they look like nylon string guitar because of headstock, but they are actually steel string guitars. (although there is also a nylon string version) Joscho is playing the Grande Bouche, the Big Mouth, or D-hole guitar, and Sven is playing Petite bouche, little mouth, oval-hole.
I knew someone here had to call that out. I was about to do the same. For those who are unfamiliar, they're playing Selmer replicas, which Django created the gypsy jazz style of playing on an actual Selmer. Pretty much every gypsy jazz musician you see is going to be playing a Selmer style guitar. You typically see lead with the oval hole and rhythm with the D-hole, but Joscho does a lot of lead with the D-hole type.
Finally someone talks about Joscho ! It’s been years I tell people he is just one of the best these days. He is probably less known by the guitar world since he plays mostly gypsy, I’m sure if he had an electric in his hand he would be as famous as other great guitar names. I’m happy you did a video on him. Few months ago I proposed you to do a video about his duo with Richard Smith on Here, there and everywhere, his solo on this Beatles song is absolutely outstanding, musically astonishing.
Joscho also plays in the Transatlantic Guitar Trio with no less a personage than Richard Smith, not to mention blind multi-instrumentalist Rory Hoffman. They are spectacular.
I'm not a guitarist, but I have the feeling that Joscho has one of the best techniques out there. You can really hear and see that he has insane control over every single note and he modulates each sound just the way he wants. Not just playing notes, but very very thoughtful, considerate and delicate with such clarity it's absolutely mindblowing. Sometimes I just have to repeat a couple of notes or bars 20 times just to soak everything up. :D I could watch him play all day.
There is no Nylon strings involved here, it's steel. This is the type guitar Django had is a Maccaferri produced by Selmer a French manufacturer, produced the instrument from 1932 to about 1952. Most Gypsy players are playing on copy's of this kind of guitar. Stochelo owns and played an original one.
Joscho is a special, special player.Some of his stuff with Tommy Emmanuel is truly breathtaking. I'm just starting to explore his solo stuff, very excited.
Joscho is amazing. He played a few songs with Tommy Emmanuel, and the two togheter its just too much lol. They both have such a great rhythm feeling and level.
Michael, your passion and skill at breaking these compositions down is inspiring. Always a good day when another one of your videos drops. Also discovering a new artist is always exciting, this is one of those moments. This was mind blowing. Thank you 🇨🇦
Been obsessively telling people, "You GOTTA hear Joscho!" for years. It's a treat to watch your face while you listen - see someone being just completely blown away (as I've been) by his stunning virtuosity. Haven't seen technique welded to swing like that since Oscar Peterson.
It's gypsy jazz & has a lot of elements of In Memory of Elizabeth Reed by the Allman Brothers Band & Dickey Betts' gypsy jazz influence. Think about it. It all comes around. You've heard it before.
Love your non-verbal reactions to Joschos unbelievable technique and taste. And it's funny that you noticed "Pink Panther" 9:05 but not the Mozart tease 7:34 😃
I loved watching your expressions as Joscho started hitting his choice fast clear licks! Especially when you have not seen or heard his skill. I've been watching him for years, and in my opinion, he's one the best guitarist on the planet!!
joscho is phenomenal because his technic is only for musical purpose, not always the case in this gypsy jazz genre, Also just so you know these are not nylon string, they are metal exactly like a country folk guitar, only they sound more punchy and strong, a great jazz guitarist wth nylon string is Sylvain Luc, but you can hear the difference in the sound< thanks for your videos Michael
I adore the playing of Joscho Stephan: mind-blowingly great chops and more importantly, a seemingly bottomless well of SUPERB and interesting musical ideas!!!!
Tommy is phenomenal, an Aussie brother, but he isn't painted with the gypsy jazz brush as deeply as Josco - who is a freak of nature. Tommy is more a Chet Atkins kind of player.
The look you give at 08.51 sums everything up. Your non ego approach with your OMG appreciation when Jascho hints at just how good he is. I laughed with you as have been a fan of Jascho for a while and was thinking" Michael won't be playing what's coming by ear as usual". Sure enough :) . Rosenberg Trio are another great gypsy jazz listen. Happy New year.
Love sharing your joy at finding this guy, Michael - Joscho is likely the undisputed modern King of Gypsy Jazz, and deserves all the air we/you can give him!
I’m an average guitarist. Had one since I was seven. Know a couple songs and some scales. Finally getting super into it thanks to you. Your videos have blown my mind and I’m finally practicing daily. I know you owe me nothing, but if you could potentially do a deep dive on the live version of Sultans of Swing from wembley In 1985 the (50fps) I would love to hear your brilliant mind dissect Mark Knopflers guitar playing. That video has baffled me ever since I first found it.
Michael, you are great at what you do. Have enjoyed you for a long while. Joscho is without a doubt one of the best players in the world. I listen to him more than anyone. Only one negative- He isn't Italian but we will let that slide. BTW- look him up and there are times where he pronounces his name. It is not what it looks like. He is world class. Keep it going Palmisano!
So pleased to see you cover Joscho, that said, check out Biréli Lagrène and Adrien Moignard. Be prepared to be blown away. RU-vid search Biréli Lagrène - Hungaria Live in Paris.
Michael, this thread is old but having just stumbled across this video I enjoyed watching your reaction to and comments about Joscho’s playing. By now I hope you’ve checked out more of his stuff. He’s been incredibly generous putting out numerous high quality videos of his performances with different people, different styles and different types of guitars. His work on a Gibson L-5 blows me away. I play, focus on improvisation a lot and think about the concept of fluency. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an improviser as articulate and fluent as Joscho, regardless what style he’s playing. Thanks for this video.
His guitar playing is on another level. He mostly plays gypsy jazz style. But the guy can play anything. Listen to birelli lagrene , stochelo and Moses Rosenberg Angelo debarre the list goes on and on. Birelli is about the best guitarist I’ve heard. He’s like a savant on the guitar what I love about Joscho is his lines are so clean. Even at lighting speed every note is clear and clean Most of these guys can’t read music and don’t know theory. They just play constantly and have great ears joscho has been playing gypsy jazz for years. So many guitarists in the U.S have never even heard of him
Well Mr. Michael...I have been Listening to Joscho Stephan for a couple of Years...and IMHO...THIS Player is not only world class But Has some of the best Tone I have ever heard..! Every time I listen to His Trio it is Always an emotional experience...I Really want to,encourage You to pick Out more and more pieces of His as He knows How to Really have Fun with the Music..!
Watch him play Bossa dorado and weep - it´s so good. By the way did you say "makes me wan´t to get a nylon string and get into,,,". it´s a Gypsy steel string guitar he is playing man.
Other top gypsy jazz guitarists are Stochelo Rosenberg and Angelo Debarre. I'm really glad you found Joscho. Did you notice the part where he plays over the sound hole. Gypsy jazz guitars come in 2 shapes. O shape and D shape depending on the size of the sound hole. D shapes have enormous sound holes and the fretboard is built so that it extends over it. This is one of the rare times that one of the top guys goes there. Gypsy jazz is one of the few popular non-folk styles that is uniquely European. So you see the minor harmonic scale used a lot, due to east European influences and phrygian dominants due to its flamenco influences. Plus tons of weird chord voicings, inversions everywhere, shell chords without the root and 5th, lots of minor 6 chords and all sorts of other exotic stuff. Ps I don't know if someone else has mentioned but the strings are made of silver nickel. Nylon would sound too Latin American, like a bossa nova guitar, or too Spanish. Don't try doing Spanish guitar right hand techniques on one of these - you'll take the skin off your knuckles! Pps, loving your work. Anyone who can pick up the elements of a Joscho Stephan solo on first hearing it deserves respect.
Check: Rosenberg Trio (with Stochelo Rosenberg) "For Sephora". Or check their Cousin Jimmy Rosenberg with "Sweet Georgia Brown" Stochelo played also with Tommy Emmanuel.
a BIG shout out for the video with Joscho and Torsten Goods "Tribute to George Benson // Joscho Stephan & Torsten Goods // On Broadway" This one is a gem!
Hi Michael! Thanks for making me discover the great Joscho Stephan. Nice that you also noticed the quote from “The Pink Panther theme“ (Henry Mancini, 1963) at 9.05 - which goes on a bit at 14.13! Did you hear the quote from “The James Bond Theme“ at 8.25 and 8.33 (Monty Norman, 1962)? Or the first quote I heard, at 7.33: “Rondo alla turca” (Turkish march) from Piano sonata no. 11 i A Major (Mozart, 1784)? Keep up the good work! Happy Holidays! /Martin (Swedish journalist and jazz drummer)
I have been watching Joscho play on RU-vid for many years, surprised you had not come across him before. There are also several videos of him jamming with Tommy Emmanuel. The Gypsy guitar style was big in the jazz age, and Django Reinhardt was the top player in that field. Most notably he lost use of all but two of his left fingers in a tragic fire, and was able to relearn to play that style of guitar. He influenced many of the greatest players including Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, Willie Nelson… Selmer makes the guitar for Gypsy Jazz, steel strings are employed. Thanks for the video!
Joscho is my favorite guitar player. He is really really good on gıitar and desirve every compliment. His virtuosity is umbelievable. Also legendary joe muranyi was appreciated his technic.
Joscho is definitely in the top 5 Gypsy giants. Stochelo Rosenberg, Angelo Debarre, Bireli Lagrene and the late Jimmy Rosenberg. These guys tear it up in so many ways it’s insane. There is a jam out there where a pile of these guys are destroying Caravan. They start at a mild pace, by the end they laughing at how insanely fast the Rhythem and leads are. A real treat. Lastly, learning to play Gypsy Jazz has accelerated my playing in so many ways. I’m a better musician because of it. So much to learn and enjoy. Highly recommend the Rosenberg Trio. If you are new to Gypsy Jazz, start here. You can’t go wrong. Good luck.
Unfortunately he passed away from an overdose several years ago. Real bummer and true loss of talent. He was a child prodigy and virtuoso guitarist. @@gwtje62
Check out some stuff by Frank Vignola when you get the chance. He does fantastic stuff solo, with Vinny Raniolo, with Bucky Pizzarelli, with Tommy Emmanuel, and even with Wynton Marsalis and Mark O'Connor.
Joscho is just sick... My long year idols include Django, John Mclaughlin, Benson, Joe Pass, Tommy Emanuel and in the last few years (pandemic discovery) Joscho Stephan. Mixed feelings... should I continue to play or just dropped altogether... but that is how it has been for 50 years when I heard such brillance...
Michael, this channel cuts through that "pop" culture overload by spotlighting some real talent. I've found quite a few new favorites from watching this channel. I then load them into Pandora and discover even more. Good Stuff.
Stephen, The Rosenberg Trio, Jimmy Rosenberg and Angelo Debarre are the master of the genre. The amazement never ends. Study gypsy and you’ll get better eat everything else.
great video! btw, his last name is spoken like the german name "Stefan" and the guitar he plays is not a nylon string, but a steelstring gypsy-guitar, if I'm not mistaken (but I can be wrong on this)
Thanks for opening a tiny little window on what this fellow does. ( tiny because of my limited understanding) Am impressed you can pick up the theory and at the same time admit you can't do it. Thought you were going to wet yourself at one point. Anyone watching me listen to him would think I hear through an open mouth as well as ears
Have had the good fortune to see him twice live. Once with Richard Smith and Rory Hoffman. This was in a small music store in California. They set out 40 folding chairs and was 10 feet in front of them. Other worldly players. World class!
11:28 that lick comes from Jimmy Rosenberg I think, from his song Swing for Ninine. Watch the Joscho video for a song called Duke & Dukie. Will blow your mind.
Michael,you have to discover Michael Paouris.Paouris is a pure tornado on the guitar.Extremely clean playing techniques that include difficulty,integrity and finesse at the same time.The man also plays the bouzouki perfectly as his first instrument.
