2008-10-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hailing from the Monterey Bay Area, along California’s Central Coast, Hot Club Pacific (HCP) draws its primary influences from 1930's and 40's American Swing, Post-War Django Reinhardt and modern-era, progressive Gypsy Jazz artists like Boulou & Elios Ferré, Romane & Stochelo Rosenberg, Robin Nolan and Bireli Lagrene. They aim to combine traditional Gypsy Swing rhythms and repertoire with the vintage Bebop of Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk and modern jazzers. These influences combine to create HCP’s unique style, that they call Gypsy Bop, or “G-Bop.”

One of Monterey Bay’s most popular music bands,Hot Club Pacific has had an opportunity to play with many fabulous players. Greg Ruby and Matt Sircely ( Hot Club Sandwich ) joined them on stage in Santa Cruz in 2005. At DjangoFest San Francisco 2006, prodigious jazz guitar icon, Bruce Forman, joined them as their featured artist. Hot Club Pacific backed up the legendary guitarist Larry Coryell at Djangofest Northwest 2007 and Jazz Guitar Luminary Mimi Fox in 2008.

The core of the band is a trio, each from a different musical background, who share an interest in the legacy of Django Reinhardt and American Swing.

Marc Schwartz (lead guitar) has played guitar since 1968. His diverse influences include: Bireli Lagrene, Wes Montgomery, John Lennon, Django Reinhardt, Joe Pass, Eric Clapton, Larry Coryell, Pat Martino, Robin Nolan, and Jimi Hendrix. Marc holds a B.A. in music from New York University and has studied with Studio/Jazz guitar greats Allen Hanlon and Milt Norman. When not playing with Hot Club Pacific, Marc can be found playing jazz guitar in various Santa Cruz venues or riding one of his classic Harley-Davidson motorcycles with his wife Sandra down California's legendary Highway 1. Marc is an avid collector of guitars. His swing guitars include a vintage Maurice Dupont MD-20, and he has several very cool D'Angelico and Gibson Archtops including an L-5 and a Super 400. Marc endorses Raezor's Edge speaker cabinets, Acoustic Image Amplifiers and Argentine strings.

A perennial fixture in American Gypsy Swing, Jack Fields (aka: Monterey Jacques), is regarded as a contemporary master of modern Gypsy Swing rhythm. Jack has blended his American swing roots with traditional and modern European Gypsy Swing styles to create a style that powerful, percussive, swinging and all his own.

Jack has performed in concert with Larry Coryell , Bruce Forman , Howard Alden , Mimi Fox , Andreas Öberg , Simon Planting, Evan Price, Paul Mehling, Stephane Wrembel and many, many others.

Currently, Jack uses a 1998 Dupont MC-50 (used by Sean Penn in Woody Allen’s “Sweet & Lowdown,” dubbed “Chocolate Boy.”), a Jean-Pierre Favino (#1077), a 1928 Gibson L-5 and a 1936 Gibson L-5. Jack currently endorses guitar pickups made by Schatten Design, and Savarez Strings, and amplifiers by Schertler USA.
Visit MontereyJacques online at:
www.Djangology.net
www.myspace.com/montereyjacques

Quote: "Dm7 means play D Minor, seven times... Right?"

Matt Bohn , on bass, is the newest member of Hot Club Pacific. He began playing in 1975 and has played professionally since the age of 16. Between his early 20's and 30's he played a veritable smorgasbord of styles including world beat, blues, folk, blue grass and western swing. The last 10 years he has spent honing his jazz chops. His hard swinging, well phrased, bass lines compliment the Gypsy Jazz repertoire. Matt prefers playing on older basses through his mid-1970's Walter Woods head and a ten inch speaker. During the day you can find Matt in his bass shop restoring and setting up basses for an musicians throughout the Monterey Bay area, San Francisco Bay area and Sacramento area. Visit www.thebassdoc.com for more information about bass restoration and repair. Matt also enjoys, fly fishing, his wife, and fine wine - not necessarily in that order.

Hot Club Pacific Electronic Press Kit