“Blue Drag” is the newest single in collaboration with my good friend and former vocalist in Hot Club Sandwich, Rich Sikorski. Featuring Rich’s laid back crooning with interweaving melodies and hot solos by Evan Price (violin) and Greg Ruby (guitar) while Michael Gamble (bass) and Steve Rice (accordion) keep the rhythm section swingin’. We are releasing two versions at once – one sung in English (Blue Drag) and one in French (La dance du diable.)

Our arrangement is an homage to two great versions of this song – both recorded in Paris in the spring of 1935 - one by Freddy Taylor and his Swingmen from Harlem (with Oscar Alemán on guitar) and one by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli and the Quintette du Hot Club de France. We combined elements from each. From Taylor’s arrangement, the vocals, catchy intro, harmonized melody and hot solos and from Django’s, the classic Hot Club instrumentation of violin and lead guitar with a pulsing rhythm section of acoustic guitar, bass and accordion. Our friend Jenny Cox took the English lyrics and poetically translated them into French.