Joscho Stephan

Every now and then, I still discover guitarists the old-fashioned way—not through Instagram, Facebook, or Spotify's algorithm, but simply because they take the stage like a jack-in-the-box, completely unexpected. The phenomenal German guitarist Joscho Stephan is one such artist. I had never heard of him until he joined Tommy Emmanuel for a few songs during a concert in Eindhoven. I don’t often listen to gypsy jazz, but Joscho’s playing completely won me over. He builds a bridge to gypsy jazz for hardcore rock fans—a group I’m part of myself. Like many masters of the genre, Joscho is an incredibly virtuosic musician. He has a fresh perspective, an open mind, and isn’t constrained by the dogmas of gypsy jazz. Even John Petrucci is a fan! I read a few months after that show that Petrucci contributed to Joscho’s new album. Keep an eye on this German phenomenon!