Django Festival All Stars Live at Birdland and More

The Django Festival Allstars, purveyors of Gypsy jazz in vein of the legendary Django Reinhardt, have become frequent visitors to the States, including regular runs in New York City. Led by guitarist Dorado Schmitt and accordionist (Ludovic Beier) with Franko Mehrstein on rhythm guitar (with Dorado’s sons Samson and Branson also becoming regulars), their performances at venues such as Birdland and the Kennedy Center are to full houses. This writer was fortunate to see them a couple years ago at the Kennedy Center for an exhilarating evening full of virtuosity, passion and heart, and will be there when they return in this fall. 

While not part of the Allstars when I saw them, they also include violinist Pierre Blanchard. The latest recording is Live at Birdland & More, (Three’s A Crowd Records) reflecting that it includes some live performances from NYC’s Birdland club as well as some Paris studio recordings that includes guest appearances by saxophonist Anat Cohen and cellist Jisoo OK. This CD is the first time that members of the Schmitt family dynasty performing together have been recorded for North American release.

There are plenty of pleasures to be heard here starting with the traditional Gitan Swing which provides Dorado a chance to dazzle with astonishing technique along with Beier’s similarly dazzling accordion playing on this hot jazz performance. Dorado switches to violin for a lovely original For Pierre, that is dedicated to Blanchard and displays Dorado’s warm style. Blanchard is featured on his own original Balkanic Dance, with evocation of Indian solo violin and Balkan folk dances that morphs to a driving gypsy swing performance with Beier’s accordion complementing Blanchard’s fiery playing. Anat Cohen guests on soprano saxophone on what is perhaps Django Reinhardt’s most famous composition Nuages, with some lovely and very warm playing in her own style. 

Another Blanchard original, Valse En Exil, is a lovely piece of romanticism with Samson Schmitt exhibiting a precise technique in his guitar solo while Dorado’s El Dorado has a Brazilian flavoring with delightful interplay between Beier and Dorado. On Reinhardt’s Manor De Mes Reves, Beier is heard on the accordina (a mouth accordion) then lends a wistful quality. The marvelous Out of Nowhere, displays the lovely gliding violin of Blanchard and Dorado’s cleanly, articulated playing set against a simple rhythm on this standard. There are moments of faux-Middle East sounds (think of Juan Tizol’s Caravan) on Beier’s vibrant Camping Car with fiery solos from Blanchard and him. Dorado is again featured on violin, on his own Song For Ettore, exhibiting a strong romanticism in his playing while his son, Amati is featured on lead guitar. Son Bronson contributed Bronson’s Song, with fleet and imaginative playing suggesting some influence from Grant Green. Them Their Eyes, perhaps familiar from Billie Holiday is a tour de force for Samson, Beier and Blanchard, who also shine on Dorado’s Melissa. 

Bossa Dorado closes this lively and enchanting recording with Dorado taking the lead against the rhythm guitars of Samson and Mehrstein with Jisoo Ok providing a different musical tone with her charming cello playing. This is a spirited close to a recording of virtuosity and passion that is full of charm as well as exhilaration. This was produced by Pat Philips and Ettore Stratta, who are founders and producers of the regular Django Reinhardt New York Festival which is in midst of its 14th year in celebrating the legacy of Django Reinhardt and the Gypsy jazz tradition, which this release helps document.

I received by review copy from a publicist.  Here is a clip of Dorado Schmitt and the Django Festival Allstars performing How High The Moon.

Dorado Schmitt's Gypsy Jazz Family

Having had the pleasure of recently seeing Dorado Schmitt and his brother-in-law, Hono Winterstein, at the Kennedy Center with the Django Reinhardt Festival All Stars, I recently purchased online the 2009 Dreyfus Jazz release Family. This recording includes his children, Amati, Bronson, Samson along with Hono and Dorado’s nephew Brady Winterstein, with Marcel Loeffler on accordion, Gautier Laurent on bass and Stéphane Huchard on drums.

Given the closeness of the families among the Romany and the centrality of music in their lives, it should be no surprised that Dorado Schmitt has progeny that themselves are so accomplished and the marvelous cohesion evident on these recordings. It is not clear who plays on which tracks they play on this. Of course Marcel Loeffler’s accordion and Stéphane Huchard’s drums will be evident and Hono Winterstein can be counted on for providing the strong rhythmic pulse, but which guitarist is taking the lead, or the order on who takes the lead is not clear, although listening to these 15 performances one is drawn in through the virtuosity yet romanticism of the playing.

The music sings and swings throughout. Dorado Schmitt himself composed six of the performances here including the opening Miro Django a lovely mid-tempo number which the guitarists bring alive with a nice accordion solo. Hono Winterstein contributed the lively Bleu Citron with an accordion-guitar lead-in. Echoes of Django might be felt on the rendition of the delightful My Blue Heaven, which is followed by the beautiful Schmitt original, For Grappelli, with such a lovely theme and such a wonderfully articulated solo that shows how virtuosity is linked to such a deep melodic sense. His Gozes Valse is a relaxed performance that he dedicated to his wife. Another lovely ballad is Un Si Beau Jour with Loeffler’s accordion adding delightful coloring.

Many will be familiar with Topsy from swing big band recordings like that by Count Basie, but Dorado and family transform into in Gypsy jazz magic with a brisk, but not too fast, tempo with imagination mixed in with the deft and clean playing. Son Samson composed Samsong a bright, lively piece that showcases his use of single note runs mixed with chords and followed by Minor Swing, one of the foundation numbers of the genre, and the equally immortal, Nuages.

Other pleasures on this marvels CD include a wistful Just a Gigolo, and a lively performance of Reinhardt and Grappelli imaginative reworking of Tiger Rag, Django’s Tiger. Dorado Schmitt’s Family is an acoustic delight that mixes the dazzling musical performances with a melodious quality that is so easy to enjoy.

As stated, I purchased this CD.

Exhilirating Gypsy Jazz from Debarre and Beier

I was introduced to the jazz accordionist (and accordina player) Ludovic Beier when he performed at the Kennedy Center as part of the Django Reinhardt Festival All Stars with Dorado Schmitt and others. This concert of “Gypsy Jazz” preceded the actual Festival run at New York’s Birdland and was among the best musical performances I have been fortunate enough to see in some time. The mix of their astonishing virtuosity, wonderful group interplay and melodically based improvisation was exhilarating to listen to.

Subsequent to the concert I purchased several recordings by participants and others in this musical tradition that takes its inspiration from the legendary Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France. One such album was by guitarist Angelo Debarre and Beier, Swing Rencontre on Le Chant Du Monde. DeBarre is one of the leading guitarists in this style today and these recordings (originally recorded in 2001) have the two backed by rhythm guitarist Michel Delacroix and bassist Antonio Licusati. A drummer is added on two selections, and on one number, Jean-Paul Jamot replaces Licusati.

This recording is comprised of interpretations of a few standards, several classic Django Reinhardt compositions, and some recent contributions from Debarre, Beier and Dorado Schmitt. Beier on accordion plays a musical counterpoint to Debarre’s guitar, similar to Stéphane Grappelli’s violin to Reinhardt. The accordion has had a prominent place in the French musette tradition as well as in gypsy jazz and Beier brings a rich approach to complement Debarre’s dazzling fretwork while Delacroix and Licusati lay a swinging backing.

After playing a couple bars of There Will Never Be Another You, at a dreamy tempo, Debarre kicks up the tempo a couple of notches as he states the theme and launches his improvisation followed by an equally dazzling accordion solo. The dazzling, and crisp technique is matched with marvelous melodic improvisation and its a delight to hear them trade fours. Though instrumental, the music they produce sings and soars. Several of the selections are amongst the most famous of Reinhardt’s repertoire including Swing 42, Dinette, Minor Swing and the lovely Nuages.

“Minor Swing,” originally from Reinhardt and Grappelli is a high-spirited romp and they certainly do justice to it. Most of the arrangements were contributed by the pair, but bassist Licusati provide the dramatic overtones to the rendition of El Maintenant, which is known in English speaking parts of the world as What Now, My Love. Beier penned Paris Plage, a lively duo with Debarre that opens with driving accordion and Debarre comping behind him before the two switch roles with Beier providing an organ-like texture under the guitar. Debarre’s Have You Something? is a lovely ballad while Beier and bassist Jean-Paul Jamot contributed the lively original Michel Got Rhythm, dedicated to rhythm guitarist Delacroix.

This is a recording that should be readily accessible with its strong melodic foundation, swing rhythms and driving inspired improvisations. The music on Swing Rencontre is exciting and brilliant.


And a youtube video of these two live.