Twin Cities Hot
Club– Twin Cities Hot Club
2003 Jewel Records
SQ Issue: Fall 2005, Volume 15, Issue 4
The Band:
“June 12, 1937, marked the frst anniversary of
the Saturday Night Swing Club on CBS radio. At
the tme, CBS celebrated here at home all the way to Paris and Montmartre. Some 68 years ago the broadcaster Ed Murrow
bridged time to introduce all of us to The Hot Club of France with Django Reinhardt
and Stephane Grappelli. Now, at this
moment, you can bridge that time and space with the Twin Cities Hot Club. Their passion, scholarship and skilled
musicianship take you back to those days at the Bricktops Cabaret in Paris. Listen and listen again. This is Minnesota calling the spirit of Django and
Stephane.” --- Leigh Kamman,
liner notes.
The
Twin Cities are flush with excellent swing musicians and the Twin Cities Hot Club
is certainly up there with the cream of the crop.
I’m
not an expert on “gypsy jazz” and am certainly not the genre’s biggest fan. That being said, I think you will really enjoy
this CD. Dancers will find 6 of 10 of the
songs suitable for swing dancing. You’ll
recognize familiar tunes like Honeysuckle Rose, Minor Swing, Jersey
Bounce and All of Me. All of
these are quite danceable. In addition,
lesser known songs, Dark Eyes and Artillerie Lourde also will get you out on
the dance floor. These songs range from 139
to 206 beats per minute.
The
other songs include the waltz, Butterfly and a latin tune, Bossa Dorado
which allow you to dance those other dances for a spell. The rest are nice ballads suitable for slow
dancing or listening to the excellent musicianship from the band.
This
popular Twin Cities band rivals any band from this genre, whether from gay Par? to Los
Angeles. They have definitely honed their
skills and demonstrate as much on this CD. If
Django and Stephane are your heros, you’ll be very pleased when you buy this CD. If you are like me and listen to this CD more as
an occasional change from more traditional big band swing, you couldn’t pick a better
band to show off this style of music. The
violin’s melodies dance over the rhythm of the guitars and bass creating a pleasing
sound for both listeners and dancers alike.
So,
pick up a copy and take a listen. You’ll
be glad you did!
Bottom Line: To buy or not to buy….. BUY! Here’s how: www.bellrobert.com.