have wingtips, will tap.

Gypsy jazz guitarist Jim Stout

The Queen City Hot Club made its debut during last year’s Discover Jazz Festival. A year later, they have two Leunig’s appearances this weekend as the Festival wraps up: today, from 2-5pm and tomorrow from 1-4pm.

Keep an eye here for an interview with Jim Stout (leader of the Hot Club), coming soon. More pics too. We talked recently, and Jim shared a lot of interesting insights about his history playing Django-stlye jazz.

Leaving now to get back to the waterfront tent for the 5pm show with the Easy Star All-Stars and the Wailing Souls. And then Sonny Rollins tonight at the Flynn Center.

I’m on ‘great music’ overload this weekend!

gypsy à deux

Jim Stout

Martin & Stout

Mike Martin

You know how much we love gypsy jazz, here at World of Music.

Just last week I picked up a couple of new (to me) recordings of very fine Django-style players from the Netherlands: Lollo Meier and Stocholo Rosenberg. There’s quite a thriving gypsy jazz scene in that area, and these folks are among the best.

Two of this area’s finest pickers came together for a dream-team pairing this past Tuesday. Jim Stout (Queen City Hot Club) and Mike Martin (Trio Gusto) traded off lead and rhythm roles in a few swinging, toe-tapping sets at Leunig’s.

Often in a restaurant setting I’ve noticed the dining experience is the focus, even when really great live music is cooking in the midst. While it’s hard not to spend some time lingering over the carefully prepared, colorful and elegant meals at Leunig’s (escargot, vegetable Napoleon, chili pomegranate glazed scallops…mmm), the music enjoyed an equal spotlight with generous applause after every number and folks lined up at the bar just to watch the music being made.

With this year’s Discover Jazz Festival just around the corner, I hope we’ll hear a lot more from Stout and Martin in the months to come!