose the first complete phrase up a whole step, including its cadence. Name chord functions before finding new fingerings.
  • Return to C major; A-major bridge and play the melodic phrase from memory.

At the session

Swing de Paris — C major; A-major bridge; 44 bars: 12 + 12 + 8 + 12 in the inherited chart. Agree the pickup, tempo and ending before counting in.

Start together

  • Suggested rehearsal entry: give two clear bars of count-in and start the agreed pickup or first melody note. This is not claimed as a historical Django introduction.

Finish together

  • Agree a final melody statement and hold its tonic arrival; remove any turnaround intended to restart the chorus. Check the chosen arrangement for tags or a separate coda.

44 bars: 12 + 12 + 8 + 12 in the inherited chart. Keep the head and solo chorus lengths explicit at the count-in.

  • Calling it simply a twelve-bar blues and omitting the bridge.

Arranging the tune

Solo guitar

Start with melody and bass only. Add the following colour without interrupting the melody: Hear C♯ over A major after C natural in the home-key material.

Trio or larger group

Keep the blues-shaped sections relaxed and make the A-major bridge arrival clear. Count the twelve-bar sections independently from the eight-bar bridge. Agree the full roadmap and signal the last head before it starts.

Vocal considerations

This guide focuses on the instrumental arrangement; any lyric adaptation needs separate credit and a chosen key.

Further study

  • Compare a single C-blues chorus with the complete 44-bar source form and hear how the A-major bridge changes the return's impact.
  • Chord symbols and source cell divisions are preserved from Djangopedia. Slashes mark rhythm; 0 is inherited diminished notation whose exact voicing should be checked against the melody. This is a chord reference, not a melody transcription.
  • Compare the linked archive entries before attributing one arrangement to all Django performances. Keep composition history separate from the dates of Django’s recordings.

Explore related tunes

Inherited media links

Sources & credits

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 ↗

  • Inherited notation and discographical claims; not independent verification

Composition credits and background ↗

  • Writer credits and source date where supplied

Jimmy Grant — practice backing ↗

  • Video identity, view-count snapshot and embed metadata

Feature photograph — source collection ↗

  • Photo identification and provenance; reuse rights remain unverified
Illustration credit & provenance

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 “Swing de Paris”. Landscape 1536 × 1024, opaque background. Scene: An original imagined Paris street plan rendered as actual low facades and a narrow bridge: three long blue pavement bands joined by one shorter red crossing, a tiny musician far away. Blues-shaped sections and the eight-bar contrasting bridge become an urban rhythm; no landmarks. Musical basis from the guide: A blues-shaped song form with an eight-bar A-major bridge. It combines familiar twelve-bar motion with a larger roadmap that should be called explicitly at a session. The supplied chart is C major; A-major bridge; form: 44 bars: 12 + 12 + 8 + 12 in the inherited chart; feel: Swing. These describe musical inspiration, not visible writing. Historical context: Swing de Paris is credited here to Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli. Do not illustrate disputed historical claims or suggest this imagined scene is an archival session. Medium: geometric architectural gouache. Dominant palette: grey blue vermilion and white. Composition: three streets and one bright bridge. Human presence: one tiny figure. 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: single profile at painting; vertical canvas; close scale. Independently invent every pose, perspective, clothing, setting and lighting. Avoid: No easel, portrait, Eiffel Tower, nightclub, readable street labels. 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.

Research & rights notes
  • Specialist review of original editorial playing advice
  • Original key and precise composition date where not independently established
  • Inherited notation, session details and arrangement variants
  • Photograph reuse permissions

Photograph provenance and rights are stated separately. Attribution does not establish permission.