Tchavolo Schmitt

Tchavolo Schmitt is a jazz bohemian guitarist, born in Bellevile (paris quarter) in 1954.

Initiated at the age of 6 by his mother to play guitar (his father played violin), Tchavolo Schmitt developed in the course of time a virtuosity in the gypsy style that eventually transgressed the Alsace borders, and makes him an influential musician in Montreuil or in Chope des Puces (in Saint-Quen which is mythic place for bohemian swing). He became a professional musician in 1979 (at that time he left Paris and went to domestic Alsace, and join "Hot Club da Sinti" and associate with violinist Wedeli Kohler, guitar player Schmeling Lehmann, and double bass player Jani Lehmann. One unique performance on LP (today collector's) was recorded in 1981. His career stops during the '80. After that we find him in 1993 in a group "Gypsy Reunion" (with Dorado Schmitt, Patrick Saussois and Gino Reinhardt) and he issues his first album under his name in 2000, which is called Allors?...Voila!, with friendly support from the part of Gypsys. This album is followed by album Miri Familia from 2001 and Swing (2002) which was actually music original from Tony Gatlif's movie (Swing), where Tchavolo Schmitt plays himself in the role of Miraldo, a gypsy guitar virtuoso. In 2004 with Angelo Debarre he issues Memoires in memory of Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt. In 2005 he issued a new album named Loutcha.