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Hot Club of Cowtown, string trio with Kansas City ties, to play the Folly Theater

Jake Erwin, Elana James and Whit Smith make up the Hot Club of Cowtown, a Western swing trio based out of Austin, Texas.
Ryan Saul
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Hot Club of Cowtown
Jake Erwin, Elana James and Whit Smith of the Hot Club of Cowtown play at Kansas City's Folly Theater on Saturday, Jan. 18.

As a teen, Elana James grew up busking on the streets of Kansas City. Now a professional musician, James is the co-founder of Hot Club of Cowtown, a jazz and swing band that's performing at the Folly Theater on Jan. 18.

Ever wondered what it would sound like to mix the genres of European hot jazz with Western swing? Well, look no further than Hot Club of Cowtown, the multi award-winning string trio based out of Austin, Texas.

Elana James, the group’s co-founder, fiddle player and vocalist, grew up in Kansas City.

James busked the streets of Westport as a teenager, and says that her mother, who played violin in the Kansas City Symphony, is the reason she's a musician.

"We had a very musical household growing up. My sister, who's older, she was playing the flute already," James told KCUR's Up To Date. "My mom was a violinist and a classical violinist, and you know, I heard her playing around the house. So I was like, 'I need to do that.'"

James will be performing alongside Whit Smith, co-founder and guitarist, and Jake Erwin, upright bassist, at the Folly Theater on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tickets here.

Note: The Folly Theater is a financial supporter of KCUR. Our journalism is editorially independent of funders.

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