Biography
A French-born virtuoso guitarist, Stephane Wrembel follows the Django Reinhardt gypsy style yet stretches its boundaries by weaving in strands of modern jazz, blues, flamenco, classical, and rock. He rose to broad notice during the 2000s with releases such as 2006's Barbes-Brooklyn and 2012's Origins. Director Woody Allen brought him further visibility by placing his compositions in several films, among them the 2011 Academy Award recipient Midnight in Paris. Wrembel has joined forces on diverse endeavors with figures including David Grisman, Mark O'Connor, Jean-Michel Pilc, and additional artists. He established N.Y.C.'s yearly Django A Gogo Festival and has issued multiple inventive recordings, among them 2017's The Django Experiment I and II. In 2019 he again honored Reinhardt with Django L'Impressionniste; Django Experiment V followed in 2020, and 2024 brought Triptych, recorded with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc.
Wrembel entered the world in Paris in 1974 and spent his childhood in Fontainebleau, where classical piano studies began at age four. Early success arrived through prizes at the Lucien Wurmser competition and the National Conservatory of Aubervilliers. Only during adolescence did he turn to the guitar, stirred by Pink Floyd, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, and further progressive rock acts. Around the same period he encountered the playing of jazz guitar icon and longtime Fontainebleau resident Django Reinhardt. He soon cultivated a deep attachment to Reinhardt's approach and sought instruction from masters such as Angelo Debarre and Serge Krief. Time spent within Romani communities—performing at weddings, parties, and casual jam sessions—helped deepen his grasp of the tradition. Enrollment at the American School of Modern Music in Paris allowed further growth through studies in composition, arranging, jazz improvisation, and classical repertoire.
A scholarship took him to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he completed his degree summa cum laude in 2002. That year also marked the appearance of his first solo album, Introducing Stephane Wrembel. He then settled in New York City, solidifying his standing as a Reinhardt specialist while threading his work with cross-genre touches drawn from modern jazz, classical, rock, flamenco, and beyond. In 2005 he teamed with mandolinist David Grisman for Gypsy Rumble. Barbes-Brooklyn, another wide-ranging project, appeared the following year and contained the original track "Big Brother," later featured in Woody Allen's 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. His fourth album, Terre Des Hommes, surfaced in 2009.
Origins arrived in 2011 and introduced the piece "Bistro Fada." Woody Allen selected the song as the central theme for his Oscar-winning picture Midnight in Paris. Wrembel performed it live at the Academy Awards that year alongside Hans Zimmer and his orchestra. Dreamers of Dreams emerged three years later, spotlighting his ensemble of bassist Dave Speranza, guitarist Roy Williams, and drummer Nick Anderson. Two live sets, Live in India and Live in Rochester, were issued in 2015.
Wrembel has directed the Django A Gogo Festival since 2005, an event dedicated to Reinhardt's legacy and the continuing growth of gypsy jazz. Festival-related projects include 2017's The Django Experiment I and The Django Experiment II, both captured live in the studio with saxophonist/clarinetist Nick Driscoll, guitarist Thor Jensen, bassist Ari Folman-Cohen, and drummer Nick Anderson and devoted to works by Reinhardt and fellow gypsy jazz composers. Additional volumes of the Django Experiment series appeared in 2018 and 2019. Also in 2019 he produced Simba Baumgartner's debut album; Simba is Reinhardt's great-grandson. That same year Wrembel issued Django L'Impressionniste, a collection of rare solo pieces Reinhardt had recorded between 1937 and 1950. Django Experiment V followed in 2020, featuring violinist Daisy Castro. The three-part Triptych series appeared in 2024 and included further work with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc.
Wrembel entered the world in Paris in 1974 and spent his childhood in Fontainebleau, where classical piano studies began at age four. Early success arrived through prizes at the Lucien Wurmser competition and the National Conservatory of Aubervilliers. Only during adolescence did he turn to the guitar, stirred by Pink Floyd, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, and further progressive rock acts. Around the same period he encountered the playing of jazz guitar icon and longtime Fontainebleau resident Django Reinhardt. He soon cultivated a deep attachment to Reinhardt's approach and sought instruction from masters such as Angelo Debarre and Serge Krief. Time spent within Romani communities—performing at weddings, parties, and casual jam sessions—helped deepen his grasp of the tradition. Enrollment at the American School of Modern Music in Paris allowed further growth through studies in composition, arranging, jazz improvisation, and classical repertoire.
A scholarship took him to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he completed his degree summa cum laude in 2002. That year also marked the appearance of his first solo album, Introducing Stephane Wrembel. He then settled in New York City, solidifying his standing as a Reinhardt specialist while threading his work with cross-genre touches drawn from modern jazz, classical, rock, flamenco, and beyond. In 2005 he teamed with mandolinist David Grisman for Gypsy Rumble. Barbes-Brooklyn, another wide-ranging project, appeared the following year and contained the original track "Big Brother," later featured in Woody Allen's 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. His fourth album, Terre Des Hommes, surfaced in 2009.
Origins arrived in 2011 and introduced the piece "Bistro Fada." Woody Allen selected the song as the central theme for his Oscar-winning picture Midnight in Paris. Wrembel performed it live at the Academy Awards that year alongside Hans Zimmer and his orchestra. Dreamers of Dreams emerged three years later, spotlighting his ensemble of bassist Dave Speranza, guitarist Roy Williams, and drummer Nick Anderson. Two live sets, Live in India and Live in Rochester, were issued in 2015.
Wrembel has directed the Django A Gogo Festival since 2005, an event dedicated to Reinhardt's legacy and the continuing growth of gypsy jazz. Festival-related projects include 2017's The Django Experiment I and The Django Experiment II, both captured live in the studio with saxophonist/clarinetist Nick Driscoll, guitarist Thor Jensen, bassist Ari Folman-Cohen, and drummer Nick Anderson and devoted to works by Reinhardt and fellow gypsy jazz composers. Additional volumes of the Django Experiment series appeared in 2018 and 2019. Also in 2019 he produced Simba Baumgartner's debut album; Simba is Reinhardt's great-grandson. That same year Wrembel issued Django L'Impressionniste, a collection of rare solo pieces Reinhardt had recorded between 1937 and 1950. Django Experiment V followed in 2020, featuring violinist Daisy Castro. The three-part Triptych series appeared in 2024 and included further work with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc.
Albums
