Anouman — chords & grille (gypsy jazz)
Anouman by Django Reinhardt — key of D (ballade), form A A' B A'. Below is the full chord grid; on Haute Gitanerie you can play along with a scrolling chord ribbon, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and switch on a rhythm backing (la pompe) to practise your solos over the changes.
About
One of Django Reinhardt's last compositions, written around 1953, Anouman is a hushed, melancholy ballad recorded with his quintet near the end of his life. It has become a favourite slow piece in the manouche repertoire.
The sound — a ballad in D minor that drifts through lush changes: Dm coloured by Gm6, the A7 dominant pulling home, and a string of ii–V moves that keep modulating. Nothing is rushed; the harmony does the work.
Practising it — take it very slow and let each chord ring. Drill your Dm, Gm6 and A7 arpeggios, lean on the D harmonic minor scale over the A7, and target chord tones on the beat rather than running licks.
Anouman chords — the grille
A : | Dm | Gm6 A7♯5 | Dm | Cm F7 | B♭ | Em A7♯5 | Dm | Gm A7 |
A' : | Dm | Gm6 A7♯5 | Dm | Cm F7 | B♭ | Em A7♯5 | Dm Gm6 | Dm |
B : | Am D7 | Am D7 | Gm C7 | Gm C7 | Bm E7 | Bm E7 | A7 | Eø A7 |
Chords used
Dm · Gm6 · A7♯5 · Cm · F7 · B♭ · Em · Gm · A7 · Am · D7 · C7 · Bm · E7 · Eø
Play along
Open the interactive grille for Anouman: loop any section, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and play over a rhythm accompaniment — with a real recorded pompe on featured tunes. In the browser, free.