Gig review: Hot Club of Cowtown

Published on Wednesday 20 May 2009 19:01

HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN **** ABC2, GLASGOW

THIS Glasgow Americana Festival show heralded a first trip to Scotland for Hot Club of Cowtown, the virtuoso hot jazz and western swing trio who reformed in 2008 after a three-year hiatus. They surely won't leave it so long before hitting these shores again after receiving a great reception.

Authenticity clearly means a lot to the group, who are named in bold tribute to Stphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt's pioneering 1930s jazz collective. Whit Smith's vintage Gibson guitar and even their amps and drumkit looked so worn and aged they could have just been discovered in the back of a dusty attic.

Violinist Elana James is the fulcrum of the group: in 2005 she became the first female in 30 years to break into the boys' club of Bob Dylan's touring band and it's easy to see why – because she's a commanding performer.

Her husky vocals and swift and fluid playing were complemented intuitively by Smith's similarly deft and speedy fretwork. No slouch either was upright bassist Jake Erwin, whose job – as well as squeezing in as many thumb-slapping solos as possible – appeared to include giving a hearty whoop at practically every turnaround.

They started out fast and only got faster with the arrival of a round of whiskies and an instrumental called Liquor Mission.

Versions of Georgia On My Mind and George Gershwin's Someone To Watch Over Me proved they can slow it right down, too. One woman called out for more drinks "on the house" and it pretty much captured the mood.