Each year, International Guitar Night's founder Brian Gore invites a new cast of guitar luminaries from around the world to join him for special concert tours highlighting the diversity of the acoustic guitar.
For International Guitar Night's 17th year of touring, Brian will be taking a personal hiatus from touring, but he has assembled another incredible, dynamic quartet: Guest host Lulo Reinhardt, Germany's Gypsy Jazz master, will be joined by Italy's innovative contemporary guitarist Luca Stricagnoli; brilliant young Brazilian composer/performer Chrystian Dozza, and India's ground-breaking slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya.
Lulo has re-invigorated his grand-uncle Django Reinhardt's style by adding Latin rhythms. Luca's inventive "tapping" techniques have garnered over 7 million views on YouTube. Chrystian has garnered many prestigious awards as one of Brazil's leading young guitarists. Debashish has invented his own technique for playing classical Indian music on the slide guitar and collaborated with musicians from around the world.
Django Reinhardt left behind an indelible musical legacy, introducing and defining a passionate style of Gypsy Jazz guitar that was astonishing in the 1930's and is still revered and emulated today. Born to a Gypsy family in Belgium, Django's playing inspired his extended family in Germany and France, and successive generations of Reinhardts have reinforced his powerful musical vision and added their own ideas. LULO REINHARDT, Django's grand nephew, is a third generation master from Germany. He has retained the incredible Reinhardt soul, speed and dexterity and updated the repertoire.
Lulo Reinhardt was first taught by his father at the age of five. At twelve, he played in the Mike Reinhardt Sextett and later co-founded the group, “Django Reinhardt and the Heartbreakers.” In 1991, he founded “I Gitanos” with his father Bawo and cousin Dege, touring throughout Europe and first establishing his national reputation.
Lulo is a spontaneous and spirited musician. His curiosity took him to southern Spain in search of flamenco roots, and to South America, exploring various musical styles of Latin Jazz. By 2002, he was ready to take his place as a bandleader, founding the Lulo Reinhardt Project. They recorded the highly-acclaimed Project No. 1 in 2002, andProject No. 2 in 2005, reflecting his passion for Latin music.
In 2007, Saga Instruments of San Francisco CA made the first Lulo Reinhardt Model Gitane 310, modeled on the classic Gypsy guitars. This inspired Lulo to compose more Swing material, which he combined with Latin music, and in 2007 changed the name of his group to the Lulo Reinhardt Latin Swing Project. They recorded their first CD in 2008.
In the beginning, he played in Europe with an all-German band but later spent considerable time in Australia, forming a new band of German and Australian musicians. They have recorded several CD's, and toured extensively internationally. In additional to annual Australian tours beginning in 2008, they have played in the United States, China, France, Switzerland, Belgium, England, the Czech Republic, Scotland and Germany.
Lulo has performed on multiple tours as a soloist with International Guitar Night between 2009 and 2016, in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Germany. He will return as the artistic director, host and performing guitarist for the 2017 and 2018 IGN tours.
Luca Stricagnoli was born in 1991 in Varese, Italy. Since he was a young boy he showed a great natural talent with the guitar. He began playing classical guitar at the age of 10 but not long after decided to quit for 3 long years. After rekindling his passion he taught himself new and original playing styles, which included performances with different instruments. He also developed non-conventional ways to play the guitar that enabled him to win many talent shows.
At 22 years old, Luca was signed by US label “Candyrat Records”. His debut videos for the label gave him great internet success (14 million views on Facebook and 7 on YouTube). In addition to public acclaim, he began attracting major attention from famous guitar players all around the world. Now at 23, Luca is requested to perform all over the world.
Luca will be making his North American debut with International Guitar Night in January/February 2017.
“Every so often, a musician emerges who, in terms of depth of expression, advances a style so much that the way we listen changes forever. In rock, Derek Trucks comes to mind as an example. Italian guitarist Luca Stricagnoli embodies such a shift. He employs right-hand fretting, altered tunings, and partial capos in the spirit of Preston Reed and Kaki King, yet, like Trucks, he’s playing at a higher level.”
MINOR 7TH
“Luca Stricagnoli is one of the most exciting new players on the acoustic guitar scene. He bypasses the normal limits of the acoustic guitar and adapts it to any musical genre: from pop to rock, from soundtracks to original pieces.”
CANDYRAT RECORDS
Chrystian Dozza is one of the leading lights of the new generation of Brazilian instrumental musicians, a brilliant young guitarist/composer whose talents have been widely displayed and rewarded
He has three recorded CDs: Songs from the Land (2006), Fantasia Mineira (2010) and Despertar (2014), made up of his original compositions and creative arrangements of Brazilian classics.
Dozza has won many important contests, such as the Concurso Nacional de Violões Musicalis, Concurso de Violão Souza Lima, Concurso Novos Talentos da Música Erudita and the Concurso Violão sem Fronteiras that cover all kind of guitar music, and are awarded at the renowned Festival Assad.
He also won the prize for best instrumentalist of the XIV Prêmio BDMG Instrumental, one of the most important awards within the Brazilian instrumental music community, and was among the winners of the composition contest Concurso de Composição para Violão Solo - Novas #2.
Besides performing as a solo artist, Chrystian also plays with a chamber music group, Quaternaglia Guitar Quartet, and with the guitar trio Trio Opus 12 alongside Paulo Porto Alegre and Daniel Murray. Chrystian Dozza is also a guitar teacher at EMESP - Escola de Música do Estado de São Paulo.
He will be making his North American debut with Interntional Guitar Night in January/February 2017.
“Chrystian Dozza is, today, one of the great compositional talents of Brazilian guitar. Chrystian's song catches the listener's attention by its diversified quality and, many times its innovative quality as well. There are many references in his music, but all of them adapted to his refined personal view. With his combination of formalism and freedom, Chrystian gives us pieces that will certainly make their way into the traditional repertoire of the Brazilian guitar scene.”
Sérgio Assad.
"I love what Chrystian is doing! It is a fundamental contribution for guitar and for Brazilian music, through a modern and authorial repertoire. A work that is inspired and has a unique freshness, very pleasant to listen to and play. Brazilian instrumental music is richer with the collection of these wonderful pieces. I am filled with pride seeing this work done because there are only a few people who are creating original and interesting work. And this is worth its weight in gold.”
Paulo Bellinati
Kolkata, India's Guitar Legend Debashish Bhattacharya started learning Indian music from his parents before he learned the alphabet. In his childhood he mastered many Indian classical instrumental styles as well as vocal music from different musical teachers in Calcutta. He became a disciple and student of Brij Bhushan Khabra, the father of Indian classical guitar, for 10 years, and also trained under Ajoy
Chakraborty, the eminent Indian vocalist. He has also studied with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
As a performer, Debashish gave his first guitar recital at the age of four on the All India Radio, and in a public concert. In his twenties, he evolved a unique style of playing guitar, synthesizing selected features of various other instruments such as the Veena, Sitar, Sarod and Kannur. In 1984, he was awarded the President of India award at the age of 21.
Debashish developed his innovative Hindustani slide guitar after years of research and experience. He designed and built a unique Indian Slide Guitar called the Chatarangui.
It consists of a Hofner acoustic F hole guitar, with a hollow neck and a solid wood body and a total of 23 strings. He added a hollow platform of wood running the length of the guitar's neck, mounted with 17 tuning gears, in the rear side, as well as 6 tuning pegs in the front. This piece of wood extends the width of the neck, making room for
thirteen sympathetic strings, and two supporting strings for additional versatility.
Above the 6 normal (sliding melody) strings, there is a pair of ckikari strings, as on a sitar. One of Debashish's innovations was to move them to the treble side of the guitar, which enables far more complex playing, since their rhythmic drones can be played by the fingers, over other melodies simultaneously. Debashish plays this guitar while sitting cross legged, with the guitar held on the lap and played with a small steel bar, metal picks and a celluloid thumb pick. He also plays two other Indian slide guitars he designed and built, the 14 string Gandharvi and the 4 string Anandi.
Debashish is perhaps the greatest slide guitarist in India. He has, both through creating the actual design of the instrument, and through his incredible talent and discipline, elevated the Hindustani slide guitar to be the highest evolution of slide guitar anywhere. Debashish's music has musical range, physical dexterity, and emotional depth. To develop his playing, he has undergone decades of disciplined study of Indian vocal technique combined with his instrumental work. Debashish can sing perfectly in parallel with every blindingly fast melody he plays. He is an eager collaborator with an open musical mind, and has performed with a wide variety of musicians.
Over the past two decades of his illustrious career, Debashish has received prestigious professional recognition on a number of occasions: He received a Grammy nomination in 2002, won the BBC Planet Award in 2005, received another Grammy nomination in 2009 and won the Songlines UK World Music Award in 2016. He is one of the most influential pioneers in Indian music, bringing his innovations to audiences around the world.
 |
 |
 |
 |
2017
JANUARY
19 Shell Theatre, Ft. Saskatchewan AB
20 MacLab Centre for the Performing Arts, Leduc AB
21 Bert Church Theatre, Airdrie AB
22 Port Theater, Nanaimo BC
26 Whistler Performing Arts Center, Whistler BC
27 Cowichan Theatre, Duncan BC
28 Massey Theatre, New Westminster BC
29 University of Victoria, Victoria BC
31 Manship Theatre, Baton Rouge LA
FEBRUARY
1 Wolf Trap Barns, Vienna VA
2 Wolf Trap Barns, Vienna VA
3 St. Mary's Church, Philadelphia PA
4 Gordon Center, Owings Mills MD
7 Sellersville Theater, Sellersville PA
8 Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy NY
10 Dana Center, Manchester NH
11 Center for the Arts, Natick MA
14 Center for the Arts, Sun Valley ID
15 Ellen Theatre, Bozeman MT
16 Myrna Loy Center, Helena MT
17 Harris Center, Folsom CA
18 Herbst Auditorium, San Francisco CA
19 Performing Arts Center, Livermore CA
22 California Center for the Arts, Escondido CA
23 Bing Crosby Theater, Spokane WA
24 Mt. Baker Theatre, Bellingham WA
25 Kent Meridien Performing Arts Center, Kent WA
26 Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, Big Sky MT
Back to Artist Menu
For the January and February 2017 North American tour, guest host Lulo
Reinhardt (Germany) will be performing with Luca Stricagnoli (Italy),
Chrystian Dozza (Brazil) and Debashish Bhattacharya (India).
Herschel Freeman Agency, Inc. has established a reputation for finding innovative, traditional musicians from throughout North America and around the world.
Our roster encompasses established and emerging artists from India, Ireland, Hawaii, Guinea, France, Cuba, Italy, Scotland, Japan, Germany, Sweden and England, and an array of musicians from Canada and the United States.
