Bireli Lagrene

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Born into a traditional manouche Gypsy family in Soufflenheim, Bas Rhin Alsace, France in 1966, Biréli

Lagrène showed early promise on guitar and by when by the age of eight he was covering the repertoire of the great guitarist Django Reinhardt, his relatives were already calling him a child prodigy. By his late teens, he was mixing with jazz greats such as Stephane Grappelli and Benny Goodman, and exploring jazz fusion with the likes of bassist Jaco Pastorius. In recent years he has returned to his first inspiration - the irresistible swing of gypsy jazz.