b'Ever Heard of Django?Guitarist Stphane Wrembel will make you a devoteeBY DONNY LEVITPHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIA MALOOF VERDEROSAA tfirstlisten,classicalpiano,FrenchjazzguitaristDjangoReinhardt(1910- 6 and Wednesday, October 7, at The Woodland in PinkFloyd,andgypsyjazz1953), who became a fixture in Fontainebleau dur- Maplewood. The event will also feature several jam possess vastly different stylesing his later years, that served as a lightning bolt ofsessions,whichwillhappeninotherMaplewood and sounds. But for Stphaneinspiration for Wrembel. venues. The festival will conclude on Thursday, Oc-Wrembel, this assemblage ofWrembel has fashioned his now-adopted hometober 8, at The Town Hall in New York City.seemingly disparate influenc- town of Maplewood into a hotspot for the traditionsDjango is the father of modern guitar, Wrem-es has informed his career asof Django (pronounced Jango) Reinhardt. Thanksbel explains. Whether its jazz, rock, or any music a master guitarist. to Wrembels tireless efforts, the Django a Gogo In- style, he is the foundationwhether its known or Wrembel, who grew up in Fontainebleau, France,ternational Music Festival, one of the worlds mostnot or whether its obvious or not. If you dig a little began studying classical piano at age 4. In his teen- important and influential events celebrating and ex- bit, you start seeing that all the great musicians men-age years, his interests shifted to guitar after listeningpanding on Reinhardts music, will be presented intion Django. Theyre all fascinated with himB.B. to Pink Floyd. I was 15, loved guitar, and wanted toMaplewood this fall. King, Frank Zappa, Paul Simon. What Bach is to learn the style of [Pink Floyd guitarist] David Gilm- OriginallyscheduledforMay2020andpost- the keyboard, Django is to the guitar.our, he recalls. poned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the per- Although he trained in a conservatory, Wrem-However, it was the guitar technique of Gypsy- formances will now take place on Tuesday, OctoberbeldiscoveredReinhardtsguitartraditionsby 8/ matters magazine / spring 2020'