At the age of 18 Reinhardt was injured in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared with Bella, his first wife. They were very poor, and to supplement their income Bella made imitation flowers out of celluloid and paper for her living. Consequently, their home was full of this highly flammable material. Returning from a performance late one night, Django apparently knocked over a candle on his way to bed. While his family and neighbors were quick to pull him to safety, he received first- and second-degree burns over half his body. His right leg was paralyzed and the fourth and fifth fingers of his left hand were badly burnt. Doctors believed that he would never play guitar again and intended to amputate the leg. Reinhardt refused to have the surgery and left the hospital after a short time; he was able to walk within a year with the aid of a cane.
His brother Joseph Reinhardt, an accomplished guitarist himself, bought Django a new guitar. With painful rehabilitation and practice Django relearned his craft in a completely new way, even as his third and fourth fingers remained partially paralyzed. Hence, he used to play solos with only two fingers, and managed to use the two injured ones for some chords. - wikipedia
Blijkbaar is jouw verhaal juist. Maar ik heb wel ergens in het verleden gelezen dat Django Reinhardt door een genetische afwijking zes vingers aan iedere hand heeft gehad, blijkbaar was dit onzin. Sorry
Dat is misschien omdat hij onterecht weinig algemeen bekend is ten opzichte van andere jazz grootheden. Ben zelf een jazz beginner maar heb vooral een grote voorkeur voor Django Reinhartd ontwikkeld.