Chart keyC major/minor mixture (linked study setting)
Form32-bar AABA refrain; introductory verse separate
FeelBallad / relaxed swing
Meter4/4
MusicKurt Weill
Guide coverage11 / 12 sections present
Owner content reviewed — 2026-10-18T01:20:03Z 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.
4 historical recording entries · source text preserved
Entry
Year
Recording / session / release evidence
Listen
01
1947
September Song,ST 2104-1 ,"Fremeaux FA 314, Classics 1046, Verve 835 418-1, Kardum GLO 139","18/7/47 - Paris - QHCF - Django Reinhardt (elg), Hubert Rostaing (cl), Eugene Vees (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b), Andre Jourdan (d)"
—
02
1947
September Song,"Fremeaux FA 315, Vogue 228E 6006, Vogue 655611","8-13/11/47 - Paris - Souvenirs de Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt (elg), Gerard Leveque (cl), Eugene Vees (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b), Andre Jourdan (d)"
—
03
—
September Song,CW15,"Fremeaux FA 318, RCA ND 70929-2, Dejavu CD 32","1950 - Rome - Django Reinhardt (elg), Andre Ekyan (as,cl), Ralph Schecroun (p) Alf Masselier (b), Roger Paraboschi (d)"
—
04
1953
September Song,Verve 835418-2,"10/3/53 - Paris - Django Reinhardt (elg), Maurice Vander (p), Pierre Michelot(b), Jean-Louis Viale (d)"
—
A dash means no video has been associated with this exact historical recording. Tune-level listening resources remain available above.
History & Listening
September Song comes from Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson’s Knickerbocker Holiday, first staged in 1938. The inherited discography contains four Django rows, including 1947 and 1953 entries and a Rome entry whose structured year is unresolved. That unresolved field remains untouched. For the player, the song invites a patient approach: silence and the release of a note can carry as much meaning as a run.
Tune details
Music: Kurt Weill
Words: Maxwell Anderson
Source-attributed publication / composition: 1938
Original key: Not established
Study level: Intermediate; sustained melody and harmonic color
Melody & head
Compare the onset and release of sustained notes across the archived versions. Preserve the source’s uncertainty around the undated Rome row.
Do not turn the C-major/minor mixture into an indiscriminate C-minor scale, and do not confuse the verse with the refrain.
Study the inherited Django recording evidence
Compare the onset and release of sustained notes across the archived versions. Preserve the source’s uncertainty around the undated Rome row.
Session evidence
September Song,ST 2104-1 ,"Fremeaux FA 314, Classics 1046, Verve 835 418-1, Kardum GLO 139","18/7/47 - Paris - QHCF - Django Reinhardt (elg), Hubert Rostaing (cl), Eugene Vees (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b), Andre Jourdan (d)"
The linked C-centered study setting alternates major and minor color rather than staying within one seven-note collection. Hear the difference between E-flat and E natural, then sing the line connecting them. Treat the bridge as a new phrase with its own direction and let the last return feel inevitable. No full chord chart is manufactured here. Check the video key before playing with the chart.
Chart & Form
The linked C-centered study setting alternates major and minor color rather than staying within one seven-note collection. Hear the difference between E-flat and E natural, then sing the line connecting them. Treat the bridge as a new phrase with its own direction and let the last return feel inevitable. No full chord chart is manufactured here.
Existing chart material is retained without transcription changes. Linked teaching editions are external references, not newly licensed charts. Match their key and arrangement to your chosen recording.
No readable chord chart has been added for this title.
September Song - Playback jazz manouche - Gypsy jazz backing track / play along
Clément Reboul
Swing · 50 BPM · 5m19s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.
Creator-described gypsy-jazz play-along. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.
source-described; accuracy not independently verified
Creator presents a study of Django’s recorded solo. Use it alongside the original recording; exact transcription accuracy has not been independently reviewed.
Compare the tonic third E natural with E-flat in the minor color.
Sustain a common tone through a chord change, then resolve deliberately.
Pitch choices
Begin with the named chord tones. Add passing notes only after the melody and cadence are secure.
Play one A phrase using only melody notes and rests. On the next pass delay one arrival by an eighth note while keeping the phrase length intact. Finish with a chorus using at most four improvised notes per bar.
Comping & voicings
Leave generous space and avoid filling every held melody note. Use quiet shells, with any bass movement subordinate to the soloist’s phrase.
Voicing note sets
Try a tonic triad or sixth voicing first; add color notes one at a time and listen for conflict with the melody.
Keep the accompaniment clear
First establish an even pulse; add rhythmic variation only when the melody leaves space.
Do not turn the C-major/minor mixture into an indiscriminate C-minor scale, and do not confuse the verse with the refrain.
Practice room
Begin at 60–75 bpm; selected slow play-alongs around 90 bpm
Your assignment
Play one A phrase using only melody notes and rests. On the next pass delay one arrival by an eighth note while keeping the phrase length intact. Finish with a chorus using at most four improvised notes per bar.
Loop these changes
Play one A phrase using only melody notes and rests.
Metronome
Count quarter notes first. Then place the click on beats 2 and 4 at half the click rate, keeping the phrase length unchanged.
Transposition
Move one short cadence to a nearby key by naming its chord tones, then return to the chosen study key.
At the session
C major/minor mixture (linked study setting); 32-bar AABA refrain; introductory verse separate. Agree the arrangement, pickup and ending before counting in.
Start together
Count a clear tempo and use the final cadence of the agreed arrangement.
Finish together
Cue the final tonic together; agree any tag before starting.
Do not turn the C-major/minor mixture into an indiscriminate C-minor scale, and do not confuse the verse with the refrain.
Do not turn the C-major/minor mixture into an indiscriminate C-minor scale, and do not confuse the verse with the refrain.
Arranging the tune
Solo guitar
Keep the melody uppermost and begin with a single bass note under each harmony. Try a tonic triad or sixth voicing first; add color notes one at a time and listen for conflict with the melody.
Trio or larger group
Leave generous space and avoid filling every held melody note. Use quiet shells, with any bass movement subordinate to the soloist’s phrase.
Vocal considerations
Choose a comfortable singing key and transpose the accompaniment as a whole; lyrics are not reproduced here.
Sources & credits
This player guide combines inherited recording evidence and editorial study notes. Musical study notes are editorial suggestions; compare them with the recording.
Original Djangopedia illustration · AI-assisted, 2026
Original AI-assisted editorial artwork inspired by the tune’s mood. It does not depict a documented historical event.
Generated with the native image-generation tool on 2026-10-17; original editorial artwork, not a historical photograph.
Prompt: Create one original Djangopedia tune-guide editorial illustration. Landscape 3:2, 1536x1024. Broad mid-century jazz record sleeve and Art Deco graphic traditions: bold confident outlines, flat geometric shapes, subtle vintage paper print texture, sophisticated playful composition. No imitation of a specific artist, no lettering, no logo, no watermark, no photorealism. Keep important subjects within central 80% for responsive cropping. Fictional atmospheric interpretation, not a documented historical event. A solitary guitarist seated on a park bench under a tall tree shedding golden autumn leaves, dusk skyline, contemplative generous negative space. Ochre, olive, warm cream, soft violet.
Research & rights notes
Readable owned chart absent; linked study reference supplied.
One inherited Rome recording row has an unresolved structured year; preserved unchanged.
September Song - Playback jazz manouche - Gypsy jazz backing track / play alongClément ReboulSwing · 50 BPM · 5m19s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.Creator-described gypsy-jazz play-along. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.✓ Featured
September Song (90 bpm) - Gypsy jazz Backing track / Jazz manoucheGuitare ImprovisationSwing · 90 BPM · 6m · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.Creator-described gypsy-jazz play-along. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.Select video
September song - Tchavolo Schmitt en live à l'atelier JRT LutherieJRT LutherieVideo available when checked; creator-described attribution.Performer attribution follows the video title and channel description. Proposed listening selection; no popularity ranking implied.✓ Featured
Frank Vignola, David Grisman, and Robin Nolan: September SongDjangoBooksVideo available when checked; creator-described attribution.Performer attribution follows the video title and channel description. Proposed listening selection; no popularity ranking implied.Select video