Hot Club of Spokane @ Bistro on Spruce Fri 4/18

Coeur d'Alene is lucky to be charmed with the presence of the buzz-worthy jazz/swing ensemble Hot Club of Spokane this Friday at the Bistro on Spruce at 8 p.m. I'm thinking this might be the North Idaho debut of the must-see Hot Club who tear up stages and peel velvet wallpaper regularly at ZOLA and the Davenport's Peacock Room in their namesake town. This late booking looks to be their only Lake City gig for quite awhile so plan your weekend around it and go.

The band's MySpace Bio:

Hot Club of Spokane began in June of 2007 as Spokane’s first band in recent memory to resurrect, preserve, and perform the compositions and stylings of Django Reinhardt and the Quintette of the Hot Club of France. Not strictly a “gypsy jazz string ensemble,” Hot Club of Spokane enjoys the musical diversity of not only strings, provided by Constance Eller (violin), Kim Plewniak (bass), and Garrin Hertel (rhythm guitar), but also brass, performed by Michael Lenke (trumpet, flugelhorn), reeds, performed by Robert Folie (alto and baritone sax), as well as vocals, sung by Daini Hertel. The band also welcomes an exciting array of guest musicians such as Steve Bauer and John Bole on lead guitar, Jeremy Hamilton on reeds, Bruce Pennell on bass, Andrew Wilson on violin and guitar, and Patricia Bartell on accordion. Such diversity allows the band to infuse as much hot New Orleans Jazz into their arrangements and performances as they do the swingin’ sounds of World War II-era Paris. This departure fits squarely into the history of French jazz, as Django himself occasioned many recordings with more traditionally appointed combos after the break-up of his original quintette, which featured three guitars, violin, and bass.

As such, Hot Club of Spokane commits to delivering exciting, encouraging, toe-tapping performances of hot jazz, all the while being versatile enough to play every kind of engagement imaginable, including private parties, receptions, weddings, concerts, dance halls, and especially night clubs where the balance between dance and conversation, performance and ambiance, must be kept intact, just as the original Quintette of the Hot Club of France intended. The band achieves this balance by remaining as acoustic as possible (adjusting to the needs of each venue), and by omitting drums entirely, in keeping with the general Hot Club tradition.

Hot Club of Spokane also joins forces with other local, regional, and national jazz and swing musicians, including their friends in music, perennial local favorite, 6’ Swing, to promote and perform in the annual Think SWING! Jazz and Blues Festival, founded and organized by Hot Club of Spokane bandleader Garrin Hertel.

For more information about Hot Club of Spokane, please visit the website:
www.hotclubofspokane.com