"If you die as a gypsy everything dies with you." According to Kruno Spisic of Philly's Beau Django, that's why Django Reinhardt's music was left untouched by live musicians for years after he died.

At the time of his death in 1953, Reinhardt had gained legendary status in his short (he was 43) but remarkable life as a guitar wizard who created his own style by fusing gypsy and jazz swing music. Best known for his stint with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, where he ignited Parisian nightlife with violinist Stephane Grappelli, Reinhardt has been cited as an influence by guitarists of varied genres including Jeff Beck, B.B. King and Jerry Garcia.

But because he was a gypsy -- whose tradition holds that the dead may come back as evil spirits to haunt the living, hence all links to the deceased must be destroyed -- his music was largely silenced. That is, as Spisic notes, until "Django's son went to court to get the rights to his songs … so it's only been 25 or 30 years ago that it came back as an art form."

Nowadays there are numerous festivals devoted to Django. It was at one such event, held in Sellersville, Pa., that Spisic met fellow guitarist Jon Dichter and the seeds of Beau Django were sewn. The pair began playing as a duo, which soon grew into a quartet (with Arty Artymiw on violin and Scott Churchman on bass), focused on material played by the Hot Club of France. Starting off auspiciously -- their first gig was at the Kimmel Center to replace an opening act for Joshua Bell -- they've been quick to gain a loyal fan base.

Beau Django's repertoire, featuring many a sweet and melancholy melody bolstered by strong steady rhythm, can evoke nostalgia. Still, its aural essence carries on to the present day. "It's passionate music," says Dichter. "You can play a ballad in this style and there can still be smiles. There's a lot of emotionality and it's real. It's less of a show and more of the heart."

The interplay within Beau Django, where the back and forth between Spisic and Artymiw can come off like a lively conversation, creates a palpable positive energy. Their music is designed to entertain, and while it may sound simple to the untrained ear, it is actually quite complex.

The classically trained Artymiw, who boasts perfect pitch and calls himself a "musical chameleon," having participated in bands of many stripes including R&B, pop, bluegrass and folk, declares that Reinhardt's songs are challenging: "When you listen to the original recordings there are no overdubs and it's pretty amazing. What they did back then is still hard to recreate in this day and age. It takes a certain amount of technical prowess on the instrument and definitely requires very quick thinking in terms of where you're playing and where you're going to go next. … There are a lot of intricate lines that happen very quickly."

Likewise, Spisic, who initially learned music of his Croatian heritage and has since studied rock, blues and jazz, says that although he's been playing gypsy jazz for six years he's only beginning to feel like he's getting Reinhardt down right. "The hardest thing about this music is the style, not the technique or the fireworks. It's the attitude," Spisic says. "Django came up with a style that utilized a vertical movement across the neck [of the guitar] as opposed to horizontal, because he thought more linearly."

Beau Django presents renderings of tunes that approximate the Hot Club of France; still, group members agree the original ensemble was one-of-a-kind and, to be truly authentic, they would need to add another rhythm guitar. Also Reinhardt's compositions offer room for improvisation where each member can insert their personal artistry -- Spisic, for instance, likes to add Balkan riffs into his solos.

A growing fan base plus successful bookings in jazz, folk, blues and singer/songwriter spots suggest that Beau Django is onto something. As Artymiw observes, "In a very short time the group has coalesced. It's taken on a life of its own. It's delightful to go into these different places and know that the people you play for are totally into what you're doing, no matter what the venue. … It seems to transcend all these definitive boundaries."

Beau Django plays Thu., Nov. 10, 9 p.m., $7-$9, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.