Hot Club Sandwich
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Hot Club Sandwich

Seattle, Washington, United States | INDIE

Seattle, Washington, United States | INDIE
Band Jazz Acoustic

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Gypsy jazz with everything on it, including humor."

As the band’s name suggests, this isn’t just a recitation of the gospel according to Django. Rather, the group starts with classic jazz, and layers on a healthy spread of originals from several of the band’s members.
Hot Club Sandwich is fronted by a three-guitar lineup, making it the Lynyrd Skynyrd of Gypsy jazz. Greg Ruby, Ray Wood, and Kevin Connor share rhythm and solo guitar duties. Their sound is rounded out by bassist James Schneider, mandolinist Matt Sircely, and violinist Tim Wetmiller.
Added to this are guest appearances spicing up the ensemble with everything from washboard to maracas, accordion, vibraphone, and bongos. The combination creates an album full of flavor.
Covers here include Django’s “Heavy Artillery,” Oscar Aleman’s “Dedos Duros,” and Fletcher Henderson’s “Eight, Nine and Ten,” among others. Yet it’s the band’s originals that are the freshest—and most fun. Green Room kicks off with Ruby’s “Stompin’ at KAOS,” inspired by a Washington radio station. The song’s intro is also pure chaos—a cacophony of instruments—before erupting into a sweet melody that’s part swing, part bop.
- Vintage Guitar Magazine


"Hot Club Sandwich's Green Room"

Hot Club Sandwich kicks right into gear with the very first song on their latest release Green Room. “Stompin’ at KAOS” has that free flowing feel of jazz improve while still
remaining tight and clean. Romantic and sensuous, “Yogirl No Shinodiai” is done with
great precision yet is still filled with emotion. “Renegade Café” written by band member
Matt Sircely features a perfectly executed series of instrumental solo hand-offs that is
absolutely seamless. There’s a cute slap-stick playfulness to “Heavy Artillery” followed by a frantic, almost manic urgency in “Old Joe’s Hittin’ the Jug”. Turn around and the essence of a lazy afternoon is conjured up with “I’ll Never Be the Same”. “Dedos Duros” captures a pleasing Latin feel and “Eight, Nine and Ten” is just pure fun. This collection of musical masters manages to consistently keep things tight, precise and melodic while always making it sound so easy. Green Room is a wellrounded, cleverly assembled collection of hot tunes that they clearly enjoy presenting. If there is a downside to this CD, it s the lack of liner notes – tell me more, boys. All in all, this is real ear candy!
- Victory Review by Nancy Vivolo


"Hot Club Sandwich: Green Room"

Gypsy jazz is the tone set on Green Room, the latest release from Hot Club Sandwich. This Seattle based band plays acoustic jazz along the lines of Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt, filled with virtuoso acoustic & classical guitars, mandolin, bass, and violin. There are vocals on a few tunes, but for the most part this is all instrumental, and a must hear for acoustic guitar fans. Tracks like “Gaucho” and “Stompin’ at KAOS” feature blazing guitar passages, with some equally stunning violin and mandolin spots as well, that will have you tapping your feet groovin’ to the melodies as much as you will be marveling at the sheer musicality of it all. Elements of swing & Latin jazz styles permeate the 14 songs here, all of them uplifting and easy on the ears. If you are not pulled in by the Wes Montgomery-meets-Django-meets-Grapelli flights on “Gotcha”, get your pulse checked. Jazz fans need apply now. - Sea of Tranquility


"Hot Club Sandwich"

Don’t let the band name turn you off. Crossing musical boundaries has never seemed so easy. Hot Club Sandwich (I imagine pronouncing it how James Brown might… Haaaat!) breaks out gypsy, jazz, Louisiana bluegrass, swing, middle eastern, latin and a touch of funk folk. Brilliant from “Stompin’ at KAOS” through to the final title track. - CDreviews.com


"Hot Club Sandwich"

One of our favorite Gypsy Jazz string bands is Seattle-based "Hot Club Sandwich," and they seem to be getting attention lately. The significance to you and I is their full-time use of a mandolinist, and a darned good one at that, Matt Sircely, who currently writes for Fretboard Journal and Srings plays with the bluegrass band, the Bitteroots, and recently toured with the New York based Klezmer Mountain Boys. (He also assisted with classes in this summer's Mandolin Symposium again). In addition to their Django jazz "Hot Club" stylings, HCS also infuses some Mexican folk songs and Brazilian Choro into their repertoire. - JazzMando.com


"Hot Club Sandwich summer concert"

Ray Wood - Guitar, Kevin Connor - Guitar, , Greg Ruby - GuitarMatt Sircely-Mandolin, Tim Wetmiller- Violin,,James Schnieder-Acoustic Bass
While trying to decide which Portland artist and club to enjoy from the JSO Calendar, I remembered that this was the final week of Music in Meinig, presented by The City of Sandy. This series of free summer concerts takes place in beautiful Meinig Park in downtown Sandy, OR every Wednesday during the month of August.
Tonight's musical guests were a quintet from the Puget Sound area who call themselves "HOT CLUB SANDWICH." The style of music they play is "Gypsy Jazz" but each of these musicians intentionally brings their own musical preferences and past experiences to the group. The sound they create becomes an extension of the traditional gypsy style shaped by their collective talent, and is refreshingly unique. It takes you to another place.
This was a foot-tappin', crowd-pleasin' concert, with many couples, young and old, dancing in the patches of grass beneath the towering firs that form a canopy for the outdoor amphitheatre. The band had a pure sound and was rhythmically tight -- very impressive considering the lightening speed at which many of the "old world" tunes were played, and though the solos were often fast and intricate, they were tastefully done and added to the mystique of the music. One of the crowds' favorites was, Hit That Jive Jack, where all the band members sang the chorus, and we almost managed to keep tempo with our clapping. The band interacted with the audience and seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves.
Most of the band has been together for six years, but this evening's performance included their newest member, jazz guitarist Ray Wood. Ray has been in the business since the 1950's, playing all over the world, and the band members consider him a great asset. One of them tells the audience, "He is one of my favorite musicians," during a break between songs. Ray is a music instructor in the Puget Sound area and plays his Gibson Archtop with the finesse of a seasoned professional.
The other band members were Kevin Connor on a D Hole Gypsy Jazz Guitar, Matt Sircely on mandolin, Tim Wetmiller on the fiddle, and filling in for James Schneider was Kevin Stevens on the stand-up, acoustic bass.
They have recorded three CDs, the latest one just about to be released, "Green Room." The title song is one of Tim's compositions, inspired by "the great dressing rooms they've enjoyed over the years." (Their Green Room for this event was within the Sandy City Hall. They told the listeners "it is the coolest Green Room of any City Hall we've ever been in . . . " --insert audience laughter here).
Other perks that made this a pleasant family evening included the "Fantasy Forest" playground that is about 100 yards away from the amphitheatre and much enjoyed by the shorter crowd. Dinner could be purchased from "Goodie Junction," a local business who brought the goodies to us for a very reasonable price. Menu items included sausages, hot dogs, baked beans, pie, brownies, candy and hot and cold beverages. My hot chocolate tasted just like the kind I used to get at Ski Bowl when I was a kid -- just what I needed to keep off the chill as the sun was setting.
The cheers of the crowd brought the band back for an encore, and as we visited following the concert, the guys all agreed that "this is one of the finest venues on the west coast that they've ever played in, with an excellent sound system and great hospitality." I think they'll be back. And I can't wait to get their new CD
- www.jsojazzscene.com


Discography

Hot Club Sandwich 2000
Digga Digga Do 2003
Green Room 2006

Green Room peaked at #11 on the CMJ Jazz Charts and remained in the top 20 for over 10 weeks.

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Bio

Hot Club Sandwich brings its’ unique character to the acoustic swing and Gypsy jazz pioneered by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli’s Quintet of the Hot Club of France. Adding original compositions, light hearted vocal numbers, clever arrangements and elements of Latin American acoustic music, Hot Club Sandwich creates their own voice.

Collectively and individually, Hot Club Sandwich has played with some of the finest musicians in the acoustic music world. HCS has made recent performances with legendary mandolinist, David Grisman and has performed and recorded with Dan Hicks (of Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks). Founding member of HCS, Greg Ruby was for years the driving guitar rhythm behind the internationally successful gypsy jazz group Pearl Django. Ruby has performed with jazz greats such as Howard Alden (guitarist for the movie Sweet and Lowdown), Frank Vignola, and French Gypsy jazz master Patrick Saussois. Ray Wood toured internationally as a young man with groups from The Coasters to the Louvin Brothers. Mandolinist Matt Sircely has taught and performed alongside legendary mandolinist David Grisman and has performed with David Bromberg.