DjangoFest Mill Valley 2017
Noon Workshop with Samson Schmitt
Workshop: Samson will work on the Gypsy treatment of harmony, scales, chords and rhythm ( la ‘pompe’), techniques developed over many years of touring with his father and teaching numerous workshops around the world. He will use a composition of his called Manouche Attitude – to include handouts of this tune.
Samson Schmitt was taught the guitar by his father, gypsy legend Dorado Schmitt. His music melds various influences: Django Reinhardt’s manouche jazz, the technical perfection of his father, and George Benson, Didier Lockwood, Richard Galliano, Bireli Lagrene, Toots Thielemanns, Florin Niculescu, Sylvain Luc, and Angelo Debarre. Samson has appeared in festivals and clubs throughout Europe and in major U.S. cities. He debuted in Birdland Jazz Club in 2002 and has been a regular visitor Stateside since. Through his regular CD releases with French jazzmen Hono Winterstein, Florin Niculescu, Yorgui Loeffler and, more recently, Ludovic Beyer, Samson has established himself as one of the top gypsy names worldwide.
