The Hot Club of Spokane

A Preservation Organization first, and then a band later

When many people think about the Hot Club of France, they usually think of Django Reinhardt, one of the most creative, technically astute guitarists in jazz history, and the quintet that he led in Paris in the 1930s. But the Hot Club of France did not start out as a band. Instead, it was an actual club, formed by college students, to preserve hot jazz. Their mission was to, “Disseminate this genre, make it appreciated, defend it and win it the place it deserves among the expressions of art of our time.” To accomplish this, the founding members organized music listening parties, planned dances, started a periodical called “Le Jazz Hot” and the "Swing" music label, and eventually, hired Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, and the original members of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France to perform concerts. Their work led to a worldwide phenomenon, and in recent decades, to “Hot Club” ensembles all over the place, including San Francisco, Detroit, New Orleans, and yes, the Hot Club of Spokane.

Hot Club of Spokane started backwards, as a band first, and our mission has developed over time since. But the goals are similar: defend and perform hot jazz, organize dances and grow the dance community, preserve local history through various media, and bring all of this to various educational outlets in our region, including schools in Spokane and the rural areas that surround it.