Hot Club of Cowtown to bring western swing to HHS Friday, March 16

    One of the world’s finest western swing groups, the Hot Club of Cowtown will be at Holyoke High School on Friday, March 16, to perform as part of the Phillips County Arts Council season series. They will take the stage in the HHS auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
    Members of the trio include Whit Smith on guitar, Elana James on violin and Jake Erwin on bass. They are based in Austin, Texas, where they released their first album, “Swingin’ Stampede,” in 1998, which has since been followed by 12 more albums, including western swing, cowboy ballads, Django Reinhardt gypsy jazz, roots music and some original songs.
    Since its beginnings in the late 1990s, the Hot Club of Cowtown’s star has continued to rise as its reputation for jaw-dropping virtuosity and unforgettable live shows has become the band’s global brand.
    Lauded for its “down-home melodies and exuberant improvisation” (The Times, London), the Hot Club has always woven a combination of seemingly disparate styles together to its own magical effect, setting up camp “at that crossroads where country meets jazz and chases the blues away” (The Independent), remaining “conscious always that above all else, the music is for dancing and an old-fashioned good time” (New York Times). The Belfast Telegraph calls the Hot Club “a pretty much perfect country trio at the very top of their game.”

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