A fast swing standard with long dominant spans and a clear two-half design. Despite its title, its song form requires a different sense of pacing from a twelve-bar blues.
If you study one thing
Keep the 32-bar roadmap stable as the tempo rises.
Owner content reviewed — 2026-10-04T23:06:44Z 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.
5 historical recording entries · source text preserved
Entry
Year
Recording / session / release evidence
Listen
01
1935
Limehouse Blues, Oct 1935, 2035-HPP ,"Fremeaux FA 304, Classics 708, JSP 344, Rhapsody RHCD6, Gitanes 159 853-2"
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02
1936
Limehouse Blues, 4/5/36, OLA 1062-1 ,"Fremeaux FA 305, Affinity AFS 1003, Classics 739, JSP 344, Conifer HD 206, EMI 7806712-2, EMI 746 5012 (Mistitled Bill Coleman Blues),Blue Note CDP 7243837138-2, Mosaic MD6-190(6 CD Set)."," Paris - QHCF - Stephane Grappelly (v), Django Reinhardt, Joseph Reinhardt, Pierre Ferret (g), Lucien Simoens (b), Freddy Taylor (vo)"
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03
1937
Limehouse Blues, 13/6/37, Fremeaux 306," - CBS Broadcast - Stephane Grappelli (v), Django&Joseph Reinhardt (g), Gusti Mahla (g), Louis Vola (b)."
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04
1938
Limehouse Blues, 30/6/38, Acetate ,Fremeaux 308,- Swing Night in Paris
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05
1940
Limehouse Blues, 22/3/40, OSW 119-1 ,"Fremeaux FA 310, Classics 831, Affinity AFS 1003, Jazz Time 252707-2, HEP 1041"," - Paris - Django Reinhardt (g), Philippe Brun, Pierre Allier, Alex Renard, Al Piguillem (tpt), Andre Ekyan (as), Guy Paquinet, Gaston Moat, Pierre Deck (tbn), Alix Combelle (bs), Charlie Lewis (p), Pierre Ferret (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b)"
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A dash means no video has been associated with this exact historical recording. Tune-level listening resources remain available above.
History & Listening
Philip Braham and Douglas Furber wrote the song for the 1921 London revue A to Z. The legacy Django page lists several versions beginning in 1935. Its origin in musical theatre predates its life as an instrumental virtuoso piece.
Tune details
Music: Philip Braham
Words: Douglas Furber
Published / composed: 1921
Original key: Not established
Study level: Advanced at customary fast tempos
Melody & head
Learn the phrase endpoints at a slow tempo before connecting the fast notes.
Articulate repeated rhythmic cells without squeezing the pick hand.
Compare the tempo, key, introduction and final cadence with the first entry. Keep the 32-bar roadmap stable as the tempo rises.
Session evidence
Limehouse Blues, 22/3/40, OSW 119-1 ,"Fremeaux FA 310, Classics 831, Affinity AFS 1003, Jazz Time 252707-2, HEP 1041"," - Paris - Django Reinhardt (g), Philippe Brun, Pierre Allier, Alex Renard, Al Piguillem (tpt), Andre Ekyan (as), Guy Paquinet, Gaston Moat, Pierre Deck (tbn), Alix Combelle (bs), Charlie Lewis (p), Pierre Ferret (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b)"
Count its form and check its key before joining in. The inherited G-major version opens on C7, then A7 before reaching G. B7 points to E minor; A7 and D7 prepare the next phrase. The final half uses Am and C-minor colour on its way home.
Chart & Form
The inherited G-major version opens on C7, then A7 before reaching G. B7 points to E minor; A7 and D7 prepare the next phrase. The final half uses Am and C-minor colour on its way home.
Chord symbols follow the inherited Djangopedia chart. Slashes are rhythmic marks; chord quality and turnaround choices may differ from the backing track. This is a chord reference, not a melody transcription.
the most EXCITING and CHALLENGING DJANGO SOLO! (Limehouse Blues)
Christiaan van Hemert
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.
A generic London dockside view with long warehouse shadows, three tiny distant musicians carrying cases and a single straight rhythm of posts interrupted by a turning jetty. Long dominant spans and the full song chorus, not a twelve-bar loop, shape the perspective.
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
E and B♭ define the opening C7, even though G is the eventual tonic.
C♯ makes A7 distinct from an A-minor chord.
D♯→E on B7→Em provides a strong melodic landing.
Pitch choices
Dominant chord-tone lines over the long C7 and A7 stretches.
G-major vocabulary at home, adjusted to B7→Em and the minor subdominant.
Play the whole form in half-time with one phrase every two bars. Keep that phrase spacing as the backing track becomes faster.
Comping & voicings
Use economical grips and a consistent pulse. Long dominant spans need time feel more than harmonic decoration.
Voicing note sets
C7: C–E–B♭; A7: A–C♯–G; D7: D–F♯–C.
B7: B–D♯–A into Em: E–G–B.
Keep the accompaniment clear
Start with a quiet, even pulse. Leave an entire phrase unfilled and listen to how the melody breathes.
Counting twelve-bar blues because of the title or losing the long dominant durations.
Adding dense extensions that obscure the melody or duplicate the pianist’s register.
Practice room
Start at 130–160; build toward 220–280 bpm
Your assignment
Play the whole form in half-time with one phrase every two bars. Keep that phrase spacing as the backing track becomes faster.
Loop these changes
C7 → A7
G → B7 → Em
Am → Cm → dominant return
Metronome
Start below the suggested tempo. First hear four quarter-note clicks, then halve the click rate and place clicks on beats 2 and 4. Keep the same phrase length.
Transposition
Move C7 → A7 up one whole step by naming each chord’s function before finding a guitar shape.
Return to G major (legacy chart) and play the original melody without the chart.
At the session
Limehouse Blues — G major (legacy chart); 32-bar song chorus; not a 12-bar blues. Agree the tempo, pickup, solo order and ending before the count.
Start together
A direct count-in is safest while learning; avoid a long introduction that hides the first C7.
Finish together
Cue the last head early and choose a simple G finish.
Confirm the key and form, since non-Manouche charts may use a different key. Keep the starting tempo realistic for everyone.
Counting twelve-bar blues because of the title or losing the long dominant durations.
Arranging the tune
Solo guitar
Simplify bass and harmony to section landmarks; prioritize a relaxed, clearly articulated melody.
Trio or larger group
Confirm the key and form, since non-Manouche charts may use a different key. Keep the starting tempo realistic for everyone.
Vocal considerations
Choose the singer’s comfortable key, then transpose the whole arrangement, including the introduction. Use the original lyric phrasing to shape breathing.
Further study
Analyse the dominant opening without forcing every chord into the tonic scale. The tension comes partly from delaying the home-key arrival.
Chord symbols follow the inherited Djangopedia chart. Slashes are rhythmic marks; chord quality and turnaround choices may differ from the backing track. This is a chord reference, not a melody transcription.
Compare the session evidence below before attributing one arrangement to every Django performance. Philip Braham and Douglas Furber wrote the song for the 1921 London revue A to Z. The legacy Django page lists several versions beginning in 1935. Its origin in musical theatre predates its life as an instrumental virtuoso piece.
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
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 “Limehouse Blues”. Landscape 1536 × 1024, opaque background.
Scene: A generic London dockside view with long warehouse shadows, three tiny distant musicians carrying cases and a single straight rhythm of posts interrupted by a turning jetty. Long dominant spans and the full song chorus, not a twelve-bar loop, shape the perspective.
Musical basis from the guide: A fast swing standard with long dominant spans and a clear two-half design. Despite its title, its song form requires a different sense of pacing from a twelve-bar blues. The supplied chart is G major (legacy chart); form: 32-bar song chorus; not a 12-bar blues; feel: Swing. These describe musical inspiration, not visible writing. Historical context: Philip Braham and Douglas Furber wrote the song for the 1921 London revue A to Z. The legacy Django page lists several versions beginning in 1935. Its origin in musical theatre predates its life as an instrumental virtuoso piece. Do not illustrate disputed historical claims or suggest this imagined scene is an archival session.
Medium: lithographic illustration. Dominant palette: cool grey rust and muted green. Composition: long waterfront perspective. Human presence: three tiny 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: three close figures; formal frontal grouping. Independently invent every pose, perspective, clothing, setting and lighting.
Avoid: No portrait, opium/Chinatown stereotypes, famous skyline copying. 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 A diversity compensation: avoid blue sky, drifting clouds, cypress trees, moon discs, generic Paris landmarks and curving terrace backdrops unless explicitly essential to the stated scene. Keep this composition tied to its precise stated subject; do not add an unrequested landscape or city. For figure scenes keep the specified standing/walking pose; no seated centered guitar portrait. For abstracts keep purely graphic materials and forms.
Research & rights notes
Exact original composition date and registered credits where not independently sourced
Legacy date/matrix extraction and personnel spelling
Chart variants and specialist review of editorial music analysis
Photograph rights are documented separately in its credit. They do not establish the rights status of the composition or recording.
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