It may be cold and rainy outside, but on Sunday night (Jan. 15) it'll be hot and steamy at the Brackendale Art Gallery (BAG) as Vancouver's swinging Gypsy jazz ensemble, Hot Club of Mars, takes to the venue's small stage.
Hot Club of Mars is a direct descendant of The Kitsilano Kat Kickers, one of the first groups to play hot swing around Vancouver in the late 70s, according to founder Michael Dunn.
The quintet plays a contemporary take on Django Reinhardt's "Gypsy Jazz" from the 1930s and 1940s, in addition to tangos, original numbers and reworkings of favourite jazz tunes.
Band leader Dunn is a skilled luthier, specializing in the construction of Maccaferri/Selmer Gypsy style guitars. He has built close to 500 guitars over the past 30 years. His skill creating guitars is matched only by his finesse in playing the infectious Gypsy jazz of Hot Club of Mars. For fans of Django Reinhardt, this is a must-see show.
But it isn't just Dunn's guitar work, which bears notice.
Chanteuse Deanna Knight also adds just the right sultry vocal spice to the mix, adding energy and sex appeal to the band's infectious rhythms, making Hot Club of Mars one of the most fun bands to see live - on this planet, or any other.
Catch Hot Club of Mars at BAG Jan. 15 at 8 p.m.Tickets are $15.
