This classic GI article was published February 9, 2007.
by: Albert Offenbach
While playing at a gig at the State Cinema in London, England, the legendary jazz guitarist, Django Rheinhardt (1910-1953), took the time to befriend an 18-year-old British lad just before the teenager joined the Army in 1940.
Albert Offenbach served throughout the war as a radar man, keeping his Gibson guitar at his side until WW II ended. He told Guitar International that he, “landed on the beach in Normandy with it and full kit in the water!”
When hostilities ended, the Army assigned him to the British Forces Network with CAPT Ian Carmichael (British comedy actor), where Albert played in the showband. After the war, Offenbach joined his family’s fashion business, Shubette of London Ltd., and built it up to become one of the leading fashion companies in England.
Next month Albert will reach his 87th birthday. He has seen the beginning and ends of many music eras and today he is retired and living in France. Let’s join him as he reminisces about the day he met Django, an artist that many musicians and music lovers still consider to be the greatest guitarist the world has ever known.
The Day I Met Django
I went to Deauville, [coastal city in the Normandy region of France], on holiday. I was 18. In those days tea dances were in, so every afternoon I went to the Yacht Club tea dance. It was run by Georges Carpentier, the French boxing champ, and featured two bands, Maurice Winnick’s dance band and a small gypsy band.
In the gypsy band was a guitarist who played in the style of Django. I was not much good at French, but I managed to tell him he played like Django. Well, he was delighted to hear it and told me he was Django’s brother Joseph. As I saw him every day we got quite friendly and he told me that the Hot Club [of France] was playing in London at the State Cinema in Kilburn, London, in a few months time and that if I came backstage to see him he would introduce me to Django.
Well, that couldn’t be missed, could it?
So when the time came I took my young brother (who played very well in those days) and a friend to see the show.
After the show we went backstage to see if Joseph remembered me. He did and was very pleased to see me!
He introduced me to Django, who was polite but not very interested at first. Then I saw Django’s guitar laying there. I thought, “I would love to be able to say I have played Django’s guitar!” So, I asked him if I could and he said, “Sure.”
I banged out a few chords in the Hot Club style and his whole attitude changed. He became very friendly. I asked him if he would like to come for a drink in the pub and he said, “Yes!” Then, in French, he said to the rest of the Hot Club that of course we were all going for a drink. They all came, except Stéphane Grappelli.
On the way to the pub, the friend I came with said, “Let’s not go to the pub! Let’s go home for a drink!” Django said, “Okay.”
We got back to my friend’s house. He had a great bar and we had a few drinks. I then asked Django, “If I got my guitars, would you play?”
Gibson FDH (Francis Day and Hunter) Special
He said, “Yes,” if I played with him. So, off I went to get my guitars. I lived close to my friend’s house. I had two Gibsons. One I’d bought from Len Williams, the father of John Williams for £5 and the other was a Gibson FDH Special.
What a thrill to play for Django! My young brother was a much better player than I was and he had taken the solo of “Limehouse Blues” off the Django record. When Django heard my brother play he was delighted!
Django was very modest and never realized he had such a big following.
After a bit of playing we stopped, then started to play some gramophone records. One was of Chick Webb [and his Orchestra] playing “Undecided” sung by Ella Fitzgerald. He loved it and said he would record it. He said he needed a singer for it. So, we recommended the singer from the Romany Band, a girl called Beryl Davis.
After a few more drinks we took them all back to their hotel and said “Good night!”
I thought that would be the end of it, but a couple of days later Django rang me and invited us all to the night club where the Hot Club was playing called the Nut House, run by Al Burnett.
Well you can imagine how excited I was, a kid of 18 invited by the great Django!
We went to the club but Al Burnette would not let us in. He did not believe we had been invited by Django, however I would not let go. I persuaded him to check. It took some doing, but at last he did, and Django came out and told him we were his guests. He had a table reserved for us right in the front!
We watched the show, danced a bit with a few of the birds that were there, then at about 4:30 a.m., we all went to Lyons Corner House for breakfast, the whole Hot Club, but not Grappelli. I think he was a bit too posh for us in those days!
Django paid the bill for everybody! I tried to pay him back but he wouldn’t hear of it.
Well, thats the end of the story .
A short while after that I was in the Army and actually landed on the beach in Normandy in full kit with my guitar!
But, that’s another story.
