Hot Club of the Rockies

The Hot Club of the Rockies plays in the style of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli: Gypsy Jazz and acoustic swing-jazz. Gypsy Jazz originally developed in France, fusing the foundation and songbooks of American jazz, and the gypsy musical traditions of Django Reinhardt's childhood.

This lively virtuouso style has influenced countless modern musicians and is currently undergoing a renaissance world-wide. The Smithsonian Institute launched a traveling exhibit called “The Jazz Age in Paris,” for which the Hot Club of the Rockies performed.

The original Hot Club of Paris

The band continues to perform at many venues throughout the Rocky Mountain region, doing typical Gypsy Jazz standards as well as the songs of David Williams, moving the music in a new direction with contemporary lyrics and themes.

"Thank you for keeping the music of Django alive!”

Paul Paviot, director of the 1958 French documentary film: Django Rinehardt.

About the Band

	David Williams has won numerous awards and grants, including from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council. As a singer-songwriter he has released many albums over the years, performed at major festivals such as Winnipeg and Vancouver, and he has appeared on numerous Public Radio programs. As an instrumentalist, David has performed and recorded with musicians such as Greg Brown and Dave Moore, and he studied mandolin with the great American master—Jethro Burns. Currently his two great instrumental passions are working on jazz violin in the style of Stephane Grappelli and playing gypsy jazz guitar.
	Duane Webster has been playing stand-up bass both nationally and internationally for over three decades. He is the winner of the Alcan Jazz Competition in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and lists Pat Donahue, Tim O’Brien, and David Bromberg as collaborators on past projects. Duane has played with just about everyone who is anybody at one time or another, and he appears on many albums of jazz and folk music.
	Bob Cannistraro has been performing professionally on guitar for roughly thirty years in a variety of bands, everything from blues and swing to rock & roll. He is a well known fixture in Colorado's music scene, also fronting the highly popular Beloved Invaders.
	Julia Hays is a classically trained violinist who now specializes in jazz; she is also an expert in Irish fiddling. She has been described as a "combination of Joe Venuti and Johnny Frigo" and as "having the best tone of any of the young jazz violinists working today."
	Charlie Provenza is one of the best known musicians in the West. He was the National Mandolin champ at Winfield in 1988, and he has won the Telluride and Rockygrass Mandolin Championships 6 times. He plays with great wit and imagination and is a walking encyclopedia of mandolin knowledge in a variety of musical styles. Throughout the mando world, Charlie is considered to be one of the handful of giants.

See the photo album