One of the best kept secrets in jazz is the Django Festival Allstars. Formed in 2002, the quintet recaptures the joyous and nostalgic sound of gypsy jazz made popular in Paris by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli just before World War II and after. It's infectious music, and once you hear it, you get caught up in the bounce and conversational quality of the instrumental exchanges. [Photo above of the Django Festival Allstars, courtesy of Pat Philips Stratta]
The Allstars perform worldwide, but next week they will appear at New York's Birdland from July 10 to July 15 as part of the Django Festival produced by Pat Philips Stratta. The Allstars are comprised of Samson Schmitt (guitar), Pierre Blanchard (violin), Ludovic Beier (accordion), Doudou Cuillerier (guitar) and Antonio Licusati (bassist), with special guests, singer Veronica Swift (on July 10, 11 and 12), Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda (July 13 and 14) and Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo (July 15). For more information and reservations, go here or call Birdland at (212) 581-3080.
Recently I caught up with Samson Schmitt to talk about the quintet and the music's unusual feel [photo above courtesy of Samson Schmitt]:
JazzWax: Calling the group the Django Festival Allstars must come with a high risk that people who are unfamiliar with you will think you're playing only Django Reinhardt's music. Is this true?
Samson Schmitt: Actually, we play mostly our own compositions written in the spirit of the Django Reinhardt Quintet's sound. Our mission is to update the gypsy-jazz style made popular by Django in the years before and after World War II. While we certainly include songs by the Belgian-born French Romani guitarist, our book is made up mostly of new works that are in the same spirit. We want to draw fresh attention to an important jazz style made famous by Django at Paris's Hot Club starting in 1934.
JW: When did the Allstars form?
SS: The Django Festival Allstars formed in 2002, at the suggestion of Pat Philips and Ettore Stratta. They were producing the Django Festival at New York's Birdland that year and Pat continues to do so today. At the end of the 2002 event, Pat and Ettorre suggested that instead of breaking up, the quintet should stay together and perform as a group. We agreed. And here we are today.
JW: How did you learn to play this challenging music?
SS: I grew up in France listening to the music of Django and Hot Club violinist Stéphane Grappelli. I learned to play gypsy-jazz guitar from my father, Dorado Schmitt. I also learned a great deal from Django's records. My father told me that to be a good gypsy-jazz soloist, you must be well accompanied by top musicians who understand the nuances. It's not easy to find musicians of that caliber, so when we formed for the festival, we decided to stick together, with a few personnel changes along the way.
JW: Who taught your father how to play guitar and violin in the gypsy-jazz syle?
SS: His father—guitarist and violinist Vavi Schmitt. Then when I was 6, my father taught me. As you can see, this music is passed along like any craft, starting at a young age. During my first lesson, my father taught me three chords. Soon after, I learned Django's Nuages and Minor Swing. Here's my father teaching me in France in the 1980s...
This music gets into your blood very fast. In addition to Django on CD, I listened a great deal to jazz guitarists Wes Montgomery and George Benson for their swinging feel.
JW: Why is gypsy jazz so ingrained in French musicians?
SS: Largely because of Django and Stéphane Grappelli, who both pioneered the music in Paris. Now it's linked with France's spirit. The music allows for improvisation without boundaries. As for the music's pronounced nostalgic feel, that was distinctly French, too. In music, you hear the feeling emerge later in artists such as singer-guitarist Sacha Distel, pianist Michel Legrand and even trumpeter Chet Baker. Before Django, you really didn't have this feeling in jazz—a sentimental longing for another era or period in one's life.
JW: In many ways, this music reminds me of New Orleans jazz, with a common theme followed by instruments jumping in and out. Was New Orleans jazz an influence?
SS: Yes, I suppose to some extent. Gypsy jazz is an active form of ensemble music that shares some structural characteristics. But at heart, it's an offshoot of the swing era, so there's a different emphasis.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the Django Festival Allstars latest album, Attitude Manouche (Resilience), here. It's a spectacular recording of new works by the group, featuring Django's hot-jazz feel. Once I started listening to the music, I couldn't take it off. And still can't.
You'll also find the album at Spotify.
JazzWax clips: Here's the title track...
And here's a fast French documentary on Django Reinhardt...
