The Django Festival Allstars bring the musical legacy of the great gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt (1910-1953) fully into the 21st Century. Their unique, high-energy performances pay tribute to Reinhardt, who is considered one of the greatest guitar players of all time and the first European jazz musician to make major contributions to the development of the jazz guitar genre. Reinhardt’s driving, swinging style became known as “hot jazz” and it continues to grow in popularity. The Allstars honor the traditions of this “French Gypsy Jazz” adding their own creative interpretations, arrangements, and original compositions with stunning virtuosity. They have performed at the Newport Jazz Festival, Birdland, the SFJazz Center and the Kennedy Center....
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The Django Festival Allstars bring the musical legacy of the great gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt (1910-1953) fully into the 21st Century. Their unique, high-energy performances pay tribute to Reinhardt, who is considered one of the greatest guitar players of all time and the first European jazz musician to make major contributions to the development of the jazz guitar genre. Reinhardt’s driving, swinging style became known as “hot jazz” and it continues to grow in popularity. The Allstars honor the traditions of this “French Gypsy Jazz” adding their own creative interpretations, arrangements, and original compositions with stunning virtuosity. They have performed at the Newport Jazz Festival, Birdland, the SFJazz Center and the Kennedy Center.
“Expect buoyant rhythm, blinding technique, solid entertainment.” said The New York Times.
The Wall Street Journal wrote, “Djangofest is the best jazz show in town!”
At the recent Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl where the band performed in front nearly 15,000, critic Scott Yanow wrote, “The highpoint of Saturday and arguably the entire festival was provided by the Django Festival All Stars.”
Imagine The Cabot stage filled with six contemporary Reinhardt descendants, and you’ll get a sense that the collective talent pool on the bandstand is larger than the Arc de Triomphe!” Led for many years by legendary guitarist Dorado Schmitt, the Allstars currently feature Dorado’s two sons, Samson Schmitt and Amati Schmitt each on lead guitar (this is the first time all three are together in America) plus Ludovic Beier on accordion and accordina, Pierre Blanchard on violin, Francko Mehrsteinr on rhythm guitar and Gino Bernard on bass.
The band grew out of the very successful DJANGO REINHARDT FESTIVAL, going into its 18th successful year in America, with its home at Birdland in New York and major tours across the country – and it has been hailed by Leonardo DiCaprio as being made up of some of the greatest musicians in the world! HOT JAZZ harkens back to the ’30s and ’40s in Europe, where DJANGO teamed with top jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli, to create The HOT CLUB QUINTETTE of France . . . the greatest musical partners in European jazz history.
The ALL-STARS follow in their footsteps, taking the music beyond with original compositions, hip improvisations and some of Django’s lasting greats.
This ‘hot-swing’ form of jazz has its roots in American popular music and in the reverence for Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and other top American jazz figures. They swing like crazy and will break your heart with a ballad. Each of them are composers as well and while this music can harken back to the great music of the past, their interpretations, arrangements, virtuosity and original compositions bring a newness to Django’s style and take it beyond.
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