Joscho Stephan & Paulus Schäfer
Like no other, Joscho Stephan defines modern Gypsy Swing with his playing: Through his authentic tone, with harmonic finesse and rhythmic sense, but above all with breathtaking solo technique, Stephan has gained an outstanding reputation in the international guitar scene. He knows more than anyone else how to stand out from the multitude of current Gypsy Swing adaptations by combining Gypsy Swing with Latin, classical and rock in addition to his many interpretations of the well-known classics of the genre. This is where Stephan’s strength as a creative visionary shines through. And this inspires young and old concert audiences alike. Joscho’s YouTube version of “Hey Joe” has now cracked the 3 million mark.
His debut “Swinging Strings” was named CD of the Month by the American trade magazine “Guitar Player” in 1999. The renowned “Acoustic Guitar Magazine” celebrated Joscho Stephan in 2004 as a guarantor for the future of the Gypsy Jazz guitar. For the CD “Guitar Heroes” he was able to win guitar greats like Biréli Lagrène, Stochelo Rosenberg and Tommy Emmanuel as guests in 2015. A total of 4 of Joscho’s albums were nominated for the German Record Critics Award. The production “Paris – Berlin” (2018) was recorded as a direct to disc record production in the Hansa Studios Berlin, where among others many recordings of David Bowie were made.
Musical greats such as Paquito D’Rivera, James Carter, Charlie Mariano and Grady Tate have expressed their enthusiasm after performing together. On the Australian continent Joscho Stephan was on concert tour with Martin Taylor and Tommy Emmanuel. With his own ensembles he has played at many important festivals throughout Europe. In the USA, too, he has inspired audiences with concerts in Nashville, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, and at the legendary Birdland jazz club and Lincoln Center in New York, among others.
Paulus Schäfer (born 31 March 1978, Gerwen, Nuenen) is a guitarist, composer and arranger who is considered to be one of the most talented gypsy jazz or “jazz manouche” guitar players from the Netherlands. Paulus was born into a Dutch Sinti-Romani (Gypsy) community where he was taught to play the guitar at a very early age. Like almost all gypsy jazz players and gypsy jazz fans, Paulus considers Django Reinhardt his idol. Paulus has recorded or performed on stage with Stochelo Rosenberg, Fapy Lafertin, Tim Kliphuis, Jimmy Rosenberg, Dominique Paats, Biréli Lagrène, Andreas Öberg, and many others.