The Django Reinhardt Festival carries on the legacy of gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt with top players from Europe combined with America’s great jazz stars to bring joy to the public with its swinging sound, virtuosity, romantic melodies, and camaraderie amongst the musicians.
The Django Reinhardt NY Festival was launched in 2000 and was the first-ever festival of its kind in America and established a home at the legendary club, Birdland, in New York City. 2025 marks its 25th anniversary, and it’s still going strong. The Festival is produced by Pat Philips, and founded by Pat Philips & Ettore Stratta.
The Festival celebrates the music of legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt who teamed with famed jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli in the 30’s and 40’s to create the Quintet of the Hot club de France which went on to become one of the most important jazz partnerships in history, causing a sensation !
This ‘hot-swing’ form of jazz has its roots in American popular music and in the reverence for Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and other great American jazz figures.
Django played with a virtuosity unmatched to this day and an originality that inspires young guitarists all over the world to continue perpetuating his legacy. Django not only performed with tremendous talent but was a highly regarded composer having written such standards as “Nuages.”
While created over 50 years ago, the music is ‘cutting edge’ and is enjoying a resurgence all over the world. We call it ‘hip hot’!!!
Some of the great European musicians who have appeared include Dorado Schmitt, Samson Schmitt, Ludovic Beier, Angelo Debarre, Stochelo Rosenberg, Joscho Stephan, Peter Beets, Tchavolo Schmitt, Pierre Blanchard, Florin Niculesco, and more.
Some of the great American jazz masters who have joined them include James Carter, Paquito D’Rivera, Joe Lovano, Anat Cohen, Ken Peplowski, Frank Wess, Roger Kellaway, Grace Kelly, Harry Allen, Joel Frahm, Dave Samuels, Tom Scott, Veronica Swift, Cyrille Aimée and more.
The Django Festival All-Stars was celebrated in 2017 at Carnegie Hall to a standing ovation.
About Django Reinhardt
by Joseph Dinkins
Django Reinhardt has astounded and thrilled numerous generations of guitar players and jazz lovers with his amazing command of the guitar. January 24th, 1910 at Liberchies Belgium, Django was born into the open air, rambling lifestyle of his gypsy parents. At the age of eight, his mother’s tribe settled near the belt of fortifications that surrounded the old Paris, near the Choisy gate. He never wore a suit or lived in a real house until he was twenty years old. These French Gypsies or Manouches were a world unto themselves, medieval in their beliefs, and distrustful of modern science. Django grew up in this world of contradictions, one foot in the bustling big city of Paris and the other in the age-old life of the nomadic gypsy. Though born into poverty Django had the soul of a nobleman and this natural elegance of bearing and attitude expressed itself in his music.
It was at an early age Django became attracted to music. When twelve years old he received his first instrument, a banjo/guitar that was given to him by a neighbor who had noticed his keen interest in music. He quickly learned to play, mimicking the fingerings of musicians he watched. He was soon astounding adults with his ability on the guitar, and before he was thirteen he began his musical career playing with popular accordionist Guerino at a dance hall on the Rue Monge. He went on to play with numerous other bands and musicians and made his first recordings with accordionist Jean Vaissade for the Ideal Company. Since Django could not read or write at the time “Jiango Renard” was how his name appeared on these records.
On November 2nd, 1928 an event took place that would forever change Django’s life. At one o’clock in the morning the 18 year old Django returned from a night of playing music at a new club “La Java” to the caravan that was now the home of himself and his new wife. The caravan was filled with celluloid flowers his wife had made to sell at the market on the following day. Django upon hearing what he thought was a mouse among the flowers bent down with a candle to look. The wick from the candle fell into the highly flammable celluloid flowers and the caravan was almost instantly transformed into a raging inferno. Django wrapped himself in a blanket to shield him from the flames. Somehow he and his wife made it across the blazing room to safety outside, but his left hand, and his right side from knee to waist were badly burned.
Initially doctors wanted to amputate his leg but Django refused. He was moved to a nursing home where the care was so good his leg was saved. Django was bedridden for eighteen months. During this time he was given a guitar, and with great determination Django created a whole new fingering system built around the two fingers on his left hand that had full mobility. His fourth and fifth digits of the left hand were permanently curled towards the palm due to the tendons shrinking from the heat of the fire. He could use them on the first two strings of the guitar for chords and octaves but complete extension of these fingers was impossible. His soloing was all done with the index and middle fingers! Film clips of Django show his technique to be graceful and precise, almost defying belief.
Django was influenced by jazz recordings of Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. This new music found a place deep in Django’s heart. It provided the perfect vehicle for his prodigious talent for improvisation. Django rarely if ever played a solo the same way twice. Numerous recordings prove this to be true. His creative genius was not only that of the master improviser, but also that of the composer, and he can be credited with numerous pieces with beautiful melodies and sophisticated, subtle harmonic structures. However, Django could not read or write musical notation and he was at the mercy of others that could to get his ideas down on paper.
1934 proved to be the most important year of his life. The Quintet of the Hot Club of France was born! As the fates would have it, the Quintet was formed by a chance meeting of Django and Stéphane Grappelli. A band of fourteen musicians including Django, Stéphane, Roger Chaput, and Louis Vola were commissioned to play at the Hotel Cambridge at teatime. During intermission Django would find a corner backstage and play his guitar. One day Stéphane joined in and both were so pleased with the exchange they went on to play together more and more frequently joined by Roger Chaput (guitar), Louis Vola (bass), and eventually Django’s brother Joseph (guitar). A small record company Ultraphone recorded their first sides Dinah, Tiger Rag, Oh Lady be Good, and I Saw Stars. These first records caused a sensation! The Quintet went on to record hundreds of sides and had a following on both sides of the ocean.
1939 found the Quintet touring in England when the war broke out. Django returned to Paris while Stéphane remained in England. Django played and recorded throughout the war years substituting Hubert Rostaing’s clarinet for Stephen’s violin. He somehow avoided the fate of many of his kinfolk who went to their deaths in the Nazi concentration camps. After the war he was rejoined by Stéphane and they again played and recorded. He toured briefly with Duke Ellington in America and returned to Paris where he continued his career until 1951 when he retired to the small village of Samois sur Seine.
On May 16th 1953 Django suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and died, leaving behind his wife Sophie and son Babik. His music remains as vital and exciting today as it was when he lived, a legacy of joy to all future generations that rediscover the genius of the Belgian gypsy Django Reinhardt.
About the Producers
PAT PHILIPS-STRATTA
Pat Philips-Stratta produces original concert events. She feels privileged to have worked with so many great artists. Many of her highly acclaimed projects at Carnegie Hall, co-produced with Ettore Stratta—her partner and husband, include the 80th birthday celebration of Stephane Grappelli with Yo-Yo Ma (his first venture outside of classical music), Michel Legrand, Toots Thielemans, Oscar Peterson’s Tribute with Hank Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Billy Taylor, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Clark Terry, among others: Paquito D’Rivera’s celebration of “50 Years of Show Business” with greats Cachao, Bebo Valdez, Yo-Yo Ma, Candido, and Dave Samuels, and more.
Other events include:
- “50 Years of Flying Home, Illinois Jacquet’s 70th,” with Ray Charles, Roy Haynes, and Etta Jones “From Harlem to Hollywood,” which paid homage to tap legends The Nicholas Brothers, with Lena Horne, Ben Vereen, Maurice Hines, and Savion Glover
- “The Magic of Toots” with Herbie Hancock, Eliane Elias, Ivan Lins
- “Absolut Vocalese,” a tribute to Jon Hendricks with Al Jarreau, The Manhattan Transfer, and Count Basie Orchestra
- “Absolute Jobim” with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gal Costa, Dori Caymmi; and many more Brazilian concerts with Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra, Leny Andrade, Gilberto Gil, Romero Lubambo, Eliane Elias, and the Jobim family, including Branford Marsalis, Joe Lovano
- “George Shearing’s 80th” with Dave Brubeck, Billy Taylor, Tito Puente, John Pizzarelli, and Nancy Wilson, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
- Opera star Sumi Jo singing broadway songs with orchestral Regina Carter’s highly successful concert at Avery Fisher Hall with the Paganini violin (the only jazz artist given that privilege)
- “Jose Feliciano with Paul Simon”
- “Tango, Passion, and Swing” with Pablo Ziegler, Gary Burton, Joe Lovano, and stars from Buenos Aires; and Tango Magic,” which later became a PBS special.
Ms. Philips produced the first jazz series at the South Street Seaport with greats James Moody, Buddy Rich, and a long list of artists as well as started the first jazz series at the 92nd Street Y, “Jazz Alive at the Y,” with Benny Goodman, Gerry Mulligan, Lionel Hampton, and Sir Roland Hanna. She also produced a classical event at Carnegie Hall for Opus 118 violin school with Itzhak Perlman, Bobby McFerrin, and Pinchas Zukerman; many projects with the Joffrey Ballet, which involved newly commissioned ballets; “Absolut Concerto” at Lincoln Center with major symphony orchestras and composers John Adams and Christopher Rouse; “The Songwriters Hall of Fame” music industry event with a who’s who in the pop world (Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli, Whitney Houston) and hundreds of performers and composers/lyracists, including Sammy Cahn, Burton Laine, Jule Stein, and Charles Strouse.
Another special project at Carnegie Hall was “30 Years of Merchant Ivory,” about the film production company, with music from their films (such as Howard’s End), performed by a symphony orchestra with readings by Hugh Grant, Christopher Reeve, Joanne Woodward, Jeanne Moreau, and others.
Ms. Philips always loved the piano and managed top pianist and Grammy winner Roger Kellaway for eight years as well as worked with Harold Mabern, Kenny Barron, and other greats early in her career.
It’s been 20 years of developing The Django Reinhardt Festival at Birdland, out of which has come these extraordinary artists on stage tonight, THE DJANGO FESTIVAL ALL-STARS, to whom Ms. Philips devotes a great part of her life. In 2017, Philips co-produced, with Leonardo and George DiCaprio, the “Forever Django” concert at Carnegie Hall.
(Personal video from Jorjana & Roger Kellaway, a gift to Pat)
ETTORE STRATTA
In Memory (d. July 9th 2015)
Maestro Ettore Stratta arrived in America from his small town in northern Italy, Cuneo when he was in his 20’s, inspired by America’s movie musicals and Jazz. He was a gifted musician from the age of 5, went on to have his own band in Italy, got a hold of smuggled American Jazz recordings during the war and set his sights on the U.S. after seeing a Duke Ellington concert. He studied conducting at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome as well as piano and composition. One day, Stratta packed up, and headed for New York, then married to Cecile Horner.
Stratta came by boat, landed in New York, boarded at the YMCA, and set forth to land a job. After knocking on Columbia Records’ personnel door for a while, he landed a position in the A&R department In 1961, due to his musical talents, knowledge of 5 languages, and an introduction by Nat Shapiro. He worked under legendary head Goddard Lieberson in the golden age of Columbia. Here he worked with and reduced hundreds of recordings including Barbra Streisand (3 gold records), Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mathis, Miles Davis, Steve and Eydie, and international artists such as Mini Rosso, Franck Pourcel, Joe Dassin, Andre Gagnon, and many others. He traveled throughout the world producing recordings of “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The King and I,” “My Fair Lady” (in Hebrew) and many more. He became the head of Columbia International in 1964, always the ultimate music man. Maetsro Stratta had his own orchestra called “Fantasy Strings” with over 25 recordings of some of the greatest compositions in the Great American Songbook.
As “The Pioneer of Crossover,” he created “Switched on Bach” (for CBS) and then went out on his own and produced historic crossover recordings, which he also conducted: “Symphonic Tango,” “Symphonic Bossa Nova,” “Symphonic Boleros” Teldec with The Royal Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, with arrangement by Jorge Calandrelli, featuring such top artists as Al Jarreau, Dori Caymni, Hubert Laws, Paquito D’Rivera—Stratta skilled at choosing the perfect repertoire for these artists. Maestro Stratta conducted for the London Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, St. Lukes Symphony Orchestra, Rome Philharmonic, Sao Paulo Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Quebec Symphony Orchestra, and L’Orchestra de Lille in France for George Duke (performance at (Montreaux), and many others.
Other masterpieces were created with Stars of the Met, Placido Domingo, Jose Cura (Broadway with orchestra), Sumi Jo (Broadway with orchestra, which sold over a million copies), Eddie Daniels’ “Breakthrough” (GRP), Emmanuel Ax with Pablo Ziegler (Sony), Yo-Yo Ma and Stephane Grappelli (Sony—Yo-Yo’s first recording venture outside of Classical music). Other greats were Chanticleer with orchestra, Norwegian star Sissel with symphony orchestra, Justino Diaz singing Mozart aria with the English Chamber Orchestra, and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. For CBS Masterworks, Mr. Stratta conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in the sensational recording “Music From The Galaxies” featuring themes from the best modern science fiction motion pictures (Star Wars, Alien, Star Trek, etc.). He conducted Benjamin Britten’s “Scottish Ballad for Two Pianos and Orchestra.” Stratta also fought for and was awarded in the Classical Crossover category for the Grammy’s, and served as a trustee and governor in the Grammy’s organization for many years.
Other recordings and conducting were with Tony Bennett “The Art of Excellence,” Lena Horn’s “The Men in My Life” (which included Sammy Davis Jr. and Joe Williams), Cleo Laine, Diahann Carroll, Maureen McGovern, Norwegian star Sissel, Dave Grusin, Julio Iglesias, Ray Charles, Linda Eder, Claus Ogerman with Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Hank Jones, Chaka Kahn, Dick Hyman, Nancy Wilson, Ramsey Lewis, Toots Thielemans, Dionne Warwick, Sir Roland Hanna, Judy Garland, Regina Carter, and so many more. Maestro Stratta, the ultimate renaissance music man, conducted for Mechel Legrand for 10 years, and Stephane Grappelli for 25 years.
Ettore Stratta composed many pieces of music, notably “Forget The Woman” recorded by Tony Bennett, which has become a part of the Great American Songbook, and “Pages of Life” for a film, in which Stephane Grappelli performed it.
In 1986, Maestro Stratta was nominated for the Wavendon Allmusic Awards in London for “Conductor of the Year” alongside Leonard Bernstein and Andre Previn. He won first prize at the Castlebar International Festival for the Instrumental Composition Award for his work “Tempus Fugit” and has received 3 Grammy nominations. He was musical director in England for major concerts in London at the Barclay Center with Gregory Hines, Nancy Wilson, Stephane Grappelli, Vic Damone, Michel Legrand, Rita Coolidge and others.
In 1988, Ettore Stratta partnered with producer Pat Philips, forming Stratta Philips Productions. While he was still producing recordings, Stratta and Philips went on to present over 100 major musical concerts at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Rose Hall, and other prestigious venues around the US. These concerts include: paying tribute to Stephane Grappelli upon his 8oth birthday (at Carnegie Hall); George Shearing’s 80th birthday; Toot’s Thielemans’ 80th birthday, Paquito D’Rivera’s 50 years in the music business; Oscar Peterson Tribute; Nicholas Brothers tribute; Antonio Carlos Jobim’s last major concert, plus a series of Brazilian music projects called “All Jobim and More (of which, Bernard Holland of the NY Times wrote “the music of Jobim… gives hope that taste, simplicity, and lyrical invention may yet survive.”). Roger Kellaway served as musical director, as well as a performer for many of these major concerts.
Ettore Stratta married partner Pat Philips in 1998.
Due to the maestro’s classical background, they created “Absolut Concerto” at Avery Fisher Hall (with the support of Michel Roux, then head of Absolut Vodka), with major symphony orchestras such as St. Lukes Symphony, The New Jersey Symphony and others. He commissioned composers on the rise such as John Adams, Christopher Rouse and Alan Jay Kernis, who have gone on to have prestigious careers as composers, some receiving the Pulitzer Prize. Ettore Stratta, along with his partner Pat Philips-Stratta, had also been producing the successful Django Reinhardt Festival and tours.
Maestro Stratta’s musical knowledge brought together many well-known musicians from jazz to classical to pop, to create extraordinary music that was original and musically brilliant. His music will live on forever. He was a truly dedicated musician.
Ettore Stratta was a class act in all ways: a beloved man by his peers for his integrity, charm, warm personality, humor, with talent and a humble spirit. In his loving family, he leaves behind his wife Pat Philips-Stratta, his sons Paul and Luca, stepsons Brad and Evan, three daughter-in-laws Carla, Radia, Ashley, and 5 grandchildren Manuka, Isabella, Sophie, Luka, Rianne, brother Adalberto, brother-in-law Jeff Coleman and wife Carole.