Swingin' Stampede: The Hot Club Of Cowtown Playing Hot Jazz & Western Swing
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