Hot Club Of Detroit - It's About That Time

Styles: Gypsy Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:38
Size: 130,1 MB
Art: Front + Back

(4:26)  1. On the Steps
(3:04)  2. Nostalgia In Times Square
(3:26)  3. Noto Swing
(4:17)  4. "Tristesse" E Major Etude
(4:48)  5. Equilibrium
(4:32)  6. Restless Twilights
(5:30)  7. For Stéphane
(4:27)  8. Papillon
(4:16)  9. Duke and Dukie
(4:11) 10. Heavy Artillerie / It's About That Time
(5:33) 11. Patio Swing
(3:36) 12. Sacré Bleu
(4:26) 13. Sweet Chorus

While the Hot Club of Detroit has been influenced by the gypsy jazz of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France with Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, this quintet is a bit different in its makeup, with guitarist Evan Perri, accordionist Julien Labro, multi-reed player Carl Cafagna, rhythm guitarist Paul Brady, and bassist Andrew Kratzat. Earlier CDs focused primarily on works either written or performed by Reinhardt and Grappelli, though this time around, their musical scope is thrown wide open. Reinhardt's "Heavy Artillerie," which blends intricate bop on electric guitar with its swing roots, is combined in medley with the late fusion keyboardist Joe Zawinul's funky "It's About That Time." Kratzat introduces the snappy, swinging rendition of Charles Mingus' "Nostalgia in Times Square," highlighted by Perri's intricate acoustic guitar and Cafagna's testifying tenor sax, signifying a jazz revival  no tent required. Classical music has been previously explored by the band, and theirs is a majestic arrangement of Frédéric Chopin's "Tristesse E Major Etude" Labro's elegant bandoneón, and Perri's intimate guitar, with Cafagna adding a bittersweet clarinet at its close. 

The furious bop vehicle "On the Steps" is based on the chord changes to Pat Martino's "On the Stairs," featuring Perri's pulsing electric guitar and Cafagna's robust tenor over the percolating gypsy rhythm section, with Labro adding a compelling solo on accordion. The band also contributed several fine originals. Perri penned the relaxing "Patio Swing," suggesting a lazy summer day, along with the surging "For Stéphane" in honor of guitarist Stéphane Wrembel (a young Frenchman whose diverse interests include gypsy jazz, among many forms of music). "Papillion" is a charming ballad co-written by Labro and Kratzat, with a nostalgic, bittersweet air, while Cafagna's "Restless Twilights" proves to be a catchy bossa nova. Hot Club of Detroit's interest in continuing to expand their musical horizons makes each new release a highly anticipated event. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/its-about-that-time-mw0001973593

It's About That Time

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Hot Club Of Detroit - Junction

Styles: Swing, Big Band
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:50
Size: 139,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:58)  1. Goodbye Mr. Anderson
(4:11)  2. Song For Gabriel
(4:10)  3. La Foule
(5:54)  4. Hey!
(5:36)  5. Chutzpah
(3:52)  6. Messe Gitane
(5:28)  7. DJango Mort
(4:00)  8. Junction
(2:08)  9. Midnight In Detroit
(5:37) 10. Lonely Woman
(3:58) 11. Goodbye Mr. Shearing
(3:59) 12. Puck Bunny
(5:51) 13. Rift

When the Hot Club Of Detroit's journey began, they followed the road that guitarist Django Reinhardt laid before them. They traveled the highways and byways of so-called "Gypsy Jazz," walking in the footsteps of their forefathers while picking up and exhibiting other influences and sounds along the way, and eventually reached a crossroad. Rather than choose a single path, the group decided to try them all out and Junction is the artistic byproduct of that decision. Personnel adjustments, whether born of sad circumstances or the positive power of choice, are responsible for a good deal of the shake-up in this group's stylistic makeup. Saxophone renegade Jon Irabagon takes the place of Carl Cafagna, who removed himself from the equation in 2011, and bassist Shawn Conley replaces Andrew Kratzat Quartet, who sustained serious injuries in a car accident later that year. Saxophonist Andrew Bishop and vocalist Cyrille Aimee round out the lineup, appearing on three tracks apiece and adding volumes to the diversity of this material. Cultural references abound from the get-go, with Irabagon naming his grooving lead-off track, "Goodbye Mr. Anderson," after a memorable Hugo Weaving line from The Matrix (Warner Bros, 1999). Pop powerhouse Peter Gabriel gets the next written nod ("Song For Gabriel"), though Irabagon's soprano saxophone and Julien Labro's harmonica-like accordina paint a picture that's more in-line with Bruce Hornsby than the sultan of "Sledgehammer." The odd-metered "La Foule" brings Aimee into the fold, as she delivers delightful vocals in French, and "Hey!" moves from a breezy, Nick Drake-like peace to a two-tenor duel that builds to a wonderful frenzy. The appropriately-titled "Chutzpah" comes to life as an avant-garde noise number, but morphs into an exotic Franco-Moroccan dance. Labro's organ-like accordion casts a mournful cloud over "Messe Gitane," which features Bishop and Irabagon on clarinets and segues beautifully into "Django Mort." The accordionist proves to be the man of many faces, as he dons the mask of violinist and delivers string-like lines over an oom-pah-pah waltz ("Midnight In Detroit"). The zany "Puck Bunny," which features Bishop on bass clarinet and Irabagon on sopranino saxophone, is easily one of the highlights on the album and a chugging cover of Phish's "Rift," bearing traces of bluegrass music, brings things to a close. The rhythm/lead guitar pairing of Paul Brady and Evan Perri tethers the Hot Club of Detroit's music to Reinhardt, but it's a long rope that connects the two. It leaves plenty of room for roaming and this outfit takes advantage of it throughout this highly pleasing album.~ Dan Bilawsky  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=42728#.Uj8dshAkI5c

Personnel: Julien Labro: accordion, accordina; Andrew Bishop: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet; Evan Perri: guitar; Paul Brady: guitar; Shawn Conley: bass; Jon Irabagon: tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, sopranino saxophone, clarinet; Cyrille Aimee: vocals (3, 7, 10).

Junction

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Hot Club Of Detroit - Night Town

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 63:33
Size: 145.5 MB
Label: Mack Avenue
Styles: Gypsy jazz, Swing
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. I Want To Be Happy
[4:39] 2. J'attendrai
[2:45] 3. Valse A Rosenthal
[3:19] 4. Seven Steps To Heaven
[4:37] 5. Speevy
[5:11] 6. Coquette
[3:21] 7. Sweet Substitute
[3:46] 8. Blues Up And Down
[5:56] 9. Pour Parler
[3:28] 10. Melodie Au Crepuscule
[5:04] 11. Two Weeks
[3:41] 12. Tzigane
[4:11] 13. Django's Monkey
[5:09] 14. Night Town
[5:21] 15. Swing 05

While the legendary Belgian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt might not be a household word, his influence extends far beyond his 1930s and `40s heyday. Many jazz musicians (along with eclectics David Grisman and John Jorgenson) have been influenced directly or indirectly by his unique six-string style and his synthesis of Swing-era jazz with Central European folk, gypsy, and pop sounds. The Hot Club of Detroit pays direct tribute to Django without coming off as unoriginal or retro. Basically acoustic, the HCD have an arsenal of guitars, accordion, sax, clarinet, and bass, and NIGHT TOWN is an inspired mix of standards and originals performed with plenty of jovial, earnest swing and old-school gentility. There are post-Django influences as well, such as the pre-electric cool style of Miles Davis ("Seven Steps To Heaven").

Recording information: Lava Room Recording Studios, Clevland, OH.

Evan Perri (guitar); Paul Brady (steel guitar, nylon-string guitar); Julien Labro (accordion); Carl Cafagna (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Shannon Wade (upright bass)

Night Town

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