Hot Club Sandwich

Remembering Ray Wood • 1942 - 2024

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to Ray’s memorial in January. Thanks to those who sent kind thoughts and words from afar, especially thanks to everyone who traveled from afar to be there at the Olympia Eagles.

What began as one big jam continued until there was music in every corner of the hall blending with the consistent flow of cheerful conversation as we all honored our own memories of Ray.

A photo remembrance of Ray, including photos displayed at the memorial, is now available as a slideshow: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RoSJCVLUSbeXQzf7

As mentioned before, another memorial celebration will be held in Weiser, Idaho during the third full week in June to celebrate Ray’s life once again at the annual music event he loved the most: the National Old-Time Fiddle Contest with perpetual jamming all around the campgrounds and especially in a special place called Stickerville. The organization’s website explains how Stickerville is owned and operated by a non-profit comprised of volunteers, and right on top of the page is a link to support the Ray Wood Memorial & Scholarship Fund.

Read more about Ray and our experiences together on our Remembering Ray Wood page.

From the Archives
Now Streaming
Listen to our 2003 album "Digga Digga Do"
From the Archives
Now Streaming
Listen to our 2003 album "Digga Digga Do"
Tap to listen
Now Streaming
Listen to our 2003 album "Digga Digga Do"

Listen to the full 2003 Hot Club Sandwich album: Digga Digga Do

Now streaming on all major services like Pandora (link here) and Spotify (link here)

Expertly recorded by David Lange, masterfully produced by Orville Johnson, Digga Digga Do was the first real Hot Club Sandwich studio production. Like all of our albums, Digga Digga Do traverses a range of musical themes and rhythms with original compositions by band members (“False Valse”; “HCS Strut”; “Desde Que Viniste”; “Mudka Bushka”; “Diminishing Returns”; “Karmen”; “La Valse de L’Amoureaux”) alongside venerable classics like the title trac). As always, we included a few special selections from elsewhere around the world. Juan Carlos Serbulo Sosa sang in Portuguese, our engineer David Lange contributed accordion to our treatment of a vintage Brazilian choro. Our friends LaVon Hardison and Rich Sikorski both contributed vocals on multiple songs.
 
Tracy Bigelow Grisman painted the cover art, and Joshua Sage Photography captured the band on film during low tide on Port Townsend Bay when the record was released. The ‘flaming baguette’ design was created by Hatch Show Print. In the CD booklet, we also used head shots of band members taken spontaneously one night in a photo booth. Our printed list of thanks extends gratitude to all our families and friends, our mentors and teachers, luthiers, music stores, radio stations and DJs up and down the West Coast. We thanked our friends and the bands we’d encounter on the road, especially “everyone who has let us sleep on their floors and practice in their kitchens.”

Our most recent recording, No Pressure, is
available on all streaming services

Hot Club Sandwich

More than twenty years ago, hot-jazz string band Hot Club Sandwich formed in Olympia, WA after a chance meeting on a front porch. Each band member offers compositions and arrangements, with instrumentation featuring guitars, bass, violin, mandolin and drums. Everyone in the band sings. The fifth Hot Club Sandwich recording, No Pressure (2018), features a guest appearance by master mandolinist David Grisman. Joseph Mascorella delivered an outstanding performance on No Pressure, see our page devoted to Remembering Joseph Mascorella.

Photo: Hot Club Sandwich performed at the Royal Room in Seattle on January 11, 2020, sharing the bill with The Swing Bringers.

In 2023, Hot Club Sandwich is still led by four core founding members who have played together for over 20 years: Kevin Conor on guitar, James Schneider on bass, Matt Sircely on mandolin, and Tim Wetmiller on violin. In performance, the ensemble often grows to include members of the band’s extended music community, and Hot Club Sandwich is always happy to furnish a quintet or sextet.

We congratulate Ray Wood on his retirement after 70 years on the bandstand. Ray joins us in mourning the tragic passing of Joseph Mascorella due to unexpected illness in October, 2022. Joseph’s salient vocals and brilliant drumming continue to shine our most recent recording . We hold his memory in our hearts every single day.

Visit the ‘Concerts‘ page to see information about upcoming shows. Visit the ‘Contact‘ page to subscribe for the email list. HCS is on Facebook.

Read reviews of
No Pressure:
Visit the ‘Press‘ page

“True Northwest originals, Washington State string swing ensemble Hot Club Sandwich has cooked up a delightful batch of new tunes… They let the music be their guide as they adopt their own interpretation of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s pursuit of honest, adventurous improvisation while embracing musical forms from around the world… For this, their fifth album, they invited longtime friend David Grisman to produce and the result is a record that stirs the musical pot with dynamic instrumental interplay.”
— Tara Joan, No Depression