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.
- Elana James, Hot Club of Cowtown co-founder, fiddler and vocalist
Note: The Folly Theater is a financial supporter of KCUR. Our journalism is editorially independent of funders.