Django Reinhardt remains—decades after his death—one of jazz’s most distinctive guitarists. On his 15th album as band leader, Rez Abbasi pays homage to the Franco-Roma master, performing seven of Reinhardt’s melodies plus a pair by his contemporaries, Ion Ivanovici’s “Anniversary Song” and Kurt Weill’s “September Song.” Django Shift fulfills a phrase overworked in lazy arts criticism—contemporary yet classic. The material and Abbasi’s playing are accompanied by Neil Alexander’s subtle deployment of electronics, nudging the sound into the present day.
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