Western swing was the Lone Star State’s contribution to the big-band craze of the ’30s and ’40s. Hot Club of Cowtown has taken that sound and concocted something altogether different, yet still deferential. Shunning the large orchestras of yesteryear, Hot Club is a three-piece, just guitar, fiddle and upright bass. And perhaps because the group didn’t originate in Texas (instead it looked in from the outside in San Diego), Hot Club has fashioned a delightful hybrid that builds a bridge between one of our state’s most enduring creations and pre-World War II European jazz. The elements of the name tell the tale: the hot jazz found in continental cabarets mixed with cowboy swing. Imagine, if you can, Bob Wills on a Parisian vacation jamming with Django Reinhardt. Even without a backbeat, this can be sprightly dance music. And like those old big bands, the music can be appreciated even from the sidelines.
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2001.