Lulo Reinhardt: Latin Swing
By Miche Archetto:
Lulo is the great-nephew of Django Reinhardt. In 2009 he founded the “Lulo Reinhardt’s International Latin-Swing project”. In this video, recorded live in Melbourne, they play the song “Mar y Sol”. They are
Lulo Reinhardt – guitar
Doug Martin – guitar
Daniel Weltlinger – violin
Sean Mackenzie – piano
Harald Becher – bass
Fabian Hevia – drums
Peter Kennard – percussion
The bio on Lulo’s official website reads:
“Lulo Reinhardt is the foremost authentic and distinctive musical voice in Gypsy music today. Critics and fans agree that it is not solely because Lulo is the great-nephew of world-famous musician extraordinaire Django Reinhardt: It’s about Lulo’s unique musical genius, and his ability to make it appear so utterly effortless. The fact is that Lulo has devoted his life to music. He first showed an interest during his formative years. By the age of five Lulo was already being handed down the guitar tradition through his father Bawo. By the time he was 12, he was performing with his cousins in the Koblenz-based Mike Reinhardt sextet. Over the years, Lulo expanded his musical horizons as he delved into the music of other cultures.
“The audience sometimes expects me to play exclusively in the style of Django Reinhardt, but I have found a style of my own, and I’m happy and grateful that the people love it.”
Today, Lulo continues to explore and perform a fusion of styles, including flamenco, Latin, and Brazilian jazz. He combines these with his own artistic stamp, and always with a nod to his Gypsy influences. His name has achieved international acclaim. He founded “I Gitanos” with his father Bawo and cousin Dege.
In 2008 Lulo found a new audience in Australia after a successful tour. He recorded a CD and DVD, “Lulo Reinhardt Live in Melbourne.” In 2009, Lulo toured with International Guitar Night in Europe, the United States and Canada.
Lulo has played on many major events such as Rock Gegen Hass, International Cultural Festival Sahara en el Corazón (Algeria – with Brazilian guitarist Zezo Ribeiro), World Roma Festival Khamoro, Jazz Goes to Town (Czech Republic), Jazz and Blues Festival (Czech Republic) and Sidmouth Folk week (UK).
Today Lulo Reinhardt’s International Latin-Swing project features violinist Daniel Weltlinger (Australia), bassist Harald Becher (Germany), drummer Uli Krämer (Germany) and keyboardist Sean Mackenzie (Australia). The Latin Swing Project released a new album in 2010 and are currently promoting it with a tour of Australia, Europe and the UK.”
Author: Robert Harris
