Dorado Schmitt no longer needs any introduction. Ever since the end of the 70s he’s been the great modernizer of gypsy jazz, devoting his work...

Dorado Schmitt no longer needs any introduction. Ever since the end of the 70s he’s been the great modernizer of gypsy jazz, devoting his work to the genre while writing some of its finest chapters. Worshipped by many for his wonderful melodic sense and immense ‘feel’, Dorado conquered America and became an icon of the Django Reinhardt Festival, the famous annual event held at Birdland, New York’s temple of jazz. For years the guitarist had dreams of recording with a jazz group — guitars, brass, piano, bass, drums — and here he ventures into different territory, with sounds recalling George Benson, Brazil (notably in an excellent version of his hit ‘Bossa Dorado’), or else the great pop played by another guitarist named… Sacha Distel. This live recording made under difficult conditions has a ‘gutsier’ sound than a studio album, but the music is sublimated by an atmosphere and warmth that make it a brilliant moment of truth. Augustin BONDOUX & Patrick FReMEAUX