Love those gypsy jazz troubadors

Those looking for a Christmas valentine were not disappointed at the Hot Club of San Francisco’s Cool Yule concert last Saturday night at St. Albert’s Arden Theatre.

There was a definite pre-concert anticipation for the gypsy jazz quintet’s debut on Canadian soil. Although considered one of the United States’ premier acoustic gypsy jazz groups, they are not exactly mainstream, and most of us were unsure what to expect.

Without much major fanfare, the West Coast ensemble strolled onstage where HCSF founder Paul Mehling broke the ice with a deadpan delivery saying, “We’re here to help you get into the holiday spirit. So if that doesn’t work, pretend it’s a free trip to California.”

Taking notes from the gypsy jazz greats – guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli of Quintette du Hot Club de France – Mehling created a suave, at times self-deprecating concert with the help of Evan Price (violin), Clint Baker (bass) and guitarists Jeff Magidson and Isabelle Fontaine.

Launching straight into the upbeat Tchavalo Swing followed by the much quieter, lazier Oriental Shuffle, the quintet furnished us with a taste of Reinhardt’s and Grappelli’s guitar/violin-driven format created in the smoky bars of 1930s Paris.

While HCSF is one of Reinhardt’s fiercest disciples, it is also unafraid to stretch and twist its toolkit with its own signature from scorching solos to the quieter rhythms.

Their third instrumental kicked off the Christmas portion with March of the Toys, a pumped-up beat where Fontaine’s acoustic guitar created a chugging washboard-like sound.

Djingle Bells, an homage to Reinhardt, was barely recognizable with a quasi James-Bond-in-Morocco vibe, and Don Rodolfo commandeered Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer into a sizzling conversational tango between Mehling and Price.

Wedged in between was Baby, It’s Cold Outside, a tender, playful vocal duet sung by Fontaine and Magidson that gave the two-hour concert a romantic touch.

In Sugar Rum Cherry, HCSF took a Duke Ellington version of Nutcracker, put it in a blender and added a cool cat groove. Showing off his versatility, Baker pulled out a trumpet and moved centre stage while Magidson played musical chairs and filled in on bass.

And their version of The Christmas Song with that famous line “chestnuts roasting on an open fireplace” was switched to “chipmunks roasting on an open fireplace.” With the exception of this line, which cracked everyone up, it was a pretty mellow chart.

Their madcap finale, a mix of bluegrass, Cajun and blues, was a full-throttle version of Auld Lange Syne.

All in all, it was a relaxed evening with a lounge vibe that took the edge off the Christmas rush and captured the spirit of the season.