SAMSON SCHMITT, born on September 20, 1979, first learned to play guitar with his father Dorado. He played in public for the first time at age 12 at the International Jazz Festival in Munich, Germany. This concert was an opportunity for gypsy children of the new generation to play together on the same stage. Jazz artists Samson particularly appreciates include Luis Salinas, Stochelo Rosenberg, Jaco Pastorius, Didier Lockwood, Diana Krall, and Ella Fitzgerald. He claims to be influenced by George Benson, Richard Galliano, Bireli Lagrène, Toots Thielemans, Florin Nicaulescu, Didier Lockwood, Sylvain Luc, Dominique Di Piazza, and Angelo Debarre. From 1990 to 1999 he played with the Dorado Schmitt Quintet, the group Kakiweiss (rhythm guitar), and with Hono and Gino Reinhardt. In 2000 and 2001 he played with Alexandre Cavalieres, Tchavolo Schmitt, Povro Sinto, Angelo Debarre (Corsican Trio), Jimmy Rosenberg, and with his own group the Samson Schmitt Quartet. He played in many festivals between 1994 and 2001, and participated in the Nuits de la Guitare in Patrimonio, Corsica, where he was invited by Dominique Di Piazza (July 2002) and in the Festival Sons D’Hiver in Paris (2002) invited by his father. In November 2002 he was invited, along with Dorado, to the Django Reinhardt Festival at the Birdland club in New York, giving him the opportunity to play with Paquito D’Rivera, James Carter, and George Benson. In January 2003 he played at the Oslo Festival in Norway. In 2003, 2004 and 2005 he has participated in numerous concerts and festivals in the US and in Europe.