Combining smooth Parisian jazz with Country and Western swing, The Hot Club of Cowtown are a thrilling proposition. Fiddle player Elana James tells Tim Hughes what they’re all about

What would Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli sound like if they were playing not in sophisticated 1930s Paris but in a Texas juke joint?

The answer is The Hot Club of Cowtown.

Fusing the gypsy jazz of the Hot Club of France, with hoedown country music and American swing, this New York three-piece play an infectious blend of cowboy swing and smooth Jazz which is utterly unique.

“The band name is a mixture of our two biggest influences,” says fiddle player Elana James, who with guitarist Whit Smith and upright bass player Jake Erwin make up the trio.

“There is the Quintette of the Hot Club of France, which was Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s hot jazz band in pre-World War II Paris, while the Cowtown part is a nod to the music of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, who were playing swing music at the same time, across the Atlantic, throughout the American South West.

“They played swing standards that were popular at that time, but also lots of fiddle tunes, waltzes, hoedowns, blues, and uniquely American music. The Hot Club of Cowtown is a combination of all those influences.”

The result is an acoustic cocktail of Gypsy jazz and American Songbook standards – which, on the album Rendezvous in Rhythm, includes their take on Reinhardt and Grappelli classics like Crazy Rhythm, Minor Swing, Dark Eyes, The Continental, I’m in the Mood for Love and Douce Ambiance.

But why did the band, which began life after Elana and Whit met through an advert in New York’s alternative Village Voice newspaper back in 1994, settle on a style more than 80 years-old?

“Hot improvisational swing and jazz-style soloing, for better or for worse, is something that is no longer mainstream,” says Elana. A hot jazz dance used to be quite common. Jazz has moved away from being a dance idiom, but in the 1920s, and for several decades after, there were hot jazz combos with wild instrumental solos and all kinds of improvised, and also highly arranged, swinging virtuosity.

“That’s when the violin was still considered a jazz instrument.

“It’s kind of a player’s music. You can play all kinds of ideas, from simple melodies to crazy interpretations and licks. It has nothing really to do with contemporary jazz or modern country, so it’s a really marginal, almost artisanal style now, like a prized French cheese from a remote cave.”

The sound took on its Western twang when they recruited Jake in 2000, after meeting him in Texas two years earlier.

“When Jake joined the band our line-up really solidified and we got the sound that is our trademark,” she says.

And it’s a sound that begs to be heard live.

“Our shows are high-energy, happy, and thrilling,” she says. “Most of our playing is improvised and spontaneous and the set changes every night.

“Over the years our fans have come to our shows again and again to be somehow transformed by what we play and how we play it. This is lean forward music. It’s not laid back.”

So engaging is their smooth trans-Atlantic swing they have been afforded the rare honour of US State Department musical ambassadors – a role which has taken them to some far flung lands.

“So far we have gone to Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Republic of Georgia, and the Sultanate of Oman,” Elana says proudly. “It's always a joy to do those tours because we go to remote parts of some of these countries and play, essentially, village dances. “We do more high-profile, diplomatic events, too, but my favourite is usually when we get out into the villages and play for everyone from elders to toddlers.”

They have some influential fans in the music industry too, opening for Roxy Music and touring with Willy Nelson and Bob Dylan.

“They are great people, very gracious, and were a joy to open for,” she recalls. “We hope to have an opportunity like that again sometime.”

So, despite their solid American roots, is there a bit of Gypsy in the band – if even only in spirit?

“We love Gypsy tunes and have added a number of them into our live show over the years,” she says. “We also like to write a lot of songs, many of which are influenced by traditional Gypsy music, or just the feeling of that kind of music. I have always, always loved that.

“We are not retro people though. We’re a modern touring band playing fun, happy music. This is music for all people and all ages – whoever wants to have a great time and enjoy a night out.”

So does she have any dancing tips? “Just do whatever moves you!” she laughs.

LIVE: The Hot Club of Cowtown play The Bullingdon, Oxford, tomorrow (Fri). Doors 7.30pm.

Tickets are £17 in advance or £19 on the door. Go to wegottickets.com