Joscho Stephan
Joscho Stephan ( born 1979 in Mönchengladbach ) is a German jazz guitarist who plays mostly modern Gypsy jazz. He has so far made , especially in this genre as a virtuoso on the acoustic guitar a name.
Career
At the age of six years, learned Joscho Stephan play the guitar first with his father before he studied classical guitar lessons up to the age of 14. In 1993, he won the state competition Young Musicians a 1st prize. Thereafter he became increasingly interested in jazz and rock to interest and took lessons in jazz guitar. 1993 and 1995 he won two first prizes at the state competition and youth jazzt.
Unlike many other representatives of Gypsy Jazz ( also gypsy jazz called ) comes Joscho Stephan no family of musicians from the environment of the Sinti and Roma ( although his grandfather Rome was ), but only discovered as a teenager by chance the music of gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and his stylistics suitable as a basis for their own solo playing self-taught on. Other influences come mainly from the Blues, Rock, Country and Latin Jazz.
Career
In 1997, Stephan Joscho first appeared as a newcomer in the Django Reinhardt Memorial Festival in Augsburg appreciably in appearance. Two years later, he managed to release his official debut Swinging Strings at the music label Acoustic Music Records guitarist Peter Finger. The album, which the then 20 -year-olds scored particularly because of the technical playing skills international attention, was chosen by the American magazine Guitar Player CD of the Month in July 2000. The American Acoustic Guitar Magazine wrote in its issue of May 2004, Joscho Stephan representing the future of gypsy jazz guitar.
Joscho Stephan regularly tours internationally with his own ensembles ( in the cast as a trio, quartet or quintet ). His father, Günter Stephan, it contributes to the rhythm guitar. Other permanent members of its ensembles are Sebastian Reimann (violin ), Max Schaaf (double bass ) and John zinc ( second rhythm guitar). Joscho Stephan went so far at many prestigious jazz festivals as well as a guest musician or partner on the side of musicians such as Paquito D' Rivera, James Carter, Charlie Mariano Grady Tate and Tommy Emmanuel. With the klezmer clarinetist Helmut Eisel has since 2009 developed a collaboration.
Joscho Stephen's main instrument for the stage is a fully acoustic gypsy jazz guitar with a D-shaped sound hole of the German luthier Jürgen Volkert. In 2000, the guitar manufacturer Hoyer brought a signature model out under his name.