Nuages. Finally.

Several weeks ago, I woke up with a song stuck in my head. I knew only that it was a Django Reinhardt composition - I could not recall the name of the song, nor could I recall where I had heard it the first time. It was time to do some research.

My first source was my father's Djangology LP from whence I had first heard Reinhardt:

While listening to the LP was certainly enjoyable (Django just sounds right on vinyl), it did nothing for my search. I moved to step two: examining my lone Reinhardt compilation CD. I placed the CD in my computer and skipped from track to track, finding nothing even vaguely resembling the song in my head. Exasperated, I poured myself a cordial of Chartreuse, sat down, and returned the CD to track one. If nothing else, Django is a fine complement to the old "think 'n' drink" routine.

I was shocked, however, when the first track ("Nuages") abruptly shifted gears after a 15 second intro, blossoming into the very tune for which I had been searching. Only problem: this was not the same arrangement I remembered. Turns out that Django recorded multiple versions of the song over a thirteen year period. Thus began the grand search for the version of "Nuages."

The search lasted nearly a month, but I found the version I had been looking for today. Lovely arrangement. The intro has been cut completely, and a piano and clarinet make up for the absence of violinist Stephane Grappelli. Django himself seems to be overplaying a tad. But then again, nobody complains about such things when you're as good as he was.

I suppose the only question remaining is how I managed to wake up with such an obscure version of the song stuck in my head...

Nuages (8/25/47)