Gypsy swing is on the ‘menu’ for Arts Live
Published 10:31 am Thursday, October 2, 2008
“Hot Club” is a genre of swing music made famous by hot jazz string bands in the early decades of the 20th Century. Start with this basic ingredient, add music in the big band tradition, season with Latin rhythms, Gypsy and Mexican folk songs and uninhibited improvisations and you have a distinctive musical mixture – and the reason for the name of the vibrant, acoustic band, Hot Club Sandwich (HCS). Snoqualmie Valley Arts Live is presenting HCS in concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26, in the Mount Si High School Theater.
While maintaining a reverence for the “Gypsy Jazz” made famous by the legendary Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli’s “Quintette du Hot Club de France,” HCS draws on a repertoire that ranges broadly from American big band standards through European influences to Brazilian choros and traditional Gypsy folk tunes. The resulting blend, performed with captivating energy and drive, appeals to all ages and tastes.
This string sextet includes three guitars, bass, violin and mandolin. Apart from HCS, the six talented instrumentalists have diverse musical interests; all regularly study with master musicians in the United States and around the world. Each member also performs regularly with other musical projects.
Guitar players include virtuoso Ray Wood, who came on the Northwest music scene in the 1950s and was the driving force behind some of the first local rock bands. He also toured internationally, playing rock, country and jazz. Kevin Connor plays guitar as well as the Cuban tres, currently playing the tres in the acoustic Cuban Son band. Greg Ruby teaches guitar in the Seattle area; performs and records with Pearl Django and has authored a book, the Pearl Django play-along book.
James Schneider plays the upright bass. In addition, he plays tenor and five-string banjos in a variety of traditional acoustic music contexts. He teaches music, folklore and writing at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia. Mandolinist Matt Sircely has studied with more than a dozen of the world’s leading mandolin luminaries and has performed with legends including Danny Barnes, David Bromberg and David Grisman. Tim Wetmiller plays violin with HCS. His other interests are studying the music of the Tierra Aliente region in southwestern Mexico with the great violinist Juan Reynoso and playing Latin American, Mexican and bluegrass music with other groups.
A great show for the whole family, it’s made possible in part by funding from King County 4Culture. Come and enjoy the concert; free parking; free cookies and drinks. Ticket prices are $15 regular; $10 seniors; and $5 youth. They are available at the door or at Nature’s Marketplace in North Bend; Isadora’s in Snoqualmie; and Video Nites in Fall City. The Mount Si High School Theater, at 8651 Meadowbrook Way in Snoqualmie, is wheelchair accessible.
