RESCHEDULED – Biréli Lagrène & Martin Taylor

Born in Saverne, Alsace, France, Biréli Lagrène started playing guitar around the age of five and started improvising jazz similar to Django Reinhardt’s style by the age of seven. He honed his craft in his early teenage years when he toured with several musical acts, including Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucía, Stéphane Grappelli, The Gil Evans Orchestra, and many more.

Lagrène is now one of the more well-regarded guitarists in jazz, impressing audiences from around the globe with every strum of his six-string. He has released twenty-six albums and seven live concert films, all of which have received praise from fans and critics alike. Known as the undisputed king of Django Reinhardt–influenced Gypsy jazz guitar, since 1980 Lagrène has delighted new and long-time listeners of jazz with wonderful songs that capture the essence of the genre.

GRAMMY-nominated Dr. Martin Taylor, MBE, is a virtuoso guitarist, composer, educator, and musical innovator. Widely considered to be the world’s foremost exponent of solo jazz and fingerstyle guitar playing, Taylor possesses an inimitable style that has earned him global acclaim from fellow musicians, fans, and critics alike. He dazzles audiences with a signature style that artfully combines his virtuosity, emotion, and humor with a strong, engaging stage presence.

Taylor has enjoyed a remarkable musical career spanning across five decades, with more than one hundred recordings to his credit. Completely self-taught beginning at the early age of four, he has invented and developed a unique way of playing the guitar that is greatly admired, and often emulated, by guitarists all over the world.

Biréli Lagrène Website 
Martin Taylor Website 
Sponsored by the Kuumbwa Jazz Board of Trustees
(Ticket Includes 5% City of Santa Cruz Admission Tax)