Like many musicians, Stephane Wrembel began his studies at the piano, where the music of Johann Sebastian Bach formed a foundation for his musical training. Like many teenage boys inspired by classic rock, he soon picked up the guitar too.
Then one day, he listened to “Djangology ’49,” by the celebrated French guitarist Django Reinhardt, and the path was set.
“I saw the gypsies, and I saw how they played, and I knew at that moment that that was it. That’s what I was going to do,” Wrembel said.
He has recorded more than a dozen albums, and his sound echoes the gypsy, “hot club” style jazz of Django Reinhardt.
His success came from extensive, persistent gigging.
“I had nine regular gigs a week,” Wrembel said of his early time working in New York.
“If there was a gig, I say ‘yes.’ I played it. And every time I would see someone, they would say, ‘Oh, I love your music.’ And I would say, ‘my dream is to be doing film scoring.’ So I put the word out there in the universe.”
After seeing the Django-inspired movie “Sweet and Lowdown,” Wrembel also hung around the online Yahoo! discussion groups focused on Woody Allen movies. Later, his music was featured “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Midnight In Paris,” for which he was commissioned to write the main theme.
Wrembel brings his life’s work to Jazz, TX for three shows this Friday night, including a trio set, and a midnight jam that promises to be transporting.
“We call on Dionysus,” Wrembel said. “He opens the musical universe around [us], and then we embark on a journey.”
At the end of each show, Wrembel said the audience and musicians should be feeling “dreamy,” as if on a cloud.
Back on Earth, Wrembel is also hosting a master class for fellow musicians on Friday afternoon at The Guitar Dojo on McCullough Avenue from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. this Friday.
“I love to teach,” Wrembel said. “I like to kind of assess right away where we are at with the vibe, what everyone needs… and try to give everyone something to leave with.”
Wrembel’s 7 p.m. show at Jazz, TX is already sold out, but there are still seats for the later sets, and musicians can sign up for the master class at this link.
Listen to the full interview with Stephane Wrembel using the audio player at the top of this story.