What it is, what to hear first, and what sits next to it.
Gypsy jazz (also known as "Gypsy swing") is often said to have been started by guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s. Because its origins are largely in France it is often called by the French name, "jazz manouche," or alternatively, "manouche jazz." Reinhardt was noted for combining a dark, chromatic Gypsy flavor with the swing articulation of the period. His most famous group, the Quintette du Hot Club de France, also brought fame to jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli. .