The festival Djangofolllies

Django Reinhardt was born 100 years ago, on the 23th of January 1910
in Liberchies, in Belgium.

How to celebrate the birthday of Django Reinhardt in an appropriate way? The famous, Belgian born jazz guitar player who began his career in a trailer? The versatile talent who still today moves many musicians all over the world? This gipsy who created a brand-new style on his own?

Many perceive Django Reinhardt as one of the greatest personalities of European Jazz. This gypsy guitar player deeply impressed and inspired the jazz scene with his improvisations on the guitar. His performances were characterized by unmatched intensity. Nowadays he remains an example for many guitar players all over the world.

In 1994, Belgian musician Koen De Cauter, asked us why nobody in Brussels did anything with Django’s music. So Brosella initiated this event, the Djangofolllies, in memory of Django Reinhardt. To honour this exceptional musician, now a series of concerts in the ‘Django tradition’ are programmed in different venues.

The program of Djangofolllies is not limited to the traditional ‘Django style’ but also includes music which shines a new light on the genre and goes beyond the barriers of the ‘hot club’ music. At the festival we had musicians performing modern jazz, flamenco and also songs on the poems of Garcia Lorca were proposed.

Over the years Djangofolllies presented bands as The Patrick Saussois & Koen De Caurter Quartet, Christophe Astolfi, Fapy Lafertin Quintet, Tcha Limberger Quartet, Christian Becker Trio, Radio Lume, Opus Swing, Waso, Lollo Meier & André Donni Quartet, Jokke Schreurs Trio, Les Doigts de l’Homme, Alexandre Cavalière & Jazzy Strings, Yorgui Loeffler ...

For the 18th time Brosella organizes this unusual ‘birthday party’ called Djangofolllies. It has become a significant happening in this country were 15 clubs and/or cultural centres are happy to participate.