Each musician has an amazing backstory. (I'm kind of amazed no one has ever made a film about either of them.)
Grappelli was born in Paris, lost his mother at a young age, was sent by his father to live in an orphanage--where he nearly starved to death--at the outbreak of World War I, learned violin largely by observing street musicians and listening to jazz records from the US, and spent a lot of time playing accompaniment for silent films at movie houses and busking on the street before joining up with Reinhardt in 1934 to form the Quintette du Hot Club de France.
Reinhardt, who was of Romani heritage (better known by the generic term "Gypsy"), was born in Belgium. He learned to play guitar at a young age, learning from other family members in their encampment outside Paris. Around age 18, he was badly burned after an accident with a candle that set his home ablaze. The incident left him with his pinky and ring fingers on his left hand fused together, initially leading him to believe he would never play guitar again. Though, in time, his dogged determination led him to develop a completely unique playing style, playing solos using his middle and index fingers while playing chords with his injured fingers.
So, there you go.
Two amazing stories. Two largely self-taught musicians. And a shared love of American jazz--particularly Louis Armstrong.
Incidentally, their take on "Dinah," a pop song that was popularized by Armstrong, is my favorite example of both musicians at their creative best. Reinhardt flies across the fretboard like a man with four arms--never mind that he essentially had four fingers. It's a style that definitely has Gypsy roots yet resides in a stratosphere all its own.
Likewise, Grappelli's violin work is so fluid and effortless. There are hints of classical mixed with French folk, spiced up with an intuitive feel for soulful, jazzy blue notes. It's the sound of pure and unadulterated joy.
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