SATURDAY, MARCH 5 123 WEST 43RD ST NYC 10036 | THETOWNHALL.ORG
THE TOWN HALL AND MARK CORTALE PRESENT
SETH RUDETSKY’S BROADWAY STARRING APR
4
MON
8PM
JUN
20
BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL
MON
8PM
VANESSA WILLIAMS
SEP
12
MON
8PM
JANE KRAKOWSKI
WITH MUSIC DIRECTOR & HOST
FOR TICKETS: (800) 982-2787 & TICKETMASTER.COM 123 W 43RD ST, NYC | @TOWNHALLNYC
THETOWNHALL.ORG
BOX OFFICE HOURS: (MON-SAT 12-6PM)
SETH RUDETSKY
BUY TICKETS HERE S C A N TO B U Y
1. Open Phone Camera 2. Hover Over QR Code 3. Access Ticketmaster
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 • 8:00PM THE TOWN HALL PRESENTS
DJANGO A GOGO STEPHANE WREMBEL Presents a Celebration of Guitar Through the Music of
DJANGO REINHARDT WITH
STEPHANE WREMBEL - GUITAR/MUSICAL DIRECTOR RUSSELL WELCH - GUITAR AURORA NEALAND - SAXOPHONE/VOCALS DAISY CASTRO - VIOLIN DAVID LANGLOIS - WASHBOARD ARI FOLMAN-COHEN - BASS TOMMY DAVY - GUITAR JOSH KAYE - GUITAR/OUD NICK ANDERSON - DRUMS AND SPECIAL GUESTS RAPHAEL FAŸS - GUITAR SEBASTIEN FELIX - GUITAR LAURENT HESTIN - GUITAR
Django A Go Go has been made possible through Villa Albertine, in partnership with the French Embassy in the United States. Cover art by Irene Ypenburg
THE TOWN HALL 123 WEST 43RD ST NYC 10036
LARRY ZUCKER, Executive Director MELAY ARAYA, Artistic Director JEFF MANN, Marketing Director KEITH SHERMAN, Publicity SCOTT KLEIN, Publicity
TED LAMBERT, Chief Operating Officer BILL DEHLING, Technical Director CARL ACAMPORA, Production Manager ALEX KOVEOS, Digital Media Manager DENNIS RAKAUCKAS, Graphic Designer
THETOWNHALL.ORG | @TOWNHALLNYC @TownHallNYC | 1
/0 BO 6 3R >E@I= /; D J= ACNBG N5H@A RDT
1910 – 1953 Django Reinhardt was probably the first guitar hero. A gypsy who started out on banjo, he became a sought-after child prodigy in the French musette world only to see his career interrupted when his caravan caught fire, almost killing him. Left with only three working fingers on his fretting hand, Django switched to guitar and soon perfected a technique that allowed him not only to keep playing, but had him also reach new virtuosic highs. Beyond the dramatic legend of the maimed guitarist and nonchalant Gypsy, lies a deep and ferociously curious musician. He went from the Romani music world to musette balls, and then Louis Armstrong and hot jazz. He played with Duke Ellington, tried electric guitar (he didn’t like it much at first) and Charlie Parker’s recordings converted him to bebop. He played Bach of course, but was also profoundly influenced by Ravel and Debussy. In short, he was a true musician whose personality was far more complex than his legend would have it. Django a Gogo celebrates the legacy of the multifaceted musician - beyond the caricature of the Gypsy virtuoso and his three fast fingers. While Wrembel and guests all owe a great debt to Reinhardt’s style, their interests remain multiple. Like their hero, the range of their musical interests is infinite and they know to keep the music alive by always rejuvenating it with new borrowings and new points of views. Portrait of Django Reinhardt by Irene Ypenburg @TownHallNYC | 3
ABOUT THE PROGRAM Stephane Wrembel returns to The Town Hall with Django A Gogo 2022: A Celebration of Guitar Through The Music of Django Reinhardt. “This year’s show is going to be ‘New Orleans.’ It will feature masters from France and New Orleans. Besides the traditional Django sounds, the show will be infused with the flavors of Flamenco and the streets of The French Quarter performed by some of the greatest guitar masters in the world.” Alongside Mr. Wrembel (guitar/musical director), performers for Django A Go Go 2022 include: French guitarists Raphaël Faÿs, Laurent Hestin, and Sebastien Felix; special guests from New Orleans Russell Welch (guitar) and Aurora Nealand (saxophone/vocals); Daisy Castro (violin); Tommy Davy (guitar), Josh Kaye (guitar/Oud), David Langlois (washboard); Ari Folman-Cohen (bass guitar), and Nick Anderson (drums). “It’s the culmination of a week we spend together playing music, sharing stories, sharing a journey, really, and it all builds up to something very special,” says Wrembel, who jump-starts the Django a Gogo Festival with a guitar camp that offers Reinhardt aficionados a chance to workshop with these modern masters. “And at the end we’re on stage at The Town Hall. I’m not inviting people just to come play solos and help sell tickets..that’s not what I have in mind. I want an extraordinary show, a concert that tells a story.” Wrembel, an authority on Reinhardt’s style, is perhaps best known for “Bistro Fada,” the theme song from the Grammy-winning soundtrack to Woody Allen’s 2011 Oscar-winning film, Midnight In Paris. He started Django a Go Go as “a very small event” in 2004, “not as a nostalgia thing,” he emphasizes, or a simple tribute to Django Reinhardt, the man, “but to his music. something special went through him and whatever it was, it’s still alive in the music.” He avoids the label “Gypsy jazz” commonly used for Reinhardt’s music. “I know what jazz is. Django is Django. I don’t know how to categorize him,” He says. “Django was born in 1910 and when he grew up, the music scene in Paris was Debussy and Ravel, the Impressionists, and he’s part of that. But he’s also a guitarist, so he has that Spanish classical guitar in him. Also jazz and swing arrives from America, and he gets that, plus he’s a Gypsy so he’s been initiated into Gypsy techniques and traditional Gypsy music. How do you classify a guy like that?” This “All Star” concert is the main event of Stéphane’s Django A Gogo Music Festival & Guitar Camp 2022 which is being held this year from March 1-6, comprising this concert at The Town Hall and two more at The Woodland in Maplewood, NJ, as well as an intensive 5-day guitar “camp.”
@TownHallNYC | 3
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
STÉPHANE WREMBEL Stéphane Wrembel is a composer, teach-
Photo Credit: Lawrence Sumulong
er and one of the most highly regarded guitarists in the world specialized in the style of Django Reinhardt. Wrembel— who originally hails from Fountainebleau, France— has had a remarkable career and has toured around the world. He wrote music for three of Woody Allen’s movies including Vicki Cristina Barcelona (“Big Brother”), Midnight in Paris (“Bistro Fada”) and the original score for the recently released, Rifkin’s Festival. He has released 16 albums under his name and the nom de plume, The Django Experiment. He has received rave reviews for his recordings and his impeccable performances. In 2019, Wrembel released Django L’Impressionniste putting the spotlight on 17 little-known preludes for solo guitar that Reinhardt recorded between 1937 and 1950. Wrembel is the first interpreter who has performed all these solo pieces and collected them in one definitive masterwork. He spent the summer of 2020 painstakingly transcribing the songs and released them in tablature in a beautifully bound book in spring of 2021. Every year since 2004, Wrembel has organized the Django a Go Go Music Festival & Guitar Camp in his charming hometown of Maplewood, New Jersey, and The Town Hall in New York City. This renowned festival includes master classes and music performances featuring some of the greatest Django masters on the planet. For more information, please visit Stephanewrembel.com and Djangoagogo.com
4 | @TownHallNYC
RAPHAËL FAŸS Raphaël Faÿs is a living legend of the Django style and revered in the world of classical guitar. Not only is he at the very foundation of the rebirth of Django’s guitar sound (his first album was released in 1979 while he was only 19 years old!), but he continues to innovate, compose, record (21 albums so far!), and inspire the ever-growing crowd of Django aficionados. His command of flamenco guitar rivals his command of Django’s style. This is a very unique phenomenon in the world of guitar. He is one of the greatest virtuosos who ever lived.
LAURENT HESTIN Laurent Hestin started guitar at age 7, and quickly became one of the most in demand studio musicians in France. He is very famous for his unbelievable control of the instrument and his extreme versatility. On top of it he grew up and lived near Django Reinhardt’s hometown, and is one of the rare musicians to have worked with two legends of the Gypsy Jazz style: Django’s son Babik Reinhardt and master Patrick Saussois. He is mainly touring with musicals all over Europe, but also performs in an incredible variety of bands, in stadiums or local intimate jazz clubs.
SÉBASTIEN FÉLIX Sébastien Félix is known in France as “Guardian of the Temple” (The temple of Gypy Jazz). He seems to be spiritually connected to the legendary guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt. Many modern guitarists have included a more modern take in the tradition, but Sébastien remains one of the main representations of the tradition. A gypsy himself, he picked up the guitar at age 13, and has since then toured the festivals and clubs in Europe. His quintet is highly regarded as one of the best in the world and he shares his music which is interpreted in the purest tradition of Gypsy Jazz and the Hot Club of France.
@TownHallNYC | 5
RUSSELL WELCH Russell is not only the most sought after guitarist in New Orleans, he is also one of the finest Django style players in the world! Russell has been the recipient of multiple jazz and composition awards, tours internationally, and plays with his band and many other projects. In New Orleans he has received nominations for “Best Traditional Jazz Artist,” “Best Traditional Jazz Album” and “Best Guitarist.” He has released four award-nominated albums since 2012. His third, all-original album, Russell Welch Hot Quartet’s Mississippi Gipsy (2015) was reviewed as “masterful” and a “tour de force” by Offbeat Magazine.
AURORA NEALAND An established bandleader, composer, performer and improviser, Aurora has become a prominent force in the New Orleans music scene since she first arrived in 2004. She is most recognized for her performance on saxophones, clarinet and vocals and has been at the forefront of the revival of New Orleans Traditional Jazz amongst the younger generation of the city’s musicians. After playing and learning as a sideman in established New Orleans bands for several years (Panorama Jazz Band, VaVaVoom, The New Orleans Moonshiners), she formed her own Traditional Jazz band, The Royal Roses. In 2010, Aurora was voted as one of Downbeat Magazine’s “Top Ten Rising Stars for Soprano Saxophone in 2010. In 2010 and 2011 she appeared frequently as herself in the HBO TV series, Treme.
DAISY CASTRO
6 | @TownHallNYC
Daisy Castro is a unique and incredibly powerful voice in the violin world today. With roots firmly planted in the fiery passion of the Jazz Manouche tradition, her unique style refreshes and renews with a modern edge, global influence and instrumentation bridging the distance between Django Reinhardt’s generation and her own in a very exciting way helping to bring this beautiful music from the past into the future.
TOMMY DAVY Whether it’s French waltzes, poignant interpretations of Gypsy folk music or the swinging standards of the Hot Club of France, this LA-based guitarist demonstrates technical mastery, compositional creativity and sensitivity beyond his years. His vast repertoire also includes Romanian, Hungarian, Serbian and Russian Gypsy music. Tommy has accompanied and performed in concert with principal international artists including Angelo Debarre, Stochelo Rosenberg, Gismo Graf, Tcha Limberger, Lolo Meier, Stephane Wrembel, Florin Niculescu and Boulou Ferre. In 2008 Tommy founded DjangoGuitars; a purpose-built specialty shop and preservation hub that brings a deeply-rooted European sensibility to the American guitar market. Tommy is a recurring contributor to Acoustic Guitar Magazine on the subject of Gypsy Jazz.
JOSH KAYE Originally from London, England, Josh Kaye is a NYC based Jazz guitar and Arabic Oud player, best known for his specialization as an accompanist in the “Jazz Manouche” or “Gypsy Swing” style, where he has performed with giants of the tradition, from Samson Schmitt to Stochelo Rosenberg. Josh currently performs as a regular member of Stephane Wrembel’s band as well as his own original Middle Eastern fusion project, Baklava Express.
DAVID LANGLOIS David Langlois was born in France where he learned the art of drumming. In 2003, after studying vari ous percussive techniques in Africa, Asia and Central America, David moved to New York and has since collaborated with Bette Midler, Paul McCartney, Les Paul, Bucky Pizzarelli, David Grisman, Paquito D’Rivera, Angelo Debarre, Dorado Schmitt, Roger Kellaway, Stephane Wrembel, The Blue Vipers and many others. David performs regularly in prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, Birdland, Iridium, Joe’s Pub, Knitting Factory, etc... His recording work includes 18 albums, 3 concert DVDs and 5 movies. @TownHallNYC | 7
ARI FOLMAN-COHEN Ari Folman-Cohen supplies a solid, creative and melodic function to any musical endeavor in which he finds himself. he began his musical career in New York City in 2006, and has since established himself as a go-to bass player for a wide array of music, both on upright and electric bass. He is a member of the stephane Wrembel Band and also juggles a busy schedule supporting many singer/ songwriters, jazz, experimental and world musicians in the New York area and beyond.
NICK ANDERSON Nick Anderson is a New York based drummer who has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Central America, and Africa. Reviewers have described Nick’s playing as “downright lyrical, transcending the seeming constraints of the nonpitched drum set,” (Rochester City Newspaper), and he’s been referred to as “an ideal timekeeper with his light, sophisticated playing making the music dance,” (All About Jazz). The Berklee College of Music and NYU educated musician is currently performing projects ranging from jazz, free improv, ska, country and rock with groups such as Stephane Wrembel Band, Zephania and the 18 Wheelers, and Pangari & the Socialites.
8 | @TownHallNYC
Contribute to our Archives! The Town Hall is searching for: • Programs & Stagebills • Photos • Performance Recordings & Films featuring the Hall • Ticket Stubs • Show Posters • Memorabilia from moments in our history Please contact: Melay Araya / Artistic Director 212-997-1003 ext. 22 | m.araya@thetownhall.org
1935 Marian Anderson makes her New York operatic debut
1944 Langston Hughes discusses the race question on air at “America’s Town Meeting”
1945 Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker debut Bebop in a formal concert hall
1957 Ravi Shankar performs here 9 years before he meets The Beatles
1961 Bob Dylan holds his first major concert at age 21
1964 Coretta Scott King debuts her Freedom Concerts
THE TOWN HALL FOUNDATION The Town Hall’s mission is to provide affordable world-class entertainment by new and established artists to a diverse audience; to inspire the youth of our community to appreciate and participate in the arts at The Town Hall and in schools through our Education Outreach Program; and to preserve and enhance The Town Hall as a historic landmark venue for the enjoyment and cultural enrichment of generations to come.
WARNING
BOARD OF TRUSTEES PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
Tom Wirtshafter
Alfred H. Horowitz
PRESIDENT EMERITUS
VICE PRESIDENT
Marvin Leffler
Bruce S. Leffler
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
TREASURER
Susan Zohn
Andrew T. Miltenberg
VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL
SECRETARY
Phyllis Putter Barasch
Ellen Miller-Wachtel TRUSTEES
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Teniola Adedipe Shauna Denkensohn Anne Frank-Shapiro David F. McCarthy Ellen Miller-Wachtel Rita Robbins Madhu Southworth Timothy Stambaugh Nevin Steinberg
Kathleen Rosenberg, Chair Nancy Berman Sandy Horowitz Elizabeth Iannizzi Candace Leeds Zita Rosenthal Rhoda Rothkopf
The photographing or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographing or sound recording inside the theatre without the written permission of the management is prohibited by law. Violators may be punished by ejection and violations may render the offender liable for monetary damages.
FIRE NOTICE The exit indicated by a red light and sign nearest to the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of fire or other emergency please do not run, WALK TO THAT EXIT. Thoughtless persons annoy patrons and endanger the safety of others by lighting matches or smoking in prohibited areas during the performances and intermissions. This violates a city ordinance and is punishable by law. -FIRE COMMISSIONER
ARTS IN EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL
Dr. Charlotte K. Frank, Chair Dr. Sharon Dunn Michael Fram Gary Hecht Ernest Logan Dr. Eloise Messineo Dr. Lisa Mars Dr. Pola Rosen Leona Shapiro George Young
LIFE TRUSTEES
Leona Chanin Mary Dettling-Wright
THE TOWN HALL STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Lawrence C. Zucker
Barbara Matovu
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Melay Araya
Bill Dehling
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
BOX OFFICE MANAGER
Ted Lambert
Angel Rodriguez
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
CHIEF ENGINEER
Jeff Mann
Steve Franqui
DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION,
HOUSE MANAGER
SUBSCRIPTIONS & MEMBERSHIP
Richard Looney
Helen Morris
DIRECTORY OF THEATRE SERVICES ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: 212.997.1003 Mon-Fri 9:30 am to 5 pm, for rental & membership info BOX OFFICE: 212.840.2824 Mon-Sat 12 noon to 6pm. 24/7 Recording TICKETMASTER: 800.982.2787 to charge tickets by phone.online Ticketmaster.com LOST AND FOUND: 212.997.0113 CELL PHONE POLICY Cell phones should be silenced prior to the performance as a courtesy to the performers and audience. LOBBY REFRESHMENT BY Theatre Refreshment Company of NY
123 WEST 43RD ST NYC 10036 THETOWNHALL.ORG
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Britni Montalbano
Jocelyn Bonadio De Freitas PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER
Alex Koveos
10 | @TownHallNYC
Paul Cameron Hardy
filx
CONNECT @TOWNHALLNYC
MAJOR GIFTS, CORPORATE, FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Town Hall’s Education Outreach Program, Judy Collins, Darlene Love and Storytellers Lab are made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. The Centennial Concert Series is funded, in part, by Howard Gilman Foundation. We would like to thank the following foundations, corporations, and government institutions for their support: Bank of America
Howard Gilman Foundation
Consolidated Edison Company of New York
Office of City Council Member Darma V. Diaz
Cowen, Inc.
Office of City Council Member Ben Kallos
The Hearst Foundations, Inc.
Office of City Council Member Kalman Yeger
The Hyde & Watson Foundation
Office of City Council Member Keith Powers
Edythe Kenner Foundation Gund Investment Corporation
Office of the President, Borough of Manhattan, Mark Levine
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
S&P Global
New York State Council on the Arts
The Shubert Foundation
Henry Nias Foundation
As of Feb 18, 2022
THE TOWN HALL’S YOUNG PATRONS CIRCLE Join the next generation of Town Hall supporters! Town Hall’s Young Patrons Circle is a special membership group, ages 21-40, that engages in social and educational activities through exciting events, performances, and programming. We are brought together by a shared love of the arts, a deep interest in social change, civic engagement, and a desire to become part of a growing group of like-minded individuals that support town Hall. For more information about the Young Patrons Circle, please contact Barbara Matovu, Development Manager - development@thetownhall.org
TOUR THE HISTORIC TOWN HALL Town Hall has played an integral part in the electrifying cultural fabric of New York City for more than 90 years. A group of Suffragists’ fight for the 19th Amendment led them to build a meeting space to educate people on the important issues of the day. During its construction, the 19th Amendment was passed, and on January 12, 1921 The Town Hall opened its doors and took on a double meaning: as a symbol of the victory sought by its founders, and as a spark for a new, more optimistic climate. In 1921, German composer Richard Strauss performed a series of concerts that cemented the Hall’s reputation as an ideal venue for musical performances. Since, Town Hall has been home to countless musical milestones: The US debuts of Strauss, and Isaac Stern; Marian Anderson’s first New York recital; in 1945, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker introduced bebop to the world; Bob Dylan’s first major concert in ‘63; and much much more. LEARN MORE. VISIT THETOWNHALL.ORG/TOURS @TownHallNYC | 11
SUSTAINING MEMBERS Barbara Abis Charles Alter* Irwyn Applebaum* Robin Arndt** Margot Astrachan* Wanyong & Chris Austin* William Beck Neal Beeber* Lori Berisford* Gerard Briscoe** Vicki Carbone Mike Chilelli Jenny Cook* Barbara Cooper Dr. Michael DeMeo Shelley DeVost Michael & Allison Dietz* Barbara Dobkin** Robert Evanson** Hazel & Russel Fershleiser** Edmond FitzGerald Corey & John Fowler Matthew Frank** Donna Frankel Susan & Michael Furman** Laura Garn** Stuart Gelwarg** Patricia Green** Agnes Gund** Fran & Richard Habib** Cynthia Theresa Harvey-Murphy Gary Hoenig Allen Honigman Bruce Horten & Aaron Lieber** Christopher Joy** Dr. David Kaminester Adele Karig* Robert M. Kaufman* Eric & Sandra Kransoff* Judith Krupp John Kuehn Judy & Steven Kunreuther* Ted Lambert & Susan Carragher** John Larson* 12 | @TownHallNYC
*$500-999 **$1,000 +
Abigail Latour* Candace Leeds** Dr. Charlotte Frank & Marvin Leffler** Goldfarb & Fleece LLP** Ellen & Martin Levine Claire Lew Daniel Lewis** Ivy Beth Lewis** Robin & Jay Lewis** Adam & Melony Lewis** Aaron Lieber & Bruce Horten Karyn Mashima Martin McCarthy* John McGuire, Jr.** Laur and Brian McHale Alan & Ellen Miller-Wachtel** Dorinda J. Oliver** Shelly Packer** John Palmer Patricia Pamulo Brendon Ratner* Dr. M. I. Reiser Jason Rivas Brad Robins* Felix Roman** A. Jeffrey Rosen Zita Rosenthal* Rhoda Rothkopf** Louis Salamone** Janet Scapin* Susan & Victor Shedlin** Jennifer Smith Heidi Jo Spiegel Timothy J. Stambaugh** Paige Price & Nevin Steinberg** Kara Unterberg* Anthony Valentino Bob Walter Bruce Weiss Weston Wellington** Carol Marks & Tom Wirtshafter** Melissa Wohlgemuth* Jane Zimmy Susan Zohn** As of Feb 18, 2022
BECOME A MEMBER
F R IE ND
M EM BE R
S EAT HO L DE R
S PO NSO R
We invite you to support the Hall at any level, and enjoy the exclusive benefits of becoming a Town Hall Member.
S UPPO R TE R
S U S TA I N I N G M E M B E R S H I P S *
$100
$250
$500
$1000
$1500
1 Tix to 1 Show
2 Tix to 1 Show
1 Tix
2 Tix
Advance Ticket Access Notification of Presale & Discounts for concerts and Events
Member Discounts at local restaurants Access to PATRON CIRCLE SEATS Reserved Seats to Town Hall Presents concerts and other select events (with special pricing, when available)
Complimentary Tickets to select Town Hall Presents Shows & Events Complimentary Tickets to Town Hall Gala Special Invitations to Sound Check or Dress Rehearsal
2 Tix to 2 Tix to 2 Shows 3 Shows 2 Tix
2 Tix
2 Tix
2 Tix
Seat Plaque in The Hall Complimentary Advertisement in Town Hall Gala Journal
1/4 Page
Invitations to an Artist Meet & Greet after a select To T Town wn Hall Presents Concert
All Members Receive e Special Recognition ognition in Town T wn Hall Programs To All tickets are subject to availability, tickets do not include Broadway by the Year® *More Sustaining Membership levels available at thetownhall.org/membership
THETOWNHALL.ORG/MEMBERSHIP Photo: © Sachyn Mital
Thanks for putting art in the heart of the community Bank of America recognizes The Town Hall for bringing the arts to performers and audiences throughout the community. We commend you on creating an opportunity for all to enjoy and share a cultural experience. Here's to another season of Broadway by the Year! Visit us at bankofamerica.com/art.
©2022 Bank of America Corporation | MAP4117394 | ENT-211-AD