Tchavolo Schmitt

Gypsy jazz guitarist Tchavolo Schmitt was born in Paris, France in 1954. Introduced to the guitar at the age of 6, he was later drawn to playing in the manouche (gypsy jazz) style that incorporated tango, blues, and bossa nova. Tchavolo Schmitt grew up in the Parisian district of Belleville but relocated to Strasbourg in 1965. After spending over a decade playing with local groups, he began a career as a professional musician in 1979. He performed at cafes and clubs in the Paris region before joining the group Hot Club da Sinti and appearing on their 1981 album Wonderful. After disappearing from the scene for roughly a decade, he returned in the early 1990s and quickly made a name for himself in the gypsy jazz circuit again. After appearing in Tony Gatlif's film, Latcho Drom (1992), he collaborated with several musicians in the group Gypsy Reunion and released the album Swing 93. Tchavolo Schmitt’s first solo album, Alors? ... Voilà!, was released in 2000. After the release of the Miri Familia album in 2001, he appeared in another Tony Gatlif film, Swing (2002). Tchavolo Schmitt collaborated with Angelo Debarre on the 2004 album Mémoires (Tribute to Django Reinhardt) before returning to more original material on albums such as Loutcha (2005), Seven Gypsy Nights (2007) and Live in Paris (2010). He then collaborated with fellow guitarist Samy Daussat on the album Nouvelle Vague (2013). Tchavolo Schmitt released Mélancolies d'Un Soir in 2014 and took a long break in recording. He returned in 2022 with the album Miri Chterna, which hit Number 36 on the French Jazz Albums chart.