Tony

Just posted the full highlight video from the eleventh edition of Under the Tuscan Sun, Jazz and Gypsy Jazz Camp on my YouTube channel.

Four days of gypsy jazz and jazz in the Tuscan countryside with Christiaan Van Hemert and Manu Haghmann, with organized and spontaneous jam sessions, workshops, great atmosphere, and some really touching testimonials from the participants at the end.

If you are curious about what an immersive gypsy jazz camp experience actually looks like from the inside, have a look. Link in bio. And for anyone interested, the next edition of the Gypsy Jazz Full Immersion Weekend with Benji Winterstein is coming up in Abbiategrasso at the end of September.

Cheers,

Dario

Fresh off a memorable performance at the Forbach Jazz Festival, I am sharing a live video of "Masks", an original composition from my brand new seventh album "Sicilian Blood", performed with my trio in front of one of the most passionate gypsy jazz audiences in the world. High energy, high impact, and deeply rooted in the gypsy jazz tradition, this is a moment I am really proud of and one of many exciting things happening right now, including the Under the Tuscan Sun jazz camp next week, a Poland tour in August, and a US tour in September.

If you haven't already, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for regular live performances and educational content coming in the weeks ahead.

Cheers,

Dario

The interview starts in Italian but quickly switches to English.

I was particularly struck by his opinion on picks (12.50).

I’d like to share something I’m particularly proud of.

I’ve just released the title track of my upcoming album Sicilian Blood, which will be my seventh release. This piece has quite a story behind it.

It was originally written for a previous album, which I had actually intended to call Sicilian Blood. The tune is dedicated to John Monteleone, whose work many of you will know. I had the privilege of playing one of his guitars on that recording, and given both his Sicilian roots and mine (I was born in Palermo), it felt natural to dedicate this waltz to him.

However, things didn’t unfold as expected. The album came out under a different title, and this piece, despite its meaning, was left off the record entirely. It was a frustrating moment at the time, and ultimately part of what led me to move on from that label.

So bringing this piece back now, and making it the centerpiece of this new album, feels like closing a loop. In a way, giving it the place it was always meant to have.

The trio on this recording features Tonino De Sensi on bass and Benji Winterstein on rhythm guitar, and the goal was to capture something very close to how we sound live, with minimal edits and a focus on interaction.

We’ll be officially presenting the album on May 9th at the Forbach Jazz Festival, one of the real hubs of this music and community.

For now, the album is only available as a physical CD at our live shows. I know Forbach is not exactly around the corner for many of you, but that’s the current situation. We are looking into possible vinyl and digital releases down the line.

If you’d like to have a listen, here’s the video of the title track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO3X0h4e0nY

All the best,

Dario

I watched them perform as well as jam during Django in June in 2024. Incredible players.

The performance starts at 20:00 and the etscost is only €16. I bought my tickets on Tuesday and there a goodly number still open.

Cheers

Jerry Carris

I see online there is a Gipsy Restaurant that has live music. Sometimes it is Jazz Manouche and sometimes Gypsy folk music.

Can anyone tell me about Jazz scene on Prague or anything specific about the Restaurant?

Thanks

Jerry

just a quick line to present one of my new 4tet, playing hispanic boleros on the gypsy guitar.

Hope you'll like it, pretty fun to play and i think this type of guitar suits that genre perfectly (i ve experimented in the past with the archtop guitar but in the end i think i ll take my good old dupont like on this video)

Quick line also to suggest subscribing to the channel as i ll try to post a new video per week every friday. same as with the acoustic standards in paris channel you may be familiar with, but with only full band videos (showing my 4tet Django style also, and my 3rd 4tet the one singing the great american songbook)

Enjoy and keep swinging

Romain

Romain

So, are there any big Romanian GJ players?

📅 June 11–14, 2026

📍 Tuscany, Italy

Join me, Dario Napoli, and the incredible Christian van Heemert — one of today’s top gypsy jazz violinists and educators — for four unforgettable days of music, learning, jamming, and community.

🎸 Why join us?

• All levels welcome — everyone learns and contributes
• Boutique-size camp: limited spots for individual attention
• Beautiful Tuscan setting: play, relax, connect
• Early Bird discount until Christmas!

Spots always go fast — secure yours now:

👉 darionapolicamp.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2RY_g1dKQs&list=PLI4hav8PBH1dqdd0uHrzKfzlGkzTqeEe1&index=3

Romain

Hope you like the gig

Cheers

Romain

Checked with a couple of online listings to see who was on but it did not work out so well.

Romain Vuillemin was playing at a bar in Belleville the day I arrived but due to flight delays I did not get to the hotel until early evening in dire need of a shower and clean up so I ran out of time for that one.

There was a listing for some GJ at a bar in La Marais on Monday evenings but when I found the address it was an Asian restaurant. I even checked around the side to make sure there was not another entrance to a basement bar or similar but no, it must have been an old out of date post.

Tuesday 21st Olli Soikkeli was playing at Chez Georges in the 6th arrondisement so I made sure to get there early only to be told tickets had to be bought online and were sold out. I had a beer anyway and when I stepped out in the street Olli was there talking to some folks so I told him I had just come all the way from Australia and could not get in. He went inside to ask if there was any way, but sadly was told they could not let one more person in. I thanked him and went back to the hotel.

Three strikes!

Called in at Monk La Taverne de Cluny a couple of times as they have a great choice of beers but there was no GJ going on.

So at least we can rely on La Chope des Puces and that weekend Steven Reinhardt was playing with Ezeckiel Krieff and a violinist named Mario. Sylvie even produced a little folding table just for me right front and center. I had seen Steven there a couple of years back with a different trio and had bought his excellent CD. Also they have Leffe beer on tap, another plus.

So the moral of this story? Planning ahead and checking with various venues in advance might save some wasted evenings. I am not complaining as I still had a great time even though it was just for a week this time, but when I am next over there (for a longer trip next April) I will be sure to confirm names, dates and places.

What either of these artists has to do with jazz escapes me! ( yeah, I know...what is jazz? 😎)

Is it that these festivals aren't what they used to be and the promoters are just looking to bring in more people/money?

There's so many great jazz musicians who I'd love to see as headlining the festival!

I have a lot of videos to look through but this one is nice, the bar was very noisy, including me in the background.

On Portuguese classified site Olx:

Also a Paul Beuscher from a different seller:

anyone know of gypsy guitar players who would jam for 3 or 4 hours for pay!

I am willing to pay to play. Consider it as a guitar lesson

More information there :

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FxCbMzmCG/

"Latcho Burstago" is a song I wrote as a homage to the Sinti community, I cannot think of a better place to play it than at the Django Reinhardt Augsburg!

This was easily one of the craziest, most exciting experiences in my life today! What a thrill to play at the incredible Park Theater, a dream come true, to share the stage with my boys Tonino De Sensi and Benji Winterstein but also Wawau Wawau Adler and also Vito, the son of Bireli Lagrene...!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who attended, to Sandro Roy, hope to be make it back soon

Hello everyone,

I was recently digging in my recordingarchive and found some videos I took almost four years ago of a concert of my grandfather Koen De Cauter with Fapy Lafertin and Rony Verbiest in my dad's café; Bar Lume. That year the Gentse Feesten; an annual city-festival in Ghent got cancelled due to covid-19 but my dad managed to organise some concerts anyway, including this one.

Sadly, our dear friend and amazing musician Rony Verbiest passed away last year after battling cancer for a long time. He often played with my grandfather and Fapy Lafertin but also with many other great musicians in many genres, he's very underrated and despite his incredible musical genius not very well known outside of Belgium. He is one of my greatest inspirations and was always a childhood hero of mine, I was lucky enough to be able to share the stage so much with this incredible musician.

Finding these recordings again made me so happy and I'm glad I filmed these when I had the chance and captured a little fragment of the genius musicality that Rony possesed.

The repertoire my grandfather selected for this trio consists of some very beautiful and often obscure songs, Fapy's playing is excellent and it's heartwarming to see how much these three friends enjoyed sharing the stage and playing music together, it's not gypsy jazz necessarily but I think some of you will enjoy it nonetheless!

Djalt

I've just moved to Zurich, and I need a manouche guitarist for upcoming gigs. I thought these forums would be my best bet, as I haven't found anyone out and about here in Zurich yet 😅

Also, does anyone know of any Gypsy Jazz venues / jam sessions in or near Zurich, if not, in Switzerland?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Best,
Ari

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG3kdJqRw-U

Our "Under the Tuscan Sun" Gypsy Jazz Camp is officially SOLD OUT! 🎶 While you can still sign up, Borgo Solario is full, so you'd need to arrange your own lodging.

But don’t worry—two more incredible opportunities await!

🎸 Full Immersion Weekend in Forbach (May 22-23)

Join me and Benji Winterstein for an exclusive 2-day workshop in Forbach, France, just before the Forbach Jazz Festival—a hotspot for Gypsy Jazz legends like Dorado Schmitt & Hono Winterstein!

🎻 Gypsy Jazz Workshop in Cévennes (July 31 - August 4)

Looking for something like the Tuscany camp? Join Eva Slongo and me in Cévennes, France for guitar, violin, and bass classes, ensemble playing, and an unforgettable Gypsy Jazz retreat!

👉 https://violon-jazz.systeme.io/workshop

It looks to be from the 1960s and is a short about 3 "gitane" brothers practising django material.

I'd like to find more info about it if possible.