"The first thing about Joscho that strikes the listener is the incredible cleanliness of his fingering execution. No matter how fast and intricate, no technical demands seem to ruffle this monster chopster in the least". Guitar Player Magazine

Joscho Stephan is one of the World's best acoustic guitarists today. His music is deeply rooted in the Gypsy Swing of 1930's mostly associated with guitarist Django Reinhardt and the famous Hot Club de France. The young musician virtuously combines this great heritage with other major influences from Western Swing to Latin-Jazz bringing his versatile individual style to Jazz standards as well as his original compositions.

Joscho Stephan and his various ensembles from trio to quintet perform in concerts, festivals and clubs all over the world and have been heard in countless broadcasting and television shows. His album “Swinging String” was elected CD of the month in Guitar Player Magazine. His following CD's “Swing News” and “Django Forever” have been acclaimed from both critics and fans all over the world. On his new album “Acoustic Live” Joscho Stephan for the first time presents tunes recorded live on stage from various shows. The renowned German guitar manufacturer HOYER has dedicated his modell JS-10 to Joscho Stephan.

His roots lie in Gipsy Swing music, the style pioneered in the 1930s by the legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Joscho Stephan has not merely absorbed this music, but also interprets it on the highest level and is actively engaged in extending its boundaries. Despite his youth, after four highly acclaimed CDs and a DVD he has played his way into the illustrous circle of the finest Gipsy Swing musicians in the world. Great jazz musicians such as Paquito de Rivera, James Carter, Charlie Mariano or Grady Tate enthusiastically praised the talented newcomer after performing together. He has toured Australia with top guitarists Martin Taylor and Tommy Emmanuel and has performed with his own bands (trio to quintett) on numerous important European festivals. His concert appearances in New York's Lincoln Center or the American country capital Nashville were equally well-received, as were his perfomances in the New Yorker jazz shrine Birdland. Across the board, the press only has good things to say about Josho Stephan. His debut "Swinging Strings" was named CD of the month by American magazine Guitar Player. In the words of the highly regarded Acoustic Guitar Magazine, he is the guarantor for the future of Gipsy jazz guitar.

Joscho Statement

I became acquainted with the music of Django Reinhardt by pure chance. On a tape given to me by my uncle there was, apart from the usual rock and pop mixes, Djangos "Minor Swing." I had never heard anything like that before. In spite of the miserable quality of the recording, I could sense that this was the music of a genius. Some time later, my uncles record collection revealed a whole Django-album. Since this day I have been hopelessly infected by the Django-virus!

Nevertheless, the first musical steps I took were miles away from anything I´m doing today. I grew up with the Beatles, Santana and similar idols of rock- and pop-music. As a child, I was fascinated by anything musical and started taking lessons in classical guitar. As a teenager, my interests naturally changed, and the rock/pop influence resurfaced. I continued with the guitar by method of self-education. When I noticed that I wasn´t bad at improvising, I had my first contact with jazz-music and listened to George Benson and Attila Zoller. My baby-steps on the path of Gypsy Swing resembled a stumbling into foreign territory! All other musical styles had come to me easily, but Django presented completely new technical challenges. There weren´t any teachers specialized in this kind of music, and nobody in my family played the Django-style. In the end, there was nothing to be done but self-education, which was really hard work. Through constant and persistant practising, I was able to develop a technique which enabled me to play the way I do today.

One thing I have learned in the course of my career is that one should never deny or renounce ones roots. Although I wanted to play like all the great Django-heirs, I didn´t want to forget my other influences. I recognized that the "secret of my success" was not sounding like a copy of Django Reinhardt but having an own way of playing: one in which Gypsy Swing meets other styles and where traditional pieces have a voice as well as my own compositions. This is what I am proud of, and what I wish to do in the future is to continue developing my own "voice" on the guitar and as a composer.

 

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