Guitarist Stephane Wrembel to Present Django A Gogo 2023

Stephane Wrembel, the Paris-born guitarist and composer, is set to lead a group of internationally acclaimed musicians in a celebration of the 20th anniversary of his Django A Gogo music festival. The event, which coincides with the release of his new album, Django New Orleans, will be held on May 6, 2023, at The Town Hall in New York City.

Wrembel’s international ensemble, which includes the likes of Simba Baumgartner, the great-grandson of Django Reinhardt, and Paulus Schäfer, one of Holland’s greatest guitarists, will explore and update the musical legacy of Reinhardt in the first half of the show. The cast also includes Aurore Voilqué, France’s most in-demand violin player; guitarists David Gastine (France), Samy Daussat (France), Debi Botos (Canada), Tommy Davy (U.S.), Sam Farthing (U.S.) and violinist Luanne Homzy (U.S.).

In the second half, Wrembel’s New York-based group will premiere music from Django New Orleans, an album that blends the sounds of New Orleans jazz with Django’s repertoire. Classics like “Tiger Rag,” “St James Infirmary,” and “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho,” Reinhardt’s “Nypheas,” and Wrembel’s “Bistro Fada” will feature on the album.

To anchor the traditional sound of New Orleans, Wrembel replaces the string bass with the sousaphone and adds a vocalist, Sarah King, to the lineup for the first time in his Django-themed projects. “Jazz was born in New Orleans,” says Wrembel. “Django with the Hot Club of France was the first to bring this art form to the string section, using three guitars, upright bass, and a violin. And in doing that, he showed us how jazz must be played on stringed instruments to make it swing and the mechanics of the modern guitar.”

Wrembel, who was raised in Fontainebleau, the home of Django Reinhardt, first studied classical piano before discovering his passion for guitar. He immersed himself in Sinti-style guitar, which is rooted in the music of the Sinti Gypsies, Reinhardt’s people, spending years learning from the masters and playing in Roma campsites.

As for the success of Django A Gogo, Wrembel believes that Reinhardt’s music is “extremely universal.” It’s a “very human sound, alive and very soulful.”

The Django A Gogo festival, which draws fans and students from all over the world, includes guitar and violin camps, jam sessions, and three live shows in Wrembel’s home base of Maplewood, New Jersey from May 2-7. The gala at The Town Hall promises to be a culmination of the festivities and a night to remember for fans of jazz, guitar, and Reinhardt’s enduring legacy.

(headline image: Stephane Wrembel 2023 – Photo by Jason Elon Goodman)

More at www.djangoagogo.com