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Stéphane Wrembel is probably the foremost interpreter of Django Reinhardt’s music in North America. Whether sticking to the French master’s arrangements, or taking the music into new territory, Wrembel has always treated Django like a serious composer rather than the clichéd paragon of swing and speed he has often been portrayed as. As a composer, Stéphane has scored the theme song to Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" and scored his latest film. He has performed live for the Academy Awards, has headlined at Carnegie Hall and the the Lyon Opera House and has been called “a revelation” by Rolling Stone magazine. While his playing falls into the general umbrella of Gypsy Swing his own compositions owe as much to Django Reinhardt as they do Pink Floyd, Ravel or Middle Eastern music. Stephane will be joined by guitarist Dion Berardo. Born in Campobasso, Italy, and raised in Megara, Greece, Dion blends bebop, gypsy jazz and blues, drawing inspiration from Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Django Reinhardt, and Biréli Lagrène. Their duo sets are virtuosic feats in which the guitarists perform an eclectic repertoire that spans continents and eras. With Django Reinhardt’s gypsy jazz as the heartbeat of the night, their set weaves through the impressionist elegance of Debussy, the spirited swirl of musette waltzes, and the passionate tangos of Astor Piazzolla. \---- Born in Paris and raised in Fontainebleau, the home of Impressionism and Django Reinhardt, Wrembel first studied classical piano, beginning at the age of four. But in his mid-teens, he discovered that he had an affinity for guitar. As a big fan of Pink Floyd, he “spent hours learning David Gilmour’s style,” he said. “So I had a classical background, a passion for rock music, and then I found out about Django. I fell in love with the very strong impressionist feel in his music.” Reinhardt, long regarded as one of the most influential musicians and composers of all time, was a Sinti (a Roma group from Western Europe). Wrembel immersed himself in Sinti culture, spending “six, seven years going to the camps. I started learning the atmosphere of what it really means to play Sinti-style guitar. I learned from the masters such as Angelo Debarre and Serge Krief. That’s how you learn this music because it is specific to a culture. Music is not only the notes. Without the culture, something is missing.” Oscar-winning director Woody Allen used one of Wrembel’s Gypsy Rumble tracks, “Big Brother,” in his 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. However, Wrembel’s breakthrough came with his original composition “Bistro Fada,” a Django-influenced swinging waltz on his fifth album Origins that became the theme song for Woody Allen’s 2011 Oscar®-winning film, Midnight In Paris. It was included on the Grammy®-winning soundtrack for the film. *A collaboration with Barbès Brooklyn*
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