Violin
We are pleased to welcome Elana James to Django in June for the first time this year. An acclaimed violinist, vocalist, and educator, she is best known as a co-founder of the Austin-based trio Hot Club of Cowtown. Skilled in Western swing and Django Reinhardt hot jazz styles, her teaching combines classical training with American roots music and jazz improvisation. Here’s Hot Club of Cowtown playing a Django classic, Djangology.
Elana started violin study at age four and continued her training through the Manhattan School of Music. Inspired by legends like Stéphane Grappelli and Johnny Gimble, she developed a love for swing jazz in her mid-twenties, honing her skills with Marty Laster. With Hot Club of Cowtown, she has toured worldwide for over 25 years, blending Django Reinhardt’s jazz with Texas swing. Beyond the city limits of Cowtown, Elana has performed with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and many others.
Elana James shares what she has learned from a lifetime of fiddling through workshops and her DVD, “Elana’s Hot Fiddle.” Merging classical technique with improvisation in Western swing and Django jazz, Elana can lean East (toward Paris) or West, as she does in the video that follows. We suggest you lean in to what she has to say.