IGN NORTH AMERICA TOUR 2017
Because Brian Gore is on hiatus from touring, gypsy jazz legend Lulo Reinhardt will be stepping in as guest host for International Guitar Night's 17th year of touring. Lulo will be joined by three new, incredibly dynamic musicians: Italy's innovative contemporary guitarist Luca Stricagnoli; brilliant young Brazilian composaer/performer Chrystian Dozza, and India's ground-breaking slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya. 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.
Luca Stricagnoli
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.”
Chrystian Dozza
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 contestConcurso 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
Debashish Bhattacharya
Kolkata, India’s 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. It consists of a Hofner acoustic F hole guitar, with a total of 22 strings. He added a platform of wood running the length of the guitar's neck, mounted with 17 tuning gears. This piece of wood extends the width of the neck, making room for twelve sympathetic strings, and five supporting strings for additional versatility. Above the 5 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.
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. Though he is often compared to V.M. Bhatt, there is little basis for comparison, because Debashish's music has far greater 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. Possessed of a very open musical mind, Debashish is eager and more than qualified to collaborate and truly blend with musicians from any other country.
Lulo Reinhardt
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 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, and Project No. 2 in 2005, reflecting his passion for Latin music.
Lulo Reinhardt 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 recorded Live In Melbourne in 2008 and Katoomba Birds in 2010.
The Lulo Reinhardt Latin Swing Project has an extensive international touring history. 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 also performed as a soloist with the International Guitar Night troupe in 2009 and 2011, going to Canada, America and the UK. The Latin Swing Project headlined the inaugural U.S. tour of In The Footsteps Of Django in 2012. Lulo will be returning to North America as guest host of International Guitar Night January/February 2017.