Mon Apr 7
Hot Club of Baltimore - Emerging Artist Mondays
7PM / $25 | $7 Fees Get Tickets
Hot Club of Baltimore
w/Michael Joseph Harris, Tim Green, & Ryan Hanseler
An exhilarating evening of Django Reinhardt-inspired jazz and romantic acoustic guitar with a superb ensemble featuring renowned guitarist Michael Joseph Harris and Hot Club of Baltimore with Tim Green on alto sax, Ryan Hanseler on piano (Navy Commodores), Chris Barrick on drums, Shawn Simon on bass, and Connor Holdridge on guitar. Expect a wide range of music including creative arrangements of traditional Jazz selections, virtuosic Gypsy Jazz and waltzes, burnin' be-bop tunes, original music and sublime romantic ballads. Each show begins with a trio consisting of Harris and Holdridge on acoustic guitar with upright bass. Then Harris switches to an electric archtop guitar, adding piano, drums and sax for a dazzling second half. This particular group seems to read each other's minds on stage. Time and time again they deliver a wonderful blend of improvisation and impressive technical ability. If you are a Django Reinhardt fan then you will enjoy Harris' authentic technique and his palpable feeling for these classics which really serve to highlight the timeless quality of this music.
In 2012, after years of performing mostly Brazilian and Latin influenced original music, guitarist Michael Joseph Harris began studying and playing the music of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt which led to the creation of The Hot Club of Baltimore later that same year. After a surge of Django-inspired composing in 2013, Harris formed the Ultrafaux Ensemble in 2014 to perform his original songs in the style. In 2015, Harris founded and remained Artistic Director for Charm City Django Jazz Fest, the longest running annual Jazz festival in Baltimore, Maryland.
Through his role as festival director, Harris has formed relationships with some of the best players on the international scene while fostering a strong local following. As a result, Baltimore Style Magazine named Michael one of the city’s top musicians and he was featured in a full-spread article in The Baltimore Sun newspaper. Michael keeps a busy touring schedule with both bands while building a local music community leading his weekly Monday Django Jazz Jam and teaching ongoing workshops on the style and technique of Django Reinhardt. Harris has also toured 4 times as guitarist with the Django Festival All Stars from France led by the renowned Samson Schmitt.
Since 2014, Michael Harris has quickly become one of the most prolific composers of Gypsy Jazz-inspired songs in the world releasing a total of 8 full-length Reinhardt-inspired recordings by both groups since 2014. Harris’ songs Latcho Dromo, Signs of Struggle, Jaguar and Convergence were included on an international compilation of top Gypsy Jazz produced by Jon Larsen in Oslo Norway called Django Festival (#9, 11, 13, and 15). Hot Club of Baltimore was featured on the same compilation with their recording of Place de Brouckere on Django Festival #10. Michael’s most recent album Tangent introduces a larger group of artists from the jazz, folk, and bluegrass scene including violinists Jason Anick and Patrick McAvinue, clarinet virtuosos Giacomo Smith and Connor Stewart, bassist Geoff Saunders, and accordionist Dallas Vietty. Harris has been featured at Festival Django Reinhardt in France (2017 & 2019), Django by the Sea, Django-A-Gogo, The Blue Note NY, Midwest Gypsy Swingfest, Napa Valley Jazz Society, Djangoary Soiree, Django Birthday Festival, Le Quecumbar London, Jazz Club Lyon St. Georges, Art Base in Brussels, IMT Folk Series, Birdland NY, MCG Jazz, Bach Dynamite & Dancing Half Moon Bay, Nashville Social Club, The Kate, Dakota Jazz Club, The Outpost, Freight and Salvage, and the Preston Jazz and Improvisation Festival in England (2018 & 2021).
7PM / $25 | $7 Fees Get Tickets
1. Final sale, no refunds, not transferable.
2. $15 food/beverage minimum per person not included in ticket price.
3. Seating first come at the door. Doors open 6 PM & 8:45 PM respectively.
4. Photography or Recording of any kind is prohibited during the performance.
5. Keep conversation to a minimum during the performance.