Stephane Wrembel and the Genesis of Gypsy Jazz

Last night I had the chance to check out Stephane Wrembel playing with one of several iterations of his band, The Django Experiment, at the Philadelphia Society for Arts, Literature and Music. During the first half of the show, Stephane spoke about the genesis of gypsy jazz and played some classic riffs and tunes to demonstrate the stylistic development and influences of the genre across various periods and continents. The second half of the performance consisted of his more contemporary, original compositions. Very cool show. You can get a little taste of it by checking out this mini-documentary:


Sometimes I think I have more readers in the New York area than in Philly, so for those of you in and around the five boroughs, Stephane and his band play just about every Sunday night at Barbès in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Wrembel’s music alone should make it worth your visit; if an extra incentive is needed it looks as though Barbès offers a pretty serious Scotch and beer selection. Be sure to report back here if you check it out.

Intro only...