Django Reinhardt Festival

Air France Presents
DJANGO FESTIVAL ALLSTARS

Starring: DORADO , SAMSON, & AMATI SCHMITT
LUDOVIC BEIER, PIERRE BLANCHARD

With Special Guests:

11/17: Bria Skonberg- Trumpet & Vocals
11/18: Anat Cohen, Clarinet
11/19: Jorge Continentino- Flute
20: Joel Frahm- Saxophone
21: Borislav Strulev- Cello
22: Cyrille Aimee- Vocalist

Sponsored by: Air France, Verizon, RD Wright Inc. &
John Pearse Strings

Once again, the SCHMITT family returns to the US to tour with ‘5’ concerts at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center, NJPAC James Moody Jazz Festival, and more, winding up at their home BIRDLAND November 17-22. Birdland launched the Festival in 2000, now in its 16th successful year!

Over the years, a top Jazz band in the style of Django has evolved onstage at Birdland. It carries on the legacy of legendary gypsy guitarist DJANGO REINHARDT in a contemporary style holding on to the joy, hot sounds, and romance of the music inspired by America’s standards repertoire and great musicians such as Duke Ellington, harking back to the 20’s and 30’s in France but bringing “Le Hot Jazz” to today where we call it “Hip Hot Jazz”.

SAMSON SCHMITT was a very young gypsy guitar player, side by side with his dad, legendary gypsy musician Dorado Schmitt, starring at the Festival. AMATI was a young boy, 3 years old, now 19 and a seasoned player in his own right. DORADO has passed on the tradition of Django’s style, as is done in gypsy life from generation to generation, as his Dad did with him teaching guitar and violin. All come from Forbach, France, a gypsy community near Germany where music and family is the center of life.

Over the years, the Producers Pat Philips and Ettore Stratta brought others to the stage joining the Schmitts such as Ludovic Beier , accordionist and accordina musician, and Pierre Blanchard, violinist…henceforth the evolution of this spectacular band many years in the making along with Xavier Nikq on bass (Brian Torff is bassist in the summer). The band has arrived and is in demand across the country for major tours 2X a year .

**This November, there will be a special piece dedicated to the life and tremendous talent and career of Maestro Ettore Stratta, beloved co-founder of the Festival, partner and husband of Pat Philips (Stratta). Ettore Stratta sadly passed away in July.**