Pioneering Gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt lamented that he might be neglected by history, but today the ebulliently swinging "jazz manouche" sound he created with French violinist Stéphane Grappelli is more pervasive than ever. "Clearly born to the style," (NY Times) no one has done more to ignite interest in the idiom than dazzling French guitarist and violinist Dorado Schmitt. Born to Gypsy parents near the German border in Lorraine, Schmitt was weaned on traditional Roma music and Gypsy jazz, but rebelled as a teenager by taking up electric guitar and emulating Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana.
Schmitt is joined by a cast of fiercely swinging compatriots including his son, Amati Schmitt, who represent the future of the Gypsy tradition.