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| Django Reinhardt NY Festival Celebrates 15th Anniversary AIR FRANCE presents The Django Reinhardt NY Festival 'Celebrating its 15th Anniversary' featuring Aug. 5-10 at Birdland SAMSON SCHMITT, LUDOVIC BEIER, PIERRE BLANCHARD Special Guests: Olli Soikkelii /Guitar from France Peter Beets/Piano from Holland and more... US Jazz Guests: Joel Frahm, Anat Cohen, Jane Monheit, Edmar Castaneda, Chris Washburne Nov. 4-9 at Birdland Dorado Schmitt and "3 sons" AMATI, SAMSON, & BRONSON . AND MORE..... "From France"! Plus two major cross-country tours...includes Newport Jazz Festival HOT HOT JAZZ ! "THE BEST JAZZ SHOW IN TOWN", ........... Imagine a stage filled with contemporary Django Reinhardt descendants and you'll get a sense that the collective talent pool on the bandstand is larger than the Arc deTiomphe!" The Wall Street Journal The Festival, started in 2000, found there was huge interest in Django's style of HOT JAZZ. It has gone on to be a highly anticipated event twice a year, now in its 15th year, accompanied by major tours - see all info below. . The AllStar bands emerged out of the Festival which is Produced by Pat Philips & Ettore Stratta. The Django Festival AllStars carry on the legacy of the brilliant gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt who was part of one of the most famous musical partnerships in European history with virtuoso jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli, together they formed the Hot Club Quintette of France. The Allstars, from France, bring the audience to their feet with lightning-fast guitar fingerwork on standards such as "Minor Swing" and also put the crowd in a romantic mood with gorgeous melodies, hit songs of the past such as Django's "Nuages". The program includes many new original compositions that take the music beyond. Django's inspiration was Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington-sheer virtuosity with exuberant showmanship leaving a crowd breathless as it is with The Django Festival Allstars. Leonardo DiCaprio has become one of the biggest fans as is George Benson, Woody Allen...every great jazz guitarist was inspired by Django, Keith Richards B.B.King, to name a few. This summer, August 5-10, The Allstars will be headed by Samson Schmitt, out on his own, a star in his own right . For years, he grew up on the Birdland stage, playing side by side with his legendary father gypsy king Dorado Schmitt Also featured at will be virtuoso violinist Pierre Blanchard "who captures the true romantic fire of Grappelli" and Ludovic Beier on Accordion and Accordina who "was breathtaking and beautiful", says Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal. On rhythm guitar this summer is DouDou Cuillerier who also brings the audience to its feet with his scat singing. Brian Torff holds it all together on bass. Each night there is a top US jazz great: Aug. 5: Joel Frahm, 6 & 7: Anat Cohen, 8: Jane Monheit 9: Edmar Castaneda - Jazz Harp, and 10: Chris Washburne Dorado Schmitt will be back in November with all '3' sons, Amati, Samson, and Bronson. Pierre Blanchard and Ludovic Beier return with Francko Mehrstein on Rhythm Guitar and Xavier Nikq on Bass. Guests TBA "Expect Bouyont rhythm, blinding technique, solid entertainment" says Nate Chinen of the NY Times. DJANGO held it all together like a magnet, as does his descendants, The Django Festival AllStars! Come to Birdland and celebrate. The Django Reinhardt NY Festival is about 'joy'! We can always use a dose of that! write your comments about the article :: © 2014 Jazz News :: home page |