Giacomo Smith & Mozes Rosenberg @ Cheltenham Jazz Fest

Giacomo Smith and Mozes Rosenberg bridge culture, tradition and time to create unique concerts drawing on the history of Django’s music. Mozes’ virtuoso guitar and Giacomo’s breathtaking range of expression brings a new energy to this timeless music.

The clarinet and the acoustic guitar have a special chemistry. It’s thus no wonder that the brilliant musical mind of Django Reinhardt favoured the instrument so much in his postwar ensembles.

In this all-star line-up, Giacomo joins forces with Dutch Sinti guitarist Mozes Rosenberg to move Django’s winning instrumental formula into the modern era. With their quartet they perform original compositions, swing era classics, and other songs from outside the typical gypsy swing repertoire.

Italian-American Giacomo Smith is one of the few voices of Django’s music on the clarinet. Giacomo is known for his work as the founder of influential UK band Kansas Smitty’s and as a producer whose credits include Jamie Cullum, Jas Kayser and Damian Lewis. His passion for Django’s unique swing style has led to appearances as a featured guest across Europe and in the US.

SMith is a multi-instrumentalist who is comfortable on any reeded instrument.  He recently had a concerto written for him by composer and conductor Guy Barker, performed as part of the EFG Jazz festival with the Southbank Sinfonia.

Mozes Rosenberg is a member of gypsy jazz’s legendary Rosenberg family, which has become known globally as the ‘first family’ in gypsy jazz, and is a virtuoso guitarist in the Django tradition.

He learned to play guitar from his father Mimer. Mozes hears from childhood nimble vibratos, lashing chords, fast runs and melancholic melodies between the caravans.

Father, grandfathers, cousins ​​and brothers; everyone plays at the camp. The many birthdays and festivals are celebrated with Gipsy Jazz, which new musicians sit and play the stars of heaven. In this way musicians be born and raised.