Search - Various Artists :: Hot Club of San Francisco

Vintage Guitar Magazine Review:

06/13/1998

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Led by guitarist Paul Mehling, the Hot Club of San Francisco is true to the music of Django. Mehling plays a Maurice Dupont Selmer recreation, and his swinging solos are precise and jazzy. The band has released three CDs and has another on the way by the end of 1997, marking them as the most prolific of US jazz manouche groups. The Hot Club's first, 1993 release was an eponymous CD on Clarity Recordings. But while the band was in fine form, the choice of songs was less representative of the group's repertoire and more representative of a recording company's wishes. The group's second CD, QHCSF, was self-released in 1994 and featured three guitars, a string bass, and violin. The songs are a strong, innovative selection: Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" side by side with Chick Corea's "Armando's Rumba." The disc also features a generous helping of Django covers, including a beautiful rendition of "Melodie au Crepscule." For its third release, coming in 1995, the Hot Club personnel changed, now being made up of Mehling's exquisite lead work, Jenny Scheinman's violin, two rhythm guitars, and a good old stand-up bass. Recorded live, the sound of the quintet carries you back in time. The Hot Club's version of the gypsy lullaby "Tears" is subtle, moody, and dark, with Mehling quoting Django and then moving off into his own solo. The cover of "Douce Ambiance" is a fine frolic through one of Django's most distinctive later tunes. Mehling has also released two instructional videos for Homespun, the first outlining rhythm playing and la pompe, the famous boom-chick, boom-chick jazz manouche backing. The second introduces solo playing."

Hot Club of San Fransico

01/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's one of my favorite cd's. Every one in my family own's a copy of this one and they feel the same about it"