By IAN BENJAMIN
Executive Editor
Stephane Wrembel, a French-born jazz guitarist, will be conducting a workshop in the Center for Communications and Interactive Media (996 Madison Ave, Albany) Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
It was apparent from an early age that Wrembel had great musical aptitude, winning several prizes throughout his early formative years for classical piano prowess. After a childhood spent growing up in Fountainebleu, France, Wrembel attended the American School of Modern Music in Paris, during which time he picked up the guitar seriously, and–importantly–went to the Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois, France.
The man after whom the festival is named, Django Reinhardt, founded and popularized the style of music now known as Manouche jazz, hot jazz or Gypsy jazz. Attending the festival inspired Wrembel to start studying arrangement, jazz and contemporary classical music and, moreover, led him to begin playing gypsy jazz, a style for which he is now renowned. Gypsy jazz is characterized by fast-paced rhythm, a strong reliance on the chromatic scale, and a specialized strumming pattern.
Wrembel has garnered small fame for composing the themes for films Woody Allen films Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), which used Wrembel’s song “Big Brother,” and the more recent Midnight in Paris (2011).
The focus of the workshop will be on improvisation, rhythm, melody, and structure. Although the workshop is focused on the guitar, players of the mandolin and other instruments are encouraged to attend.
For more information about the workshop contact Paul Evoskevich in the Department of Music at evoskevp@strose.edu or by phone at (518) 454-5195.
