Gypsy swing artist Joscho Stephan made his Boulevard Music debut in May 2024, and he’s back for the first live show at that venue of the new year. Stephan told the News about what he’s been up to, and what he has in store for Culver City this time…
When we spoke earlier in the year, you talked about some shows and workshops you had coming up in Germany, Austria, Italy and France — how did that all go?
It was a great year, everything went well. All the workshops were sold out, most of the concerts were sold out, so I am really thankful for all the people who supported me in 2024.
Describe 2024 in one sentence…?
My busiest year ever.
Did you discover any new music/musicians that you enjoyed?
I am still listening to a lot of music, and of course a lot of great guitar music too. I think players like Matteo Mancuso, for example, are so good that there is no other chance than to find out about him, and that’s the good thing about Youtube. If you are really talented, then people will find you. A lot of my guests at the Gypsy Guitar Academy and my Youtube Channel, I discovered on Youtube. So beside Matteo, I love people like Marcus King, Cory Wong a.o., so mostly people that are not Gypsy Swing guitarists. I like to get inspired by players from other genres.
Do you think this is a healthy time for gypsy swing?
I can’t answer this question for every player, but it’s definitely healthy for me (fortunately), so maybe because of the reason that I try to include other influences (like funk, rock and pop music) in my form of gypsy swing, so that the mix is in general more interesting for listeners, even if they don’t know anything about Django Reinhardt or gypsy swing music.
How did the May show at Boulevard Music go?
Great. I was there with my German Trio, and we played a sold out show. So I hope that we get a good crowd for the concert in January.
What can we expect from the set this time?
This time, I will play with two American musicians (Gage Hulsey on guitar and Lakshmi Ramirez on bass), the set will include some gypsy swing standards, and of course some of my originals.
What else do you have coming up in 2025?
The year starts with a spectacular event. On January 3, I will join George Benson, Steve Lukather, Al Di Meola, Tommy Emmanuel and many other players for the “Breezin with the Stars” Guitar Camp in Phoenix, AZ, that will be already a highlight in 2025, after that a lot of touring (USA, Germany, Italy, Poland, Australia) with my Trio and also the Transatlantic Guitar Trio (with Rory Hoffmann and Richard Smith). A new record will be out later in 2025 feat. John Petrucci, Tommy Emmanuel, Jerry Douglas and Matteo Mancuso.
Joscho Stephan performs at 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 11 at Boulevard Music. Go to boulevardmusic.com for more information.
Elsewhere this week
The Culver Hotel will be hosting the likes of Sylvia & the Rhythm Boys, and Scotty Bramer. Go to culverhotel.com for more info.
There’s a full program of music at the Cinema Bar this week, as usual. The Hot Club of Los Angeles plays every Monday, and Wednesdays are singer/songwriter and open mic night.