By Paul Yarbrough for the UCCA
The Ukiah Community Concert Association will present the Hot Club of San Francisco as the first concert of its 2026-2027 series. The ensemble will take the stage in Mendocino College’s acoustically excellent Center Theatre at 2:00 pm, Sunday September 20th. The Hot Club of San Francisco is among the first and most accomplished American groups devoted to the Gypsy Jazz music of Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grapelli and the Quintette of the Hot Club of France from the 1930’s and 40’s. The quintet includes guitars, violin, and bass which contribute to a unique jazz sound, blending American, French, and especially Gypsy influences.
The existence of the Hot Club of San Francisco is entirely the result of the dedication and perseverance of its visionary founder, Paul “Pazzo” Mehling, guitarist, composer, and arranger, whose devotion to Django began in his youth and continues today. Mehling became so obsessed, he even lived in Paris for a couple of years, supporting himself by busking, in order to find people who could teach him Gypsy Jazz style and technique. Upon returning to the States, he continued playing in Bay Area bands, including a five year stint with Dan Hicks’s Acoustic Warriors. Still dreaming of creating a Gypsy Jazz band, Pazzo was getting restless. “After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, I finally decided it was time to make the leap. I moved to San Francisco and auditioned people for months, but nobody knew how to play this music. Finally I started training people to play Gypsy style jazz.” These pedagogical efforts led to the creation of two instructional videos, the first instructional courses made for this genre. His educational work and tireless torch-bearing led to his being dubbed by NPR as “the godfather of Gypsy Jazz guitar in the U.S.”
In 1998, one could say, Mehling met his Grapelli in the person of violinist Evan Price. Price is a master fiddler in many styles, one of those rare violinists who are like a linguist who speaks multiple languages with no foreign accent. Adding to that, he possesses the elegance and sophistication to play the role of Grapelli in this format. Evan is known to many as a member of the ground-breaking and Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet for over a decade.
The Hot Club of San Francisco has a vast discography, many issued on their own label, Hot Club Records. Their most recent release, “Original Gadjo” (Gadjo being the term for a non-Gypsy) is latest of their 15 unique Gypsy Jazz-infused albums. Prior to that, they offered their take on music of the Beatles: “John, Paul, George, and Django.” It’s important to stress that though the Hot Club of San Francisco was inspired by Django and his bandmates, they are not mere imitators, having created a repertoire of brilliant compositions and arrangements of their own. After all, HCSF has been in existence nearly four times as long as their Parisian counterparts were!
The UCCA audience is in for an exceptional afternoon of delightful and invigorating music presented by one of the world’s finest Gypsy Jazz ensembles. Don’t miss it!
Tickets in advance are $35, available at Mendocino Book Company in Ukiah, Mazahar in Willits, and online at ukiahconcerts.org. They are available at the door for $40. We offer free concert tickets to high school students, younger children when accompanied by an adult, and full-time college students enrolled in 12 or more units. Please call 707-463-2738 to reserve a free ticket. Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support: Arts Council of Mendocino, KZYX&Z, KWINE, Ukiah Daily Journal, Black Oak Coffee, Schat’s Bakery, Lost in the Cellar, Graziano Family of Wines, Cesar Toxqui Cellars, W/E Flowers, Mendocino College Foundation and Mendocino College Recording Arts & Technology Program.
Ukiah Community Concert Association has been presenting nationally acclaimed talent since 1947. This all-volunteer nonprofit’s mission is to build and maintain a permanent concert audience and cultivate an interest in fine music of all genres among the citizens of the community and surrounding area. It is also its goal to encourage music appreciation in the schools of the community.