Guitarist Michael Joseph Harris

The Hot Club of Baltimore performs music inspired by legendary manouche guitarist Django Reinhardt whose music became the soundtrack for the Paris Jazz era of the 1930's and 40's. For this show at Blues Aley, guitarist Michael Joseph Harris is joined by local sensation Will Ledbetter on bass, Gabriel Wallace on sax and clarinet, Dallas Vietty on accordion, and Connor Holdridge on guitar. Led by acclaimed guitarist Michael Joseph Harris, Hot Club of Baltimore performs a wide ranging songbook including the classic Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappeli repertoire, virtuosic French musette waltzes, and creative arrangements of Swing standards. Many of the same musicians are in Michael's band Ultrafaux Ensemble which plays only original music in the Gypsy jazz style, so audiences can expect to hear some of those songs as well. Both ensembles range from a duo to a 7-piece ensemble that can include any combination of violin, accordion, trumpet, clarinet, sax, piano and drums. Just as in the tradition of Django Reinhardt, acoustic guitars and upright bass always serve as the core of the ensemble. Michael Harris has performed at Midwest Gypsy Swingfest, Rocky Mountain Archtop Guitar Festival, Django-a-gogo, Django by the Sea, Napa Valley Jazz, Charm City Django Jazz Fest, Festival Django Reinhardt in France, Chicago Gypsy Jazz Fest, Blues Alley, The Blue Note, Birdland, The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen Virginia and the Kennedy Center to name a few. Harris also toured as guitarist for the famous Django Festival All Stars from France alongside Samson Schmitt. Harris’ arrangement of Django Reinhardt's "Place de Brouckere,” the title track of the first Hot Club of Baltimore album, was featured on Django Festival #10, an annual compilation of the best Gypsy Jazz in the world by producer Jon Larsen in Oslo, Norway of Hot Club Records. Ultrafaux Ensemble has also been featured on the same compilation and is the only band to be featured consecutive years with original compos…