14th Annual Django Reinhardt Birthday Celebration

- ALL AGES - PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW (guaranteed seating and standing room only options are available at checkout) - "BAR ROOM SESSIONS" AND DOORS OPEN AT 7PM DJANGO JAZZ FEST Django Jazz Fest, hosted by Michael Joseph Harris and Hot Club of Baltimore, brings a stellar lineup of top musicians to perform music inspired by legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt from the 1930's and 40's swing era in Paris. The legacy of Django Reinhardt has spawned a worldwide community of acoustic musicians who strive to play with the same level of virtuosity, self-expression, rhythmic complexity, and harmonic sophistication. The style of music came to be known as Gypsy Jazz with its soulful, deep grooving swing feel and unmistakable bluesy sound that characterized the era. Musicians from rock, jazz, bluegrass, classical and folk genres have gravitated to the Gypsy jazz style because it demands great skill but in the spirit of fun and showmanship while including a vast repertoire spanning early swing music, musette waltzes, romantic classical music, Latin, Brazilian, and many forms of folk music across Europe. The result is an extremely entertaining, diverse and relatable music for listeners of all ages and a music which unites acoustic musicians from all genres in the common goal of reaching the top of their virtuosity as improvisers. The lifeline that runs through everything we do is about community and family as witnessed each year in France at Samois sur seine where musicians from all over the world gather every summer to play 24/7 at the campsite near where Django Reinhardt spent his final years. The aesthetic is about providing pure entertainment while maintaining a strong emotional connection to the music and bringing audiences into that feeling. The consummate Gypsy jazz artist strives for technical prowess as a musician through diligence and practice, learning the repertoire of songs, and developing a sophisticated harmonic palette for improvisation by playing with others and being inspired and challenged every day.