What happens when Hot Jazz meets Western Swing?

The Austin-based Hot Club of Cowtown have to be the most globe-trotting, hardest-swinging Western Swing trio on the planet. They have played stadiums opening for such artists as Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson and bring their brand of western swing to a wide range of festival audiences all over the world.

Jimmy McHugh’s Diga Diga Doo is just about the most perfect example of 1920’s Hot Jazz.

On tour Hot Club of Cowtown give a show-stopping performance of the tune.

We’ve unearthed a clip of HCC absolutely knocking Diga Diga Doo ‘out of the park’ on BBC Television's Later with Jools Holland, Wonderfully eclectic music program.

We hope you’ll take a minute to click the link below to hear Jimmy’s iconic hot jazz classic and discover Hot Club of Cowtown.

http://hotclubofcowtown.com/

SONG SPOTTING: The Cotton Club

Most recently screening on CineMax’s MAX HD channel, this epic crime drama, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is centered around the famed Harlem Jazz Club of the 1920’s, The Cotton Club.

The 1984 film features several Jimmy McHugh songs including Exactly Like You and his iconic ‘hot jazz’ barn-burner, Diga Diga Doo.

Jimmy was the club’s first Musical Director a coveted position which he held during the Club’s most celebrated years. Under his musical direction he discovered Duke Ellington and brought the young, novice songwriter Dorothy Fields to the Club to write songs with him.

Richard Gere, Diane Lane and Gregory Hines head up the cast which includes Nicolas Cage, Bob Hoskins, Laurence Fishburne, Maurice Hines and Gwen Verdon.

The film received several Golden Globe © and Academy Award© nominations.

Try to catch The Cotton Club on the tube- you wont be disappointed!

Click to hear:

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra performing

Jimmy McHugh’s Diga Diga Doo

A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

Critical Acclaim for Wesla Whitfield in Concert

From a New York Times review by Stephen Holden:

‘Ms. Whitfield combines ruthless insight, intense emotion and highly evolved jazz phrasing into a musical evening that goes beyond mere entertainment to flirt with profundity. Ms. Whitfield has always shown signs that she glimpsed more than she let on about the popular standards she chose.’

In the San Francisco Chronicle, David Wiegand says…

‘Wesla Whitfield is an indoor landmark. Every great city deserves a signature chanteuse, and San Francisco is fortunate to have Whitfield as its resident voice.’

Wesla Whitfield will be performing her new show, ‘Whistling Away The Dark’, accompanied by The Mike Greensill Trio. Wesla and the Trio will be appearing  exclusively at The Rrazz Room - the premiere night club in San Francisco, located in the beautiful Nikko Hotel, from May 10 through 29. Not to be missed!

On May 31st Wesla begins a return engagement at The Metropolitan Room in New York City through June 12.

As Wesla sings on her CD Let’s Get Lost: The Music of Jimmy McHugh, this is A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening.

Mike Greensill and Wesla rehearsing in San Francisco - 2010

Link:

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Phenomenal-Woman-Wesla-Whitfield/1

http://youtu.be/-Mlh100DlA0