About

Hot Club of Saratoga, upstate New York Saratoga/Capital Regions's premier gypsy swing ensemble, plays a repertoire that reflects the spirit and style originated by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in The Quintet of the Hot Club of France most prominent in the 1930’s and kept alive through a long line of gypsy jazz artists since that time. Most of the tunes we play were either written by, or recorded by, Django at some time in his all too brief musical life.

Though Django is most closely associated with the quintet and with Stephane Grappelli on violin providing the other solo texture, he recorded in various other configurations. He often recorded with a clarinetist in place of Grappelli and his violin, as well as other instrumentals, with big bands, and with on some occasions with small combos with drums as he began to explore amplification and more bebop stylings.

The instrumentation of the full quintet of the Hot Club of Saratoga, solo and rhythm guitars, string bass, violin, and clarinet/sax, allows us to explore this style throughout the range of its roots. Since forming in early 2013, Hot Club of Saratoga has brought the hot swing sound to coffee houses, restaurants, bars, clubs, swing dances, festivals, weddings, and numerous private parties. If you’re looking for gypsy swing true to its origins while subtly expanding the genre, music that just makes you smile and move, give us a listen.

The core and original members of Hot Club of Saratoga are shown below though you may see us in different configurations and sometimes with different players as we expand and evolve the ensemble.

We Are Hot Club of Saratoga

Chad Tallman on solo guitar brings his study of Django’s style and unique phrasing to every performance. He earned a music degree at Ithaca College with a focus on classical guitar. In addition to teaching guitar, Chad has played in several rock and funk bands over the years. He had stopped playing guitar altogether at one point for 2 years when one day he heard Django with fresh ears. He pulled the guitar back out with renewed enthusiasm and hasn’t looked back since. When not playing guitar you can usually find him creating a different sort of sweet lick at The Bread Basket Bakery where he is pastry chef in his family business.

The unique rhythm style providing both chordal backup and percussive drive called “la pompe”, “the pump”, is maintained under all the soloists by Chuck Kish on rhythm guitar. Chuck comes to gypsy jazz from a background of rock organ, folk music with guitar and some dulcimer, and most recently jazz guitar. His "formal training" is restricted to accordion lessons as a kid and guitar lessons at various times in later years after being self taught since college days. In addition to playing, Chuck dabbles in instrument building having built a couple of guitars, including the one he plays in HCS, as well as a hammered dulcimer, numerous mountain dulcimers and kalimbas.

Tucker Callander, a native of the Capital Region, has been performing in the area since he was 10 years old with various groups, including the Empire State Youth Orchestra, Glens Falls Symphony, and Schenectady Symphony. He has had the opportunity to perform in Europe on several occasions, including serving as the principal 2nd violinist in the Conservatoire de Strasbourg Symphony Orchestra while studying abroad.

Tucker attended Syracuse University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance and served as the concertmaster his senior year. Go Cuse! After graduating, he began branching out of the classical world and exploring a variety of genres, from bluegrass to jazz to rock. Tucker prides himself on being a versatile musician, being able to sight read music or use his ear and adapt to whatever the situation calls for. He has played in front of sold out crowds at the Times Union Center and at music festivals such as Country Fest. He currently plays in several groups including Hot Club of Saratoga, Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys, the Silver Arrow Band, and the 9 and ¾ Ensemble.

Jonathan Greene is an active jazz, world and classical multi-instrumentalist. Most recently, Jonathan had the honor of playing with groups that opened up for Jay Leno at Proctors as well as Marcus Roberts and Anat Cohen at the Troy Music Hall. He has also subbed on clarinet for the Albany and Glens Falls Symphony orchestras. Jonathan's YouTube page now has over 1.35 million views.

And one of these superb bassists...

Please note that these are our regular band members and we make every effort to play with all our band members whenever possible. However, like most bands, we must sometimes substitute players or play in different configurations due to conflicts with regular members other projects and other demands for their talents. Regardless of the players in the night's lineup, you're guaranteed the same high energy gypsy swing.