Every summer, the peaceful French river town of Samois sur Seine is magically transformed into Djangoville in honor of Gypsy guitar wizard Django Reinhardt, who passed away there over 50 years ago. Sporadically since the late '60s and annually since the '80s, Samois has hosted a festival dedicated to Reinhardt's intense and lyrical style of jazz. Though technical copycats and respectful jazz names have come to pay their musical respects to Reinhardt's genius over the years, few groups capture Reinhardt's authentic feeling -- and technique -- as superbly as The Rosenberg Trio. Comprising cousins born in Gypsy camps, this two-guitar and bass trio has released a dozen magnificent recordings over the past decade. Their latest, recorded live at last summer's festival, is their best. A live audience filled with aficionados of jazz manouche (the politically correct moniker for Gypsy swing jazz), together with the 50th anniversary atmosphere, push the trio to new heights of exuberance that would surely bring a big smile to Reinhardt's face.
