Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

LAGRENE, Bireli

(b 4 Sep. '66, Saverne, France) Guitarist of enormous talent, a Gypsy and inevitably compared to Django Reinhardt. LPs Routes To Django and 15 '82, Down In Town '83 on Antilles; Bireli Swings '81 first released '83 on German Austrophon Diepholz. His first LP already issued on CD by the Japanese, he concentrated on playing rather than recording for a while, then broke away from the Django groove at the ripe old age of 21 on West German Jazzpoint label '85 with Bireli Lagrene Ensemble Live With Vic Juris (guitarist b Parsippany NJ '53), reissued on CD as Live. He had attended Berklee School of Music in the meantime, and the dilemma was going to be whether he could find a voice of his own as interesting as the Gypsy inheritance; still, a fiery 'Ornithology' unself-consciously used a Hot Club-style beat rather than a bebop one. On Bireli Lagrene he played six- and twelve-string guitars with guests Larry Coryell, bassist Miroslav Vitous; on Stuttgart Aria he played electric guitar, with Jaco Pastorius and four others incl. synths. Acoustic Moments '91 on Blue Note was spoiled by too much production; Live In Marciac was more successful, unpredictable but individual, and My Favorite Django '95 had a quartet with orchestra (both on Dreyfus). A victim of considerable publicity when he was very young, he can explore everything with his prodigious technique; he will be around for a long time.