Birelli Lagrène

Birelli Lagrène was born in 1966 into a gypsy family in Strasbourg, France. He started playing guitar at a young age and released his first album, 'Routes,' when he was thirteen. The record showed his technical skill and connection to the gypsy jazz tradition he grew up with.

In 1993, he put out 'Made in France,' which became his breakout album. The music on it was rooted in that gypsy swing style, but it had its own energy and reach. He could play very fast, but there was a melodic sense in his phrasing that kept it from feeling like just a display.

He later said he regretted that involvement. His playing, though, always came back to the music itself, the rhythmic drive and fluid lines that define the genre he came from.