Jazz in NYC: Django a Gogo 2018 at The Town Hall

A Celebration of the guitar through the music of French jazz legend Django Reinhardt with Stephane Wrembel, Stochelo Rosenberg, Paulus Schaffer, Olli Soikelli and Simba Baumgartner at The Town Hall on Saturday, May 5, 2018

French jazz guitar legend Django music NYC — Django-a-Gogo_Poster Art / Image courtesy of Stephane Wrembel

An incredible fête of guitar music in the spirit of great musician Django Reinhardt will be taking place on May 5, 2018 at The Town Hall in midtown Manhattan. Django’s celebrated melodies immediately bring to mind fun time at a smoky French café full of happy musicians and cheerful crowds. That atmosphere is being recreated by Stephane Wrembel and his Django-A-Gogo festival. Wrembel and his guests are very familiar to New York audiences and are known for their deep virtuosity and care in keeping the music of Django Reinhardt alive. Book your tickets here.

Born and raised in France in Paris and Fontainebleau, Wrembel started playing classical piano from age 4. In his bio he points out that from early on his music education was about interpreting and phrasing. When he discovered the music of Django and immersed himself in the Gypsy culture, it changed his life. In his own words by “playing and playing and playing you become entranced.” Perhaps this is what makes it feel like the music just comes by itself when he plays with his group.

Eternal music of Django Reinhardt by the best guitar masters in town

Django Reinhardt was a Belgian-born Roma jazz guitarist and composer whose family belonged to Sinti-Manouche Central European gypsy group. Self-educated in playing banjo and guitar, he was the first jazz talent to emerge from Europe in the 30th. With Stephane Grappelli, he formed the Paris-based Quintette du Hot Club de France which became a sensation and a magnet for the European and American musicians and fans. His gypsy jazz standard Nuages was an unofficial anthem of the French resistance during WWII. The admiration for Django’s style and music has its place in Sweet and Lowdown, 1999 film by Woody Allen which features a Django-like character and many of his original songs.

In 2004 soon after moving to New York, Wrembel started a small festival Django-a-GOGO dedicated to the “eternal” music of Django Reinhardt. By now the festival includes concerts, workshops, and even a music camp. Wrembel, who has his own group of close collaborators such as Thor Jensen, guitar, Ari Folman-Cohen, bass and Nick Anderson, drums, invites the best in class guitarist from all over the world. This year concert will feature the appearances by Stochelo Rosenberg, Simba Baumgartner (Reinhardt’s grandson), Paulus Schafer, Pierre “Kamlo” Barré, Sara L’Abriola, and Olli Soikkeli, with Daisy Castro on violin.

Well known now by his celebrated track “Bistro Fada” from Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris soundtrack, Wrembel keeps adding to his discography. In 2017 he released 2 new discs The Django Experiment I and II, and in 2018 he is adding part III to this series. So it’s not coincidental that The New York Times calls him “the most creative improviser in Gypsy jazz today”. Which is probably why Allen had also used another of Wrembel’s tracks “Big Brother” in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

This year concert at The Town Hall with its mighty list of top-notch musicians and the rumors about a surprise appearance of the bluegrass mandolin player Sam Bush, is promising to be a delightful music night!