Stephane Wrembel

A French-born virtuoso guitarist, Stephane Wrembel is a disciple of the Django Reinhardt gypsy style, but one who pushes the tradition across genres, incorporating elements of modern jazz, blues, flamenco, classical, and rock. Wrembel emerged to widespread fame in the 2000s, issuing albums like 2006′s Barbes-Brooklyn and 2012′s Origins. He came to wider recognition after catching the attention of director Woody Allen, who included his music in his films, including the 2011 Oscar-winning Midnight in Paris. Wrembel has collaborated on varied projects with luminaries like David Grisman, Mark O'Connor, Jean-Michel Pilc, and others. He is also the founder of N.Y.C.’s annual Django A Gogo Festival and has released a number of inventive albums including 2017’s The Django Experiment I and II. In 2019, he again showcased his passion for Reinhardt on Django L’Impressionniste.
Born in 1974 in Paris, Wrembel grew up in Fontainebleau where he started playing classical piano at age four. A gifted performer, he was soon taking home accolades, winning awards in the Lucien Wurmser competition and at the National Conservatory of Aubervilliers. It wasn’t until his teens that he picked up the guitar, inspired by Pink Floyd, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, and other progressive rock bands. It was also around this time that he discovered the music of jazz guitar legend and famed Fontainebleau resident Django Reinhardt. He quickly developed a passion for Reinhardt’s style and began seeking out teachers; he studied with masters like Angelo Debarre and Serge Krief. He also spent time immersing himself in Romani culture — playing weddings, parties, and informal jams sessions — to better understand the music. He enrolled at the American School of Modern Music in Paris where he further developed his skills, studying composition, arranging, jazz improvisation, and classical music.
He eventually earned a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he graduated summa cum laude in 2002. That same year, he released his debut solo album, Introducing Stephane Wrembel. From there, he relocated to New York City where he further established his reputation as a master of the Reinhardt guitar tradition, peppering his music with genre-bending elements of modern jazz, classical, rock, flamenco, and more. In 2005, he paired with mandolin player David Grisman for Gypsy Rumble. A year later, he released another expansive effort, Barbes-Brooklyn, which included his original song “Big Brother,” later included in Woody Allen’s acclaimed 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Terre Des Hommes, Wrembel’s fourth album, arrived in 2009.
In 2011, Wrembel released Origins, which featured the song “Bistro Fada.” The track gained wider attention after Woody Allen included it as the theme to his Oscar-winning film Midnight in Paris. That year, Wrembel performed the song live at the Oscars ceremony with Hans Zimmer and his orchestra. Three years later, the guitarist returned with Dreamers of Dreams, featuring his group with bassist Dave Speranza, guitarist Roy Williams, and drummer Nick Anderson. Two concert albums followed in 2015: Live in India and Live in Rochester.
Since 2005, Wrembel has helmed the Django A Gogo Festival to celebrate the music of Reinhardt and the ongoing evolution of gypsy jazz. As part of the festival, Wrembel has released a number of albums, including 2017′s The Django Experiment I and The Django Experiment II. Showcasing songs by Reinhardt and other gypsy jazz composers, the albums were recorded live in-studio with Wrembel leading his group featuring saxophonist/clarinetist Nick Driscoll, guitarist Thor Jensen, bassist Ari Folman-Cohen, and drummer Nick Anderson. Two more Django Experiment volumes arrived in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Also in 2019, he produced the debut album from Simba Baumgartner, Reinhardt’s great-grandson. He also released his own Django L’Impressionniste, which found him playing rare solo pieces recorded by Reinhardt between 1937 and 1950. Django Experiment V arrived in 2020 and featured violinist Daisy Castro. ~ Matt Collar