Your choices?

[Teddy Dupont]

I'll tell you my first track. It's Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli and the Quintette of the Hot Club of France playing "Dinah" from 1934. The reasons are that Django plays brilliantly throughout with a dexterity, exuberance and creativity that had never been heard before in popular music. It signals the beginning of the solo guitar in popular music and, in many ways, the start of the music that is now called Gypsy Jazz.

[Thrip]

Good choice Teddy, I'd agree with that.

Others on my list:

Minor Swing 1937

Something from Django's electric period, maybe Nuages from the 1953 Norman Granz session. His most famous composition but also shows the direction he was heading in.

Montagne St. Genevieve from Tziganskaia.

Les Yeux Noirs from Guitare Partie by Tchan Tchou

Something from Seresta by the Rorsenberg Trio. Maybe Bossa Dorado

Djangology from Bireli's Gypsy Project and Friends

Appel Indirect from 1910 by Les Doigts

[Djangoslefthandman]

Agreed Teddy eight is very difficult but playing by the rules and with some reasoning:

Django Minor Swing 1937

Why: Classic HCofF sound, minor key and representative (and superb) solo

Django Nuits De Saint-Germain-Des-Prés

Why: Represents where Django was before he died, electric and bebop influenced.

Lulu Reinhardt, Metro Swing (Titi Winterstein Quintet Live Mit Vanessa & Sorba)

Why: Indicative of a fast, aggressive style developed post Django

Fapy Lafertin, Fleur De Lavende

Why: Demonstrates a continuation of the classic approach

Babik Reinhardt, All love

Why: Djangos son showing that not all gypsies followed the HCofF pattern. Also we need a ballad and this is a beaut.

Boulou Ferré & Ellios Ferré, Micho Pelo

Why: Influences other than jazz evident in this one folk/modern classical. Virtuosity.

Stochelo Rosenberg, For Sephora

Why: Latin influence and evidence of a smoother style that has a wider audience appeal (radio friendly)

Bireli Lagrene, Made In France (Gipsy Trio album)

Why: State of the art and couldn't leave out Bireli

A problem with this list is that it stops at Bireli. As Thrip points out by including Les Doigts there are a lot of existing developments happening currently with players like Sébastien Giniaux, Adrien Moignard, and Gonzalo Bergara expanding the vocabulary. Feels like the beginning of a golden period IMHO.

[Teddy Dupont]

I would have to start and finish with Django and my last track is "Minor Swing" from 1937 by the HCQ. It is the gypsy jazz anthem. Anyone involved in this music will have played it dozens of times. It is an incredibly simple Django composition which does not have any real stated melody but in the right hands, swings like mad....and the 1937 version is in the right hands. Superb playing but very accessible to gypsy jazz laymen and non-believers. It does what Errol Garner did many years later, attracts outsiders to jazz - if only briefly.

I was sorely tempted to include more Django - specifically something from the 50s which I love - but I managed to resist and I do not think his late electric playing really represents the direction gypsy jazz has taken.

All the other people on my list have been mentioned here somewhere but not the specific tracks. As well as representing the development of the music, I wanted to have a variety of overall sound and pace otherwise it could sound much-of-a-muchness to the general public.

[Captain Swing]

Just back on my original question; I'd choose something from the '50s. Probably even 'Deccaphonie'.
It may not be wholly representative of Django, (not that any single track really could be) but i'm all for spreading awareness of his electric recordings, and 'Deccaphonie' still sounds pretty modern in some respects, even today.

[Djangoslefthandman]

Limited to a choice of his electric recordings: Nuits De Saint-Germain-Des-Prés - The Complete Django Reinhardt (1950-1952) vol.19) . I find the theme is exciting to play and to listen to. Also notice that it captures peoples interest on gigs