Tchavolo Schmitt (born 1954 in Paris) is a highly respected Guitarrist of the genre all over the Gypsyjazz-Scene. Tchavolo Schmitt began playing music at the age of 6 years, instructed on the guitar by his mother. His father mainly played the violin.
Tschavolo´s first musical successes he earned in the 1970ies, after a couple of years he went back to Strasbourg and widthdrawed from the professional music-biz for a while.
It was around 1979 when he finally became a professional musician, and in the year after, when he had left Paris and came back into Alsace, he joined the group "Hot Club da Sinti", were he was playing together with Violinist Wedeli Köhler, Guitarrist Schmeling Lehmann and Bassist Jani Lehmann. There is only one vinyl-record made by them in 1981, which today is a collectors-item.
While his carreer rested in the 1980ies, he again joined a band called "Gypsy Reunion" (e.g. with Dorado Schmitt, Patrick Saussois and Gino Reinhardt) about 1993. From the year 2000 he again began recording music and releasing records under his own name.
Tschavolo was becoming famous thru Tony Gatlif´s Film "Swing" were he played a Sinto named "Miraldo". There is a legendary picture-scene from the movie where he plays, accompanied by Dorado Schmitt on violin, the Song "Latscho Drom" in St. Maries de la mer.
Over time Tschavolo developed his very own style of playing and virtuosity in JazzManouche, fastly becoming famous all over the borders of his home region or the Alsace. His influence was growing into the metropol of Paris up to the "Porte de Montreuil" or the "Chope des Puces" in Saint-Ouen, the legendary place for JazzManouche in Paris.
In the year 2000 he released his first own Album under his own name with the title "Alors?... Voilà!", together with Romane and by his active participation. In 2001 the Album "Miri Familia" followed. In 2004 he recorded a Tribute-Album to honour Django Reinhardt with the title "Mémoires" together with Angelo Debarre, and in 2005 another Soloalbum called "Loutcha" was released.
Tchavolo Schmitt is one of the real big names in this genre and is higly respected amongst critics as well as in the Sinti-community.
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