Special Guests:
GRACE KELLY/Saxophone
KEN PEPLOWSKI/Clarinet…& more

Produced by Pat Philips Stratta

The Django Reinhardt NY Festival launched in 2000 at Birdland is in it’s 18th year. Out of the Festival came the top players, The Django Festival Allstars, who tour 2X a year and always spend a week at their home in the US, BIRDLAND. On the road, to standing ovations, they play top venues -Hollywood Bowl, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center, Montreal Jazz Festival and much more with original music in the style and Django favorites. This past summer at the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Bowl, critic Scott Yanow wrote “highpoint of the entire festival” !

Dad, DORADO SCHMITT, started performing in NY in 2002 when SAMSON was 21 and AMATI 5, all grown up now and together on the Birdland stage for the first time. It’s a family dynasty of enormous talent that comes from the soul of gypsy life where music is God, joined by virtuoso accordionist LUDOVIC BEIER and Grappelli protégé, PIERRE BLANCHARD, on Violin. They will put you on the edge of your seats with joy, smiles, shock you with their hot #’s and break your heart with a ballad, joined by gypsy cousin, Francko Mehrstein, on rhythm guitar and Gino Roman on Bass.

Special guests include the young great saxist Grace Kelly on Nov. 7, 8, and 11 and top swinging clarinetist Ken Peploski on Nov. 9 and 10. For a change of pace, newcomer Chris Smith will be on drums on Nov. 12th.

The music harkens back to the 30’s and 40’s in France to the Hot Club Quintette of Django and Grappelli, romantic days in ‘ol Paris with swing music in the dance halls and streets while campfires lit up the sky on the outskirts of Paris with gypsy life. Music and family was and still is King ! Hot Jazz has more than survived, is vibrant and causing a sensation all over the country.

The musicians will again be on tour as well (see schedule below) and at their NY home, Birdland Nov. 7-12 before returning home to Paris and gypsy community Forbach, France, near Germany. It’s real, it’s romantic, it’s exciting…let your heart lead the way. The Festival was co-founded by Maestro Ettore Stratta.

DJANGO FESTIVAL ALLSTARS US TOUR
November
3: The DAKOTA, Minneapolis, MN
5: The CABOT THEATRE, Berkeley, MA
6: The KENNEDY CENTER, Washington DC
7-12: BIRDLAND, New York City
15: UBS Atrium Series Mid-Day Concert Series, Weehawken, NJ
17: EQT JAZZ STAGE “Light Up Night’ Celebration, Pittsburgh, PA
18: MANCHESTER CRAFTSMEN’S GUILD, Pittsburgh, PA

Participating sponsors:
AIR FRANCE
RD WRIGHT,INC.
JOHN PEARSE STRINGS
John and Joan D’Addario Foundation
The ROW HOTEL – 44th Street and Eighth Ave.

The post AIR FRANCE Presents DJANGO REINHARDT NY FESTIVAL November 7 – 12 appeared first on Good News!.

AIR FRANCE PRESENT

THE DJANGO REINHARDT

NY FESTIVAL

Django Festival Allstars

Featuring Gypsy Guitar Legend DORADO SCHMITT

+  Ludovic Beier, Pierre Blanchard,

Francko Mehrstein, Amati & Bronson Schmitt  from France

and Brian Torff

Returning to Birdland !

Celebrating their new CD!

Plus Jazz Guests:  Cyrille Aimee, Freddy Cole

James Carter, Edmar Castaneda

The DJANGO REINHARDT FESTIVAL carries on the legacy of legendary gypsy guitarist DJANGO REINHARDT, but with some new songs and interpretations keeping it fresh, exciting, cutting-edge… true to the HOT JAZZ, ROMANTIC, style which has exploded across the US. It all started at Birdland in 2000 with the launching of the Festival and  tours at prestigious venues such as  Kennedy Center, Disney Hall in LA, The San Francisco Festival.. The Django Festival is Produced by Pat Philips & Ettore Stratta.

DORADO SCHMITT, legendary Manouche gypsy guitarist from the Strasbourg region of France, a Django look- alike with pencil thin mustache, returns to Birdland to adoring fans. Schmitt started coming to the US in 2002 and has been a star attraction at major festivals and at Birdland in NY, home of the Django Reinhardt NY Festival.  He will be joined by  other gifted musicians who also appear regularly: Virtuosos LUDOVIC BEIER on Accordion & Accordina, PIERRE BLANCHARD on Violin  with FRANCKO  MEHRSTEIN on Rhythm Guitar, from France and  BRIAN TORFF on Bass and as Host, plus Dorado’s young sons Amati and Bronson Schmitt.

Joining them will be talented Jazz Guests each night:

Nov. 5 & 6:  CYRILLE AIMEE – French Jazz Vocalist

Nov. 7:  FREDDY COLE – US Vocal legend

Nov. 8 & 9:    EDMAR CASTANEDA– Colombian jazz harpist

Nov. 10:   JAMES CARTER – Sax great

—

Excitement continues at Birdland with the  Django Reinhardt NY Festival going into its 14th year celebrating their new CD ,  The Django Festival Allstars on Three’s a Crowd Records, available at Amazon and Itunes.  The CD is being played around the country and receiving rave critical reviews.

HOT JAZZ at its best celebrating the new CD, a result of 14 years of musical love and talent on the Birdland stage.

 The Allstars will be on tour as follows:

Oct. 25, 26, 27:  The San Francisco Festival  SFJAZZ Festival – sfjazz.org

Oct. 31:  Regatta Bar -Charles Hotel Boston,

Nov. 2:  Kennedy Center, Wash. DC.,

Nov. 5-10:  Birdland, NYC

Special thanks to:  AIR FRANCE

Sponsors:  VERIZON,  RD WRIGHT, INC., JOHN PEARSE STRINGS,

The JOAN AND JOHN D’ADDARIO FOUNDATION.

Birdland

315 West 44th Street

NYC

between 8th and 9th Avenues on the west side of midtown Manhattan.

For phone reservations & information, please call (212) 581-3080.

Discount Parking Garages on 44th street. (Edison Parking 330 West 44th Street, just east of 9th Avenue)

The post DJANGO REINHARDT FESTIVAL NOV. 5-10 appeared first on Good News!.