DORADO SCHMITT and The DJANGO FESTIVAL ALLSTARS
The DJANGO FESTIVAL ALLSTARS carry on the legacy of the great great ‘gypsy’ guitarist DJANGO REINHARDT , HOT JAZZ at is best ! It’s star, DORADO SCHMITT , from the Lorraine region of France, is a gypsy legend in the true style of DJANGO. The Band grew out of the very successful DJANGO REINHARDT FESTIVAL going into its 16th successful year in America with its home at Birdland and major tours across the country. Hailed by LEONARDO DICAPRIO as some of the greatest musicians in the world, DICAPRIO has become their greatest fan! Joining DORADO is LUDOVIC BEIER from France who Downbeat just wrotE after his appearance at The Newport Jazz Festival ” BEIER played as great a solo on his accordina as Toots Thielemans at his zenith “. PIERRE BLANCHARD on Violin is a sensation. On rhythm, gypsy great FRANCKO MEHRSTEIN also from France and top Bassist BRIAN TORFF from Chicago. Joining the band on this major tour is DORADO’S young son, AMATI SCHMITT, now 19, a virtuoso and rising star !
HOT JAZZ harkens back to the 30’s and 40’s in Europe where DJANGO teamed with top Jazz Violinist STEPHANE GRAPPELLI to create The HOT CLUB QUINTETTE of France …the greatest musical partnership in European history Jazz history. The ALLSTARS 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 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. The Producers call it HIP HOT !…
DORADO SCHMITT’S virtuosity was on full display via lightning-fast finger work, powerful strumming, wild sweeps across the fingerboard and astonishingly fast tempos. Schmitt displayed complete mastery of Gypsy jazz guitar technique while frequently alluding to the trademark elements of Reinhardt’s style: darting arpeggios, fretboard-sweeping slides, half- and whole-note bends, sparkling harmonics, vocal-like phrasing.