As one who used to play the guitar and try to emulate the Belgian master, I understand the allure of trying to recapture the sound and style of Django Reinhardt. Guitarist Stephane Wrembel is making a career out of it, at times taking the gypsy’s tunes and playing them as faithfully as possible, and other times modernizing it. This time around, Wrembel gives a solo treatise on various Reinhardt soliloquies ranging from studio sessions, radio broadcasts and concert performances that had been recorded over his career. They range from two and a half to almost ten minutes, and since I don’t have any of these tunes memorized myself, I can’t say whether they are note-for-note transcriptions or simply gleanings.
Either way, the songs are faithfully interpreted, with a coy “Tea For Two,” a stately “Belleville” and a classical flamenco-styled sketch of “Sketches of Spain.” A handful of “Solo Improvisations” form the late 30s to late 40s are intimate, rich and personal affairs, with Wrembel displaying patience, reverence and still maintaining the flavor of a bohemian campground. Is this guy ever going to hit So Cal?