Westerly Sound Presents
Stephane Wrembel
Birt and Harley to open
Friday, February 11
“Perhaps the most creative improviser in Gypsy jazz today, Mr. Wrembel plays the guitar with a rich and colorful lyricism.”
Show: 8p | Doors: 7p
Tickets: $25
($2 Service Charge Included With Online Tickets. All sales are final, no ticket refunds or exchanges. Seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis, and seats are not guaranteed with ticket purchase.)
stephanewrembel.com
Social Medias:
facebook.com/stephane.wrembel.12
instagram.com/stephanewrembel
youtube.com/c/StephaneWrembelOfficial
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Stephane Wrembel is one of the most highly regarded guitarists in the world specializing in the style of legendary composer/guitarist Django Reinhardt; he learned his craft among the Gypsies at campsites in the French countryside. He has had a remarkable career, touring the world, and releasing 16 albums under his name and the nom de plume, The Django Experiment with the most recent installment in the series, The Django Experiment VI, out now. His original compositions have been featured in three of Woody Allen’s movies including Vicki Cristina Barcelona, Midnight in Paris (“Bistro Fada”) and the score for the yet to be released, Rifkin’s Festival. In October of 2019, Wrembel released the highly regarded Django L’Impressionniste, featuring 17 of Reinhardt’s preludes for solo guitar, followed by a book of his transcriptions in April of 2021. Since 2003, Wrembel has produced the Django a Gogo Festival, bringing together some of the finest musicians in the world to celebrate the Sinti guitar style to perform in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and The Town Hall.
“Stephane Wrembel just might be the greatest acoustic guitarist alive.”
“For North Americans, Stephane Wrembel represents the living face of gypsy jazz.”
“There’s plenty of Gypsy jazz guitarists who can play more notes at a faster tempos than Django Reinhardt, but few can truly master the inventiveness, melody and sheer swing. Stephane Wrembel is one of the rarities… Throughout, Wrembel’s playing is simply wonderful. He creates lead lines that snake through the original melodies, accenting them with dazzling riffs, and coming back to earth-and making it all make sense. Using Bob Holo-built Selmer-style guitars, his tone is alive and warm. That’s jazz!”
“The mind-bendingly rapid melodies Stephane provided to the set’s final song were an exclamation point for an audience that was enthralled for 60 minutes of unforgettable music.”
Birt & Harley are a guitar duo consisting of longtime friends John Birt and Dylan Harley. Their repertoire spans the Bossa Nova of Jobim, the swing of Sinatra, the blues of Louis Armstrong, the Gypsy Jazz of Django Reinhardt, and original music hot off the jazz press. Formed in Providence, RI, they have become a mainstay of the local jazz scene, playing weekly at The Royal Bobcat on Federal Hill and Nick-A-Nee's in the Jewelry District.
John Birt is a versatile musician who has played stages throughout the world. As a classical guitarist, John studied at The Hartt School and Rhode Island College, during which he performed in master classes with Oscar Ghiglia, Andrew York, Odair Assad, and Scott Tennant. As a folk musician, John founded Craic Was Mighty, a seven-piece Irish ensemble that has performed and recorded for over a decade. In 2016 John began French 75 Dixieland Jazz Band, an early jazz quintet in which he performs on tenor banjo and vocals. Amidst the chaos of 2020, John and his wife Jess converted a van into an RV and traveled across the country for nine months visiting National Parks with their dog, Takoda.
Gifted drummer, artist, and songwriter Dylan Harley is one half of the Providence-based band of brothers known as The Horse-Eyed Men. Together they have released two albums, Grave Country (2014) and The Uncanny Valley (2020). He has spent time as the touring drummer for New York folk band Spirit Family Reunion, playing stages across the nation including Newport Folk Festival right here in Rhode Island. He is currently living his happiest life: arborist by day amongst the trees and jazz gigs at night with John.
For more info, follow us on Instagram and Facebook @birtandharley.