Last Sunday, I saw Whit Smith's Hot Jazz Caravan in concert. The Hot Jazz Caravan emerged from the ruins of the Hot Club of Cowtown, one of my all-time favorite groups, so I was eager to hear how they stacked up to their predecessor. I saw Elana James and the Continental Two a few months ago, and was very impressed, so I was also curious how Smith's new project would measure up to her.

The concert was put on by Dark Thirty Productions, a series of house concerts in Lakeside. The house wasn't huge, but had a large open living room, so that the crowd of 80 or so could just barely be accomodated. A bit cramped, but not terribly bad. The $20 admission included a pretty good food spread, and beer and wine. Parking was a bit tight, and I was parked in, and concerned how long it would take me to leave. But the person parking me in was the first to leave, so I was also one of the first out. I'd certainly go see a concert there again.

Whit Smith's Hot Jazz Caravan took the stage (such that it was) prompty at 7:30, and did two sets. A lot of familiar stuff, either from the Hot Club of Cowtown days or off their iTunes LP, with just enough new covers to fill the evening (I think they performed every song they knew...and a few they didn't). They sounded great throughout, and had a lot of energy and charisma. They weren't up to the level of the Hot Club of Cowtown, but they're still getting their bearings as a band. It was hard not to compare them with Elana James' new band, which is unfair, but I gave up on that soon enough, as they both have their own style. Whit Smith's voice is more instantly appealing, while Elana James' vocals are not quite as strong as her fiddling skills (though she certainly has grown on me over the years as a vocalist). And both have kept their songs from the Hot Club of Cowtown days, so while James sings songs like "Forget-me-nots" and "You Took Advantage of Me," Smith can sing songs like "It Stops With Me." I would say that Elana James and the Continental Two move more seemlessly from western swing to hot jazz, while the Hot Jazz Caravan seems more comfortable in the cowtown setting (though they did an admirable job with some Hot Club of France material).

Do I have a favorite? Yeah, probably Elana James and the Continental Two. But luckily, I don't have to choose. If there is a silver lining to the Hot Club of Cowtown's break-up, now the talent of the group has been dissipated a bit, into at least two touring acts, and maybe some of the Hot Club of Cowtown magic will make it to town twice as often.