As their name implies, this Austin-based trio combines buoyant, blithe Western swing with precise small-band hot jazz. Before all you swingsters grab your dancin' shoes, however, be aware that this Hot Club takes its jazz improvisation quite seriously, delivering thoughtful and fluent licks rather than merely stock 4/4 rhythms. That's not to say you can't dance to it---they generate considerable intensity even without the presence of a drummer. Along the way, they cover an ample amount of Bob Wills (plus a Spade Cooley tune) in addition to traditional fiddle tunes, waltzes, and standards from Gershwin and other old-timers. Guitarist Whit Smith shows talent both as a fleet soloist and a propulsive rhythm man (check out Chinatown, My Chinatown) while Elana Fremerman handles her fiddle breaks with conviction; both offer mild-mannered vocals. Texas fiddle legend Johnny Gimble joins in on four cuts, and steel guitar, piano, and accordion also pop up at various points across this engaging debut. --Marc Greilsamer
Swingin' Stampede: The Hot Club Of Cowtown Playing Hot Jazz & Western Swing,Hot Club of Cowtown,Hightone Records,Pop,Popular Music,Retro Swing,Rock,Rock/Pop
Average customer rating:
|
Swingin' Stampede: The Hot Club Of Cowtown Playing Hot Jazz & Western Swing
Hot Club of Cowtown Manufacturer: Hightone Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000AFXH Release Date: 1998-09-01 |
Tracks:
- I Had Someone Else
- Silver Dew On The Blue Grass Tonight
- Somebody Loves Me
- My Confession
- Snowflake Reel
- End Of The Line
- T And J Waltz
- Sweet Jenny Lee
- Mission to Moscow
- You Can't Break My Heart
- Red Bird
- Chinatown, My Chinatown
- Just Friends
- Ida Red
Amazon.com
As their name implies, this Austin-based trio combines buoyant, blithe Western swing with precise small-band hot jazz. Before all you swingsters grab your dancin' shoes, however, be aware that this Hot Club takes its jazz improvisation quite seriously, delivering thoughtful and fluent licks rather than merely stock 4/4 rhythms. That's not to say you can't dance to it---they generate considerable intensity even without the presence of a drummer. Along the way, they cover an ample amount of Bob Wills (plus a Spade Cooley tune) in addition to traditional fiddle tunes, waltzes, and standards from Gershwin and other old-timers. Guitarist Whit Smith shows talent both as a fleet soloist and a propulsive rhythm man (check out Chinatown, My Chinatown) while Elana Fremerman handles her fiddle breaks with conviction; both offer mild-mannered vocals. Texas fiddle legend Johnny Gimble joins in on four cuts, and steel guitar, piano, and accordion also pop up at various points across this engaging debut. --Marc GreilsamerCustomer Reviews:
if you like western swing.......2006-07-11
Hot Club SWINGS in Tulsa.......2006-07-06
Elana is full of energy and fun to watch. She introduced a couple songs she wrote last night and she should be a STAR of the highest rank. We had a great time and will be watching this Group from now on.
Wendy Rose Alvarez in Broken Arrow, OK
Swinging Stampede.......2006-02-21
I first saw her on the DVD This Joint Is Jumping in an interview about Billie Holliday, thats when I realised that she has an incredible likeness to my daughter Melanie. That set my curiousity to find out more, did so via Google. Then decided to purchase one of her CDs. To find out what her music and playing was like, needlessly to say-definetley A1.
Kindest Regards
Peter J Barr
Direct from Bob Wills' Tiffany Transcriptions Great Great!!!.......2004-01-28
The Hot Club picks up this music so well, and in such a lively spirit without being directly imitative that on some selections here I expect to hear Bob Wills, Joe Holley, or Tommy Duncan singing.
Their musical achievement is to do this with a trio. They all were veterans of large real sized Western Swing aggregations in NYC and California and Texas. They were true to life Western Swing bands, but there aren't a lot of venues that are going to pay enough money for a 7, 8. or 9 piece bands to support its members, a factor that helped Rock and Roll get rid of lots of Western Swing, Big Band swing, and R & B groups in the 1950s, a trio or foursome is just cheaper to hire than a mini orchestra.
Being an inspiring wannabe baby steps fiddler, I really in love with Elena's work on all the albums. She takes a lot of her lead from the great Joe Holley's solos and obligatos with Wills in the 40s and when he rejoined the Playboys in the early 1960s. However, Elena gets a bigger richer more musically fluent sound. She stays hot, but puts a lot of bow into her fiddling and is the apparent star of this band.
However, the real greatness here is in the rhythm section. How do they do it? Just a guitarist and bassist. You'd swear there was the usual lineup in Western Swing with a rhythm guitarist playing behind the guitar leads, a drummer, and maybe a rhythm banjo player too and maybe people in a horn or fiddle section playing rhythm riffs when they aren't playing lead. Yet, it is just a bassist and a guitar player. Than rhythm is not merely good as what Wills had during his Tiffany recordings, it is much better. This almost reaches the quality of rhythm reached on the best Western Swing recording in history, the combined work of Eldon Shamblin, Smokey Dacus, and Tommy Allsup on "For the Last Time." That's saying something.
There is a guest appearance of the steel guitar genius Jeremy Wakefield that dazzles.
It is simply about which Hot Club CDs to get. Buy them all! Maybe you might even get one or two extra!
Apart from all the cultural and historicity and analysis this is just sooooo damn good that deaf people would probably love to hear it!
Great - but Tall Tails is the best one.......2003-08-14
Music Album:
