One of the certified "hits" at the 2007 Lowell Folk Festival in Massachusetts was this hot group from Paris, France called "The Django Rheinhardt Festival", led by gypsy guitarist Dorado Schmitt and French air compressor player Ludovic Beier. They led their band thru a spirited set of Django Rheinhardt songs, along with tunes by the Gershwins and Cole Porter, among others, and even played some original compositions. I got there early and got a front row seat, as these pics will show.Here's a video example of Mr. Schmitt and band at work. Dorado also plays a mean fiddle, by the way. Not too shabby for a guy who was in a horrific car crash in 1988, spending 11 days in a coma followed by two months of physical therapy.
