Tchavolo Schmitt (born 1954 in Paris) is a

gypsy jazz Gypsy jazz (also known as gypsy swing, jazz manouche or hot club-style jazz) is a style of small-group jazz originating from the Romani guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt (1910–53), in conjunction with the French swing violinist Stéphane Gr ...

guitarist. Schmitt performed as a member of various ensembles in the 1970s. Then he settled in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

and left the professional circuit for a time, releasing solo albums in 2000. He played Miraldo in the

Tony Gatlif Tony Gatlif (born as Michel Dahmani on 10 September 1948 in Algiers) is a French film director of Romani ethnicity who also works as a screenwriter, composer, actor, and producer. Personal Gatlif was born in Algeria of Pied noir ancestry. A ...

film '' Swing.''

Biography

Tchavolo Schmitt was introduced to the guitar at the age of 6 by his mother; his father played the violin. He developed a virtuosity in the manouche style (

) and his renown rapidly exceeded the limits of

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, his ancestral region. He became influential among his peers, in particular at Porte de Montreuil or Chope des Puces in Saint-Ouen, homes of tavolo-manouche swing. In 1979, he became a professional musician, and after leaving Paris to return to his Alsatian roots, he joined the band Hot Club da Sinti, which included violinist Wedeli Köhler, guitarist Schmeling Lehmann, and bassist Jani Lehmann. A single LP recording (now a collector's item) was released in 1981. While his career paused during the 1980s, in 1993 he joined the band Gypsy Tavolo Reunion with, among others,

Dorado Schmitt Dorado Schmitt (born May 29, 1957) is a French guitarist and violinist in Gypsy jazz. Biography Schmitt was born in Saint-Avold, Lorraine, France on May 29, 1957. He started playing guitar at the age of seven with his father as his teacher. His ...

, Patrick Saussois and Gino Reinhardt. In 2000, he released the first album under his own name, titled ''Alors?...Voilà!''. This album was followed in 2001 by ''Miri Familia''. In 2002, he released the original soundtrack to '' Swing'', a movie directed by

where Tchavolo Schmitt played the role of Miraldo, a guitar teacher. In 2004,

Angelo Debarre Angelo Debarre ( (born on August 19, 1962) is a French Romani gypsy jazz guitarist. Biography Debarre was born in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis, Paris, and began playing at age eight. In 1984, he formed his first group, the Ang ...

joined him to produce a tribute record to

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

called ''Mémoires''. In 2005 he released a solo album called ''Loutcha''.

Family

His cousin

is also a gypsy jazz guitarist, as are Dorado's sons Samson, Bronson and Amati. Dorado Schmitt — ''Family''
/ref>

Discography

* ''Alors? ... Voila!'' (Iris Music, 2000) * ''Miri Familia'' (Djaz, 2001) * ''Memoires'' with Angelo Debarre (Le Chant du Monde, 2004) * ''Loutcha'' (Le Chant du Monde, 2005) * ''Seven Gypsy Nights'' (Le Chant du Monde, 2007) * ''Live in Paris'' (Le Chant du Monde, 2010) * ''Nouvelle Vague'' (Ouest, 2013) * ''Melancolies D'Un Soir'' (Ouest, 2014)

Filmography

* 1992 : '' Latcho Drom'', directed by Tony Gatlif * 2001 : '' Swing'', directed by Tony Gatlif (DVD and VHS, Montparnasse)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitt, Tchavolo 1954 births Living people French Romani people French jazz guitarists French male guitarists Gypsy jazz guitarists Romani guitarists French male jazz musicians