Biréli Lagrène facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Biréli Lagrène
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Lagrène performing at the Festival des Granges à Laimont, August 2006
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| Background information | |
| Born | 4 September 1966 Soufflenheim, France |
| Genres | Gypsy jazz, swing, jazz fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | BMG Rights Management,Blue Note, Dreyfus |
| Associated acts | Larry Coryell, Jaco Pastorius, Miroslav Vitouš, Sylvain Luc |
Biréli Lagrène (born 4 September 1966) is a famous French jazz guitarist. He became well-known in the 1980s for his amazing guitar playing. His style was inspired by the legendary Django Reinhardt. Biréli often plays swing, jazz fusion, and post-bop music.
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Biréli Lagrène's Early Life and Music Journey
Biréli Lagrène was born in Soufflenheim, Alsace, France. He grew up in a Romani family and community. Music was a big part of his family life. Both his father and grandfather were guitarists. Biréli learned the "Gypsy guitar" style from a very young age.
He started playing the guitar when he was only four or five years old. By age seven, he was already improvising jazz music! His father admired Django Reinhardt and wanted his sons to play like him. In 1980, when Biréli was still a teenager, he recorded his first album. It was called Routes to Django: Live at the Krokodil.
Biréli's Collaborations and Tours
In the years that followed, Biréli Lagrène toured with many famous guitarists. These included Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucía, and John McLaughlin. He also played with jazz legends like Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, and Stéphane Grappelli.
In 1984, he joined Larry Coryell and Vic Juris in New York City. They played a special concert to honor Django Reinhardt. Biréli then went on tour with Coryell and Philip Catherine. He also performed with other great musicians. Some of these were Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, and Charlie Haden. In 1989, he even played in a duo with Stanley Jordan.
Biréli began working with Italian guitarist Giuseppe Continenza in 1998. They met at a festival and talked about their shared love for music. Since then, they have performed together at many concerts and festivals. These include the Pescara Jazz and the Eddie Lang Jazz Festival.
Awards and Recognitions
Biréli Lagrène has received many important awards for his music. Here are some of them:
- 1993: He won the "Django d’Or" award for "French Musician".
- 2001: His album Front Page won "Les Victoires de la Musique" for "Jazz Album".
- 2002: He won two "Django d’Or" awards: "French Musician" and "People's Choice".
- 2003: His album Gypsy Project and Friends was nominated for "Les Victoires de la Musique".
- 2007: He received another "Django d’Or" for "Balkan/Gypsy" guitar.
- 2012: The French Minister of Culture and Communication awarded him the "Chevalier des Arts & des Lettres" medal. This is a special honor for artists.
Biréli Lagrène's Albums (Discography)
Biréli Lagrène has released many albums throughout his career:
- Routes to Django (Antilles, 1980)
- Swing '81 (Jazzpoint Records, 1981)
- Fifteen (Antilles, 1982)
- Down in Town (Antilles, 1983)
- Django's Music Vol. 1 with Mike Peters, Bob Wilber (Stash, 1985)
- Stuttgart Aria with Jaco Pastorius and Vladislav Sendecki (Jazzpoint, 1986)
- Bireli Lagrene and Special Guests with Larry Coryell, Miroslav Vitous (Jazzpoint, 1986)
- Inferno (Blue Note, 1987)
- Foreign Affairs (Blue Note, 1988)
- Acoustic Moments (Blue Note, 1990)
- Standards (Blue Note, 1992)
- Live at the Carnegie Hall (Jazz Point, 1993)
- Live in Marciac (Dreyfus, 1994)
- My Favorite Django (Dreyfus, 1995)
- Blue Eyes (Dreyfus, 1998)
- Duet with Sylvain Luc (Dreyfus, 1999)
- Front Page (with Dominique di Piazza and Dennis Chambers) (2001)
- Gipsy Project (Dreyfus, 2001)
- Gipsy Project & Friends (Dreyfus, 2002)
- Gipsy Project: Move (Dreyfus, 2004)
- Djangology with WDR Big Band (Dreyfus, 2006)
- To Bi or Not to Bi (Dreyfus, 2006)
- Electric Side (Dreyfus, 2008)
- Gipsy Trio (Dreyfus, 2009)
- Mouvements (Universal, 2012)
- D-Stringz with Stanley Clarke, Jean-Luc Ponty (Impulse!, 2015)
- Storyteller (Naive, 2018)
- Solo Suites (PeeWee!, 2022)
- Bireli Lagrene Plays Loulou Gasté (BMG Rights Management, 2023)
Biréli Lagrène's Films (Filmography)
Biréli Lagrène has also appeared in several music films and documentaries:
- 1989 Super Guitar Trio - Live at Montreux
- 2004 Bireli Lagrene & Friends:Live Jazz a Vienne (Dreyfus)
- 2005 Django: A Jazz Tribute
- 2005 Bireli Lagrene & Gypsy Project Live in Paris
- 2006 Live in Paris (Dreyfus)
- 2009 Monaco Dreyfus Night (Dreyfus)
- 2017 Biréli Lagrène: Voilà!
See also
In Spanish: Biréli Lagrène para niños
