Some of the biggest names in the world of gypsy jazz are performing in Ramelton later this month at the 3rd Django Sur Lennon festival, from Thursday 27th September until Saturday 29th.
The festival line-up includes Stochelo Rosenberg from the Netherlands, the world-class guitarist who performed the soundtrack to the film ‘Django’ last year.
Another top player is Tchavolo Schmitt from Paris. He also has a string of solo albums and a film soundtrack to his credit.
A 15 year-old guitar prodigy from the US, Samuel Farthing, is on the bill. And from the Czech Republic comes the four-piece Swingtet, led by guitarist Tomáš Honsa.
Donough Cleary, one of the festival organisers, says it’s their strongest line-up yet.
He paid tribute to the main sponsors, Sir Gerry and Lady Heather Robinson, to Donegal County Council and also to well-known barrister Peter Nolan and his wife Mary Harte.
He said: “It’s thanks to that support that we’re able to have such a remarkable music weekend here.
“These are performers you’ll see at the big gypsy jazz festivals around the world. It’s amazing to have them in the village of Ramelton. We have an exceptional series of concerts over the three days. We also have lots of guest performers coming in to play gigs and impromptu sessions in the local bars.”
Once again this year the festival actually kicks off with a gig in Letterkenny on Thursday 27th Sept. The Romain Vuillemin Quartet play the Regional Cultural Centre, starting at 8pm.
Romain is from Mulhouse in eastern France. His band have played major jazz festivals internationally, as well as releasing the highly-regarded ‘Swinging in Paris’ album in 2015.
The first of the concerts in the Town Hall in Ramelton is on Friday (28th) when Tchavolo Schmitt tops the bill. He’s joined by the Romanian violin virtuoso Costel Nitescu. The support act is 15 year-old Samuel Farthing from Maryland, regarded as one of the finest young up-and-coming gypsy guitarists in the world.
Innovation is the name of the game in the Town Hall on Saturday afternoon at 5pm.
Sarah E. Carter, who has toured the world playing fiddle with Lord of the Dance and Spirit of the Dance, gets together with Paris-based guitar virtuoso Samy Daussat to create ‘Celtic Manouche’. It’s a mix of gypsy jazz and Celtic tunes, with some special guests promised.
Ramelton welcomes a king of gypsy jazz to the hall on Saturday night. In a coup for the festival, Stochelo Rosenberg takes the stage with his quartet, including one of the world’s leading jazz violinists Christiaan van Hemert.
Stochelo’s releases include a live album with violinist Stéphane Grappelli recorded in Carnegie Hall in New York.
Django Sur Lennon is a not-for-profit festival, named after the legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt (1910 – 1953). Tickets for the concerts can be bought at http://djangosurlennon.com
A weekend ticket for €45 covers all four Town Hall concerts. Tickets are also available at the door.
