Biréli Lagrène

Born in 1966 in Soufflenheim in Alsace to a Sinti family of musicians, Biréli Lagrène made an early impact on the jazz scene by adopting Django Reinhardt’s language before developing a more personal interpretation. Discovered as a teenager in the circuit of European clubs and festivals, he recorded the 1980 album “Routes to Django”, which placed him at the heart of the gypsy jazz revival. Throughout the 1980s Lagrène broadened his scope toward bebop and jazz fusion, notably alongside bassist Jaco Pastorius, and worked with numerous American and European instrumentalists. His guitar playing, rooted in Manouche swing but informed by blues, hard bop and modern jazz harmonies, alternates between electric projects and acoustic ensembles. The 2000s saw a deliberate return to the Manouche aesthetic with “Gipsy Project” (2001) and “Gipsy Project & Friends” (2002), while he maintained activity in contemporary jazz—as evidenced by the trio “D-Stringz” with Stanley Clarke and Jean-Luc Ponty in 2015. Firmly established on international stages, Biréli Lagrène continues to alternate solo concerts, small acoustic groups and collaborative projects across France, Europe and the festival circuit dedicated to jazz.