The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

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The Joscho Stephen Trio Jazzes it Up at the Zlock

Attending the impressive Joscho Stephan Trio group when they arrived here this past Sept. 14 was truly a delight, highly entertaining to watch, and even more lovely on the ears. According to the box office that was running the event here on campus, it was estimated that nearly 94 people had shown up to the performance, and a large amount of people took advantage of the VIP reception that included a chance to meet the artist. The gypsy swing musician, Joscho Stephan, explained to the audience how grateful he was for the other two men who volunteered to play with him on guitar and bass. After the group was done performing for the night, the entire audience gave a standing ovation to the performers chanting “encore” from the top of their lungs. Inspired by the crowd, the musical group decided to appease the passionate, hungry spectators and carried out one more song. Associate professor of language and literature, Alan Rubin, was responsible for bringing the German musician to campus. Rubin observes that Joscho Stephan does not travel to the U.S. that often, so having him play here at our college should be considered a treat. He explained the pure awe and wonder that the crowd had, saying, “Joscho is such a brilliant player that the audience watched in astonishment. They were stupefied, dumbfounded—like Richard Dreyfuss at the end of ‘Close Encounters of the Third
Kind.’” Indeed, spectators were amazed by the talent of the performers and every time they finished a song, the auditorium lit up with cheering, clapping, and whistling. The experience was upbeat, full
of energy, and very soulful. As stated by Joscho Stephan’s personal website, “Joscho Stephan has not merely absorbed this music, but also interprets it on the highest level and is actively engaged in extending its boundaries.” This statement helps clarify the depths and magnitude of Stephan’s artistic ability. During the whole length of the show, he did not read music from any stand and instead played the songs that were imprinted from his heart and spirit. Although gypsy swing music isn’t hitting the tops charts like rap and pop, Joscho Stephan’s ingenuity for guitar is noteworthy and deserves recognition. Rubin goes on to commend Stephan’s playing abilities, “I’ve seen other gypsy jazz guitarists whose playing is both expressive and technically flawless, but Joscho has something special,
something that defies explanation. ‘Ineffable’ is what we would say in English. The French call it je ne sais quoi. The Germans probably have a word for it too—they have a word for everything. I think that word may be ‘Joscho’.” There was never a dull moment watching the melodic triad, for the lightning speed strumming, and the intensely intricate guitar solos from Stephan combined with the musical strength of the backup players was outstandingly impressive. Although the very much talented Joscho Stephan could have been a solo act, he was remarkably humble when giving credit to the other musicians who were playing alongside him. In all, the performance was fun, enjoyable, refined, and will be one of the most memorable concerts for those who watched the Joscho Stephan Trio group.