Marcel Bianchi, born in 1911 into a corsian family in Marseille, began to play guitar at very young age, like many guitarrists in the evnviroment of the legendary "Quintette du Hot Club de France" did.He first starts at age of 7 playing the Mandolin, changes over to guitar at age of 12. Eventhough never having an official education in music, he is beginning to play in regional groups and bands very soon, making his name as “Le Mascotte”.
In the mid of the 1930ies he is listening to the sound of Django Reinhardt immediately starting to copy his style, and as well in 1937 going to Paris for that reason.
Bianci is able to get the attention of Charles Delaunay while playing at an amateur Jazz-competition. This made him get the job as one of the accompaning rhythm guitarrists of the Quintette du Hot Club de France.
Bianchi recorded three sessions with the Quintette du Hot Club de France in April 1937, his rhythm play on these recordings show his great talent and facets of his musicality at the side of Baro Ferret.
At the beginning of his carreer he is playing Carbonel-guitars (see photo right), later on he is also signing an advertising-contract with the SELMER-company (as the other musicians of the Hotclub Quintette did as well), obliging them to play these instruments on their live-performances. (Source: marodrom.com)
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