John Lewis composed “Django” as a tribute to guitarist Django Reinhardt.
Lewis wrote the piece after Reinhardt’s death in 1953. Its reflective, elegiac character contrasts with the faster bebop pieces commonly associated with Lewis’s Modern Jazz Quartet. The composition became one of Lewis’s best-known works and a lasting part of the group’s repertoire.
The Modern Jazz Quartet recorded “Django” in 1954, helping establish it as a modern jazz standard. The group’s version featured Lewis on piano, Milt Jackson on vibraphone, Percy Heath on bass, and Connie Kay on drums.
A common mix-up is assuming Reinhardt composed the tune because it bears his name. Reinhardt was the subject of the tribute, not its composer. Lewis was also a major arranger and co-founder of the Modern Jazz Quartet, whose polished chamber-jazz style differed from the looser sound of many bebop ensembles.