INTERVIEW: Hot Club of Los Angeles set to release ‘Cinema Swing’
Photo: The Hot Club of Los Angeles has a new album of songs called Cinema Swing. Photo courtesy of the band / Provided by KG Music Press with permission.
The Hot Club of Los Angeles, made up of an impressive slate of local L.A. musicians, have been celebrating gypsy jazz for the past decade. They hold down a regular residency at the Cinema Bar in Los Angeles, and Friday, March 6, they are releasing their latest album, Cinema Swing.
The musicians in the band come from a variety of musical backgrounds, including country, jazz, folk, blues, rock, pop and world music, according to press notes. When they come together they create a sound that is simultaneously original and yet reflective of a shared past. They have been described as Nuevo Djanjo, in relation to the maestro Django Reinhardt, in addition to jazz manouche and gypsy jazz. Whatever the categorization, they bring to life songs in a wide variety of styles and languages, including French, Roma and Russian.
The new recording has a little bit of everything for the listener: Django’s “Douce Ambience” and “Nuages” (sung in French by Carl Byron), manouche classics “Swing Gitan” and “Noto Swing,” traditional Russian song “Óči čjórnye/Ochi Chyornye” (“Dark Eyes”), and the standard “After You’ve Gone,” according to a press release.
Joining Byron (accordion, piano and vocal) in the band are Josh Workman on guitar, Jake Bluenote on guitar and vocals, Paul Eckman on bass and Jim Doyle on drums.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with the Hot Club of Los Angeles about the band’s success and the new album. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can your fans expect from Cinema Swing?
A representation of our sizzling live shows, beautifully recorded by our drummer/producer Jim Doyle and mixed by Kevin Jarvis. The album features incendiary guitar work by Josh Workman and Jake Bluenote throughout its 12 tracks, which include gypsy jazz touchstones ‘Douce Ambiance,’ ‘Swing Gitan,’ ‘Noto Swing’ and Django’s masterpiece ‘Nuages’ (sung in French by pianist/accordionist Carl Byron); along with gypsy jazz originals composed by Byron and bassist Paul Eckman, and our arrangement of “Óči čjórnye” (aka ‘Black Eyes’ or ‘Dark Eyes’) sung in Russian by Bluenote.
What do you love best about gypsy jazz?
The genre blends such a wealth of traditions and styles: various facets of jazz, from Great American Songbook to straight ahead to bebop, mixed with strands of Roma (‘gypsy’), Eastern European, Balkan and Mediterranean genres; along with French musette and chanson, while also showcasing instrumental virtuosity. These diverse elements combine into a uniquely stirring, soulful, rhythmically-charged fusion that’s great fun for musicians and listeners alike.
How did Hot Club of Los Angeles get its start?
In 2011, guitar maven Jesse Harris invited six colleagues, including Jim Doyle and Carl Byron, to jam on Django material. Because the evening was such a blast, the seven of us decided to form a band, which we named Hot Club ofLos Angeles. Our first few performances were at the Redwood Bar in DTLA. Then, in December 2011 we launched our Monday night residency at the Cinema Bar in Culver City where we’ve been ever since.
Does the band keep its membership the same, or do members come and go?
The band is a cohesive unit. Jim Doyle and Carl Byron are the two remaining founding members. The other current members are Josh Workman (guitar), Jake Bluenote (guitar) and Paul Eckman (bass). Guests sit in frequently at our Cinema Bar residency. Occasionally if one of the members has a major gig elsewhere (we’re all sidemen and recording musicians), one of our first call colleagues fills in.
What’s it like to hold a residency for so long at the Cinema Bar?
It’s been great for us. Carl Byron now has a glass at the Cinema Bar with his name on it, thanks to the world’s greatest bartender, Tommy. More importantly, we’ve developed a loyal following there, and the weekly gigs (apart from Memorial Day and Labor Day, which we take off) keep us in shape for concerts, corporate events, weddings and other performances. The residency also provides us with a place to develop new material regularly.
What’s the future hold for the band?
World domination, or at least higher profile concertizing, touring, increased airplay and recording more albums while still continuing our Cinema Bar residency. In the meantime, we’re presenting a 90-minute album release concert Thursday, March 5, 8 p.m. at the Ruskin Theatre in Santa Monica where we’ll perform Cinema Swing in its entirety along with our trademark mix of Django gems, manouche favorites, French, Roma and Russian vocal numbers; as well as eclectic soundtrack arrangements, straight-ahead and bebop jazz repertoire, and gypsy jazz-inspired originals. (http://www.ruskingrouptheatre.com/)
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Hot Club of Los Angeles’ new album is called Cinema Swing. It was released Friday, March 6. Click here for more information.
