Charles Delaunay

Charles Delaunay, the son of artists Sonia and Robert Delaunay, was born in Vineuil-Saint-Firmin, Oise, France in 1911. Although he began his career as a commercial artist, Delaunay’s life was transformed after attending a Jazz concert. In the early 1930s, he began to work as a Jazz promoter, and co-founded the Hot Club de France with Hugues Panassié. The Hot Club de France was both a concert venue and an association of jazz enthusiasts. Delaunay recruited a relatively unknown Django Reinhardt to join the Quintette du Hot Club de France. In the mid-1930s, Delaunay and Panassié co-founded Le Jazz Hot, which is now the world’s oldest jazz magazine. He organized recordings throughout the 1930s and... more.