the Hot Club of San Francisco - Swing This (1998)

Tracklist

01. Tchavolo Swing
02. Swing This
03. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
04. Till We Meet
05. The Man I Love
06. The Breeze and I
07. Nica's Dream
08. Lullabye of the Leaves
09. A little Waltz for Mischa
10. Limelight
11. The Very Thought of You
12. Anitra's Danse
13. Improvisation

The music of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli has long been a favorite of swing fans. Their approach is adapted by the Hot Club of San Francisco in arrangements of modern jazz compositions, pop tunes, classical music, and their own originals. Guitarist Paul Mehling (who plays all of the guitar solos, while also doubling on viola) contributed the upbeat "Swing This," which also features Jenny Scheinman's swinging violin, as does the toe-tapping arrangement of "The Man I Love" (a favorite of Grappelli). Both Horace Silver's "Nica's Dream" and Gerry Mulligan's "Limelight" also sound great recast in a new light. An enchanting cover of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" works very well in a gypsy swing setting, adding accordionist Rob Berger. This salute by the Hot Club of San Francisco to the style of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France (without slavishly sticking to their repertoire) merits high praise.

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