March 28, 2014

Hot Club of Cowtown
SubCulture
45 Bleeker St., (212) 533-5470

Wednesday

This trio’s stylistic genesis–as well as title–stems from the realization that the great heritage of strings (guitars and violins) originates mutually with the Manouche gypsies of France and the no-less virtuosic hillbilly pickers and fiddlers of Oklahoma and Texas. Their latest of many albums, “Rendezvous in Rhythm” features a high-energy lineup of standards, rendered in such a way as to honor the legacies of both Django Reinhardt and Bob Wills. Now together for over 15 years and a dozen albums, the threesome of high-heeled violinist Elana James, guitarist Whit Smith and bassist Jake Erwin showed from the beginning that jazz and country music could exist together on the same page, a highly commendable achievement if ever there was one.
-Will Friedwald