In Celebration Of Django's 100th Birthday and Les Paul's favorite Guitarist, Iridium in association with Pat Phillips and Ettore Stratta will begin on Les Paul's Monday Nights at Iridium!

DORADO SCHMITT - Legendary gypsy guitarist and DJango look-alike heads a major tour celebrating the 100th birthday of Django Reinhardt criss-crossing the country and landing at NY's IRIDIUM JAZZ CLUB on February 1,2,3 with an 'all-star' Band from France. SCHMITT of the Manouche style is one of the world's leading exponents of the music of Guitar master DJANGO REINHARDT . He is joined by his son, SAMSON SCHMITT - a young Guitar star, MARCEL LOEFFLER - Top swing Accordionist, PIERRE BLANCHARD -Grappelli style Virtuoso Violinist, and Veteran Bassist BRIAN TORFF + surprises. Monday, February 1, will be a special tribute to Django's friend, the great LES PAUL. 'HOT, SWINGING, ROMANTIC, JAZZ' at its very best ! - Produced by Pat Philips & Ettore Stratta.

Dorado Schmitt, legendary gypsy guitarist from France, has been at the center of the Django music resurgence in the US by appearing regularly at the Django Reinhardt NY Festival. Besides starring at the festival, he has toured the country with Allstar Bands promoting the Django Reinhardt style at such venues as The Kennedy Center, Disney Hall, Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The SF Festival, Caramoor and more...to great acclaim .


His highly anticipated return to the US this January will be in a major tour celebrating the 100th Birthday of DJANGO REINHARDT , his idol, with a swing thru NYC at The IRIDIUM on February 1,2,& 3 with a special tribute to the great LES PAUL on Monday, February 1. LES cited Django as one of his favorite guitarists, was a personal friend, and owner of one of Django's own 'guitars.

Accompanying DORADO SCHMITT will be SAMSON SCHMITT - his son, a young Gypsy Guitar star in his own right, MARCEL LOEFFLER - Virtuoso Accordionist, PIERRE BLANCHARD - Violin master, all from France ,accompanied by Veteran Bassist BRIAN TORFF who performed for years with Grappelli.

The Django Allstar tour, celebrating Djano's 100th birthday (which is Jan. 24th), commences with an important concert at the Kennedy Center Jan. 16, onto Minneapolis at the Dakota Jan. 18 & 19, Yoshis in Oakland Jan. 21-24, Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz Jan. 25, Catalina's in LA Jan. 26,27,28, The Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa Jan 29 & 30, onto NY at the IRIDIUM Feb. 1,2,3, climaxing at the Montreal Jazz Festival Feb., 4,5,6 before heading back to France...Produced by Pat Philips & Ettore Stratta

DJANGO and GRAPPELLI met in the 30's in France to form The Hot Club Quintette which took Europe by storm and went on to become one of the most important musical partnerships in European history with a hot jazz rendition of American pop standards, influenced by Ellington, Armstrong and the like...Gypsy Jazz is still on the cutting edge and enjoying enormous success around the world. Young musicians as well as more established are digging into Django's music , a torrent of guitar lines on special string guitars with sounds all their own, easily recognizable, virtuosic, hot and romantic.

Celebrity musicians and actors admire the music such as Leonardo DiCaprio who's dog is named DJango, Sean Penn who starred in Woody Allen's film 'Sweet and Lo Down' about this music, Willie Nelson records it, Tony Bennett wrote a lyric to Nuages, the most famous Django composition ... and more.

'Feb 1,2,3, is the Centennial Celebration at one of NY's most important venues...'Historymaking at THE IRIDIUM' marking a music and master that continues to fascinate, inspire and bring joy...one that has endured the test of time...and is still swinging!