The return of one of the most exciting and innovative musical events in Mill Valley is almost upon us.
DjangoFest, the longstanding event inspired by the late gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, returns to the Throckmorton Theatre Sept. 28-Oct. 2 for multiple concerts, workshops and parties.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
OPENING NIGHT PARTY 7-8PM, CONCERT 8PM
The festival kicks off with musical virtuoso Tim Kliphuis on Violin along with the equally talented Simon Planting, on Bass; and Jimmy Grant on Guitar
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
WORKSHOPS NOON/2PM/2PM, CONCERT 8PM
Featuring the Duved Dunayevsky /Daniel Garlitsky Quartet. Duved Dunayevsky is a Paris-based guitarist, composer and band leader. He is recognized by many as the foremost interpreter of Django Reinhardt’s 1930s guitar style. Currently leading the experimental “Prebop Orchestra” and the “Hot-Club” style ensemble “Duved And His Transatlantic Five”.Duved regularly performs in jazz festivals around the globe, keeping traditional jazz alive not by preserving it but by continuing to expand on its creative legacy.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
WORKSHOPS 11AM/2PM, CONCERT 8PM
Bina Coquet trio with Jose Seifarth and Simon Planting + Florian Cristea. Bina Coquet plays a unique version of the Manouche Jazz, which emerged in France in the 1930s, mixed with Brazilian music and his own compositions. Coquet is the first Brazilian to play this style outside the country in festivals specialized in the genre.
The Romanian violinist Florian Cristea was born in Buzau in 1967 and had his first musical teachings with his father, Gica Cristea. He attended a music school until 1983, when he entered the Conservatory of Bucharest and began to win competitions, such as the 1st Prize in the National Competition of Music of Bucharest. In 1985, he became a pupil of Ion Voicu and after 1990, he’s participated in several Romanian orchestras and toured Germany, Switzerland, France, the United States, Finland and Turkey. He has been living in Brazil for 21 years, since he was invited by the brazilian conductor Claudio Cruz to play with the OSESP (São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra).
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1
WORKSHOPS. 11AM/2PM, CLOSING PARTY AND CONCERT/ALL-STAR DJAM 5PM
SPONSOR DJANGOFEST 2023
“Since 2004 Artists from all over the world have joined us for spectacular concerts and inspiring jams – sharing their stories and laughter and hearing ours,” says Throckmorton founder Lucy Mercer. “None of it would be possible without you. Months before the festival, the planning and preparations, financial investment of substantial, upfront expenses such as artist visas, airline tickets, accommodations and thoughtful curating. Sponsorship support at this critical time is vital. Please consider sharing your love of the music by making a contribution toward its success this year.” SPONSOR INFO
DJANGOFEST 2023 CURATOR
Simon Planting is the event’s esteemed and talented DjangoFest 2023 Curator. Simon is a Dutch double bassist who lives near San Francisco. He studied Classical bass with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Jazz at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam before embarking on a professional career. He has performed in concerts and festivals the world over, and has compiled an impressive discography with artists like Mathilde Santing, Fapy Lafertin, Jimmy Rosenberg, Stephane Wrembel, and John Jorgenson.
DjangoFest, which regularly attracts legions of fans of the “hot” jazz sound Reinhardt pioneered as well as guitarists from all over the Bay Area, has long been one of the landmark local venue’s most popular events.
Though Reinhardt died 70 years ago, gypsy jazz continues to find new audiences. Its popularity surged in the aftermath of Woody Allen’s 1999 film Sweet and Lowdown, in which Sean Penn portrayed 1930s, fictional jazz guitarist Emmet Ray, who idolizes Django Reinhardt.
A Romani gypsy from Belgium, Reinhardt emerged in the 1930s as Europe’s best-known jazz musician, a virtuoso guitar player who combined his love for American greats like Louis Armstrong with the rich and mysterious Romani musical tradition. Though he died tragically young at age 43, Reinhardt’s musical legend was by that time cemented within jazz circles, and the past few decades have seen a worldwide spike in interest in both his music and his place in jazz history.
“He transformed jazz in a lot of ways,” said Nick Lehr, the late co-founder of DjangoFest Mill Valley who produced his first such festival in Whidbey Island, Washington back in 2001. “Not only was he the most famous European jazz musician, but he’s also probably the only European that really contributed to the development of the art form.”
MORE INFO & TIX.