With their third double single from Evolution, Django Festival Allstars offer a deeply heartfelt celebration of legacy, lineage, and joy—honoring two towering musical figures whose influence continues to resonate across generations: the beloved gypsy jazz guitarist Dorado Schmitt and the legendary jazz harmonica master Toots Thielemans.

Stream the Singles: ‘Dorado’s Smile’ + ‘Around Toots”

Preorder the Album: Evolution

Available now on Motéma Music, this double single release from Django Festival Allstars is both a loving salute to jazz history and a reminder that legacy, when carried with heart, continues to smile back at us.

Around Toots, is a perfect modern café-jazz standard and a transcendent tribute to Thielemans’ unmistakable sound and spirit. Composed by the almost impossibly virtuosic accordionist Ludovic Beier, the piece showcases Beier on accordina—a rare mouth-blown accordion—whose breathy, lyrical tone beautifully evokes Toots’ signature “teardrop” harmonica sound. The melody floats effortlessly, engaging in a graceful dance with Pierre Blanchard’s violin and Samson Schmitt’s fluid gypsy guitar lines. Beneath it all, the band settles into an ultra-relaxed, sunlit swing—unhurried, elegant, and full of warmth—capturing the essence of Thielemans’ lifelong gift for turning virtuosity into pure feeling.

The companion track, Dorado’s Smile, shifts the focus to joy, kinship, and continuity. Sun-dappled and irresistibly inviting, the tune opens with an easy melodic exchange between accordion and violin, while the guitar’s gentle comping sparkles underneath. Everything about the piece encourages movement and connection—shouldering joy, friendship, and a lighthearted warmth that feels instantly familiar. As Beier explains, “‘Dorado’s Smile’ clearly shows who I had in mind when writing this song… Samson’s father, whom I had invited on one of my albums. It’s a piece I wanted to be very joyful.” That intention shines through in every phrase, honoring Dorado Schmitt not only as a master musician, but as a source of inspiration whose spirit lives on through the next generation.

Together, these two tracks form a beautifully balanced double tribute—reflective yet playful, reverent yet alive with forward motion. They underscore what Evolution represents at its core: a living tradition, where respect for the past fuels new creativity, and where gratitude is expressed not through imitation, but through joyful, breathing music made in the present.