Hot Club of Baltimore

Hot Club of Baltimore, led by acclaimed guitarist Michael Joseph Harris, features an all-star lineup and talented guest musicians from the community for Charm City Django Jazz Fest. The Hot Club of Baltimore performs inspired arrangements of the Django Reinhardt repertoire, French waltzes, and Trad Jazz.
The Hot Club of Baltimore performs inspired arrangements of the Django Reinhardt repertoire, French waltzes, and Trad Jazz. The ensemble boasts a variety of configurations including an instrumental trio of two guitars and upright bass, a classic quintet with violin, a late 40's instrumentation adding piano, drums, and horns, and a Django Big Band, which emulatesthe sound of the early 50's when Reinhardt performed with Duke Ellington. The group often features captivating vocalist Alexis Tantau who sings in her native Occitan language as well as songs in French and English by Edith Piaf, Eartha Kitt, Charles Trenet, Maxine Sullivan, JacquesDutronc, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and Henri Salvador.

Chloe Feoranzo

Chloe Feoranzo is a clarinetist, saxophonist and vocalist who has been performing professionally since the age of 15.
She grew up playing in youth orchestras, musical pits, and traditional jazz bands and as a guest artist at festivals in the Southern California area.
She completed a three year tour with Pokey LaFarge during which the band toured many countries and appeared on various shows such as The Late Show with David Letterman, Prairie Home Companion and the Grand Ole Opry. She has toured with Postmodern Jukebox and has 4 videos out as a featured artist. She has also toured with Asleep At The Wheel up until March 2020.
You can hear her playing on over 70+ albums and continues to pursue a love of recording in Los Angeles, CA. She is a member of Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band and has her own EP under the Chloe Feoranzo Quartet.

Brad Brose and His Bad Bros

Opening band for Charm City Django Jazz Fest will be Brad Brose and his Bad Bros, a New York City-based band with a unique sound that combines traditional hot jazz from the 30’s with an electric and eclectic vibe. The band is composed of members from all over the world, with diverse international musical backgrounds.

Brad Brose, the band leader, is the driving force behind the group, bringing everyone together with his eclectic mix of old jazz influences from his experience playing jazz festivals all over the world. After living in Paris and playing with gypsies, he brings the roots of this music into contact with NYC energy. He seamlessly blends traditional and modern elements to create a unique sound that is all his own.

Ryan Weisheit plays clarinet and sax in the authentic virtuosic style of early jazz legends, infusing the music with a touch of continental elegance. Uri Zelig, from Israel, brings his syncopated hot drums to the mix, adding a dynamic energy that propels the music forward. Abe Pollack, from Seattle, plays upright bass with a style that harkens back to the great bass players of 1930s New Orleans, providing a solid foundation for the band's sound.

Brad Brose and his Bad Bros are known for their high-energy performances, intricate arrangements, and improvisational skills. Together, they create a musical experience that is both captivating and exhilarating. They are a band to watch, and their music is sure to leave a lasting impression on all who hear it.

César Orozco

César Orozco is a prolific Cuban/Venezuelan pianist, violinist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator. After developing an important career in Venezuela, Mr. Orozco moved to the United States in 2012 and enrolled with a full tuition Assistantship to The Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he earned a Graduate Performance Diploma (GPD) in 2014. Since relocating to the New York tri-state area in 2015, Mr. Orozco has become an in-demand pianist as a sideman as well as a leader of his own projects. Some of the artists he has worked with include Paquito D’Rivera, Pedrito Martinez, Gary Thomas, Yosvany Terry, Flavio Sala, Luisito Quintero, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Luis Enrique, Itai Kriss, Troy Roberts, Paul Bollenback, Jeremy Warren, and Giovanni Hidalgo just to name a few.   Orozco has developed an innovative approach to a fusion of Venezuelan and Cuban traditional music with Jazz along with his project Kamarata Jazz. He has appeared in more than 70 albums. Throughout his career, Orozco has toured extensively across the United States, Europe, Latin America and Australia, participating in some of the most renowned music festivals around the world such as the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Cervantino Festival in Mexico, and the Jazz al Parque in Bogota, Colombia. As a bandleader, he has performed at venues such as Blues Alley, Twins Jazz, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Bolivar Hall in London, the Bird's Basement Jazz Club in Melbourne, Australia, the Bimhuis Jazz Club in Amsterdam, Subrosa, The Zinc Bar, Terraza 7, and the Fat Cat in New York City among others.

Russell Welch

Russell has been a faculty member and featured concert performer at two of the most prestigious Django Reinhardt Jazz festivals in North America: Django a GoGo International Festival and Guitar Camp (New York City, 2022), and Django in June Festival and Guitar Camp (Southampton, Massachusetts, 2022), and a featured concert performer at others, including the Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival in Madison, Wisconsin; the Charm City Django Jazz Fest in Baltimore, Maryland; the Jazz and Heritage Festival and the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana; The Township Jazz Festival and the Millsaps (College) Arts and Lecture Series in Jackson, Mississippi.His bands include: The Russell Welch Hot Quartet/Trio, The Champagniacs, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, The Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band, The Hot Club of New Orleans, Meschiya and the Machetes, and King James and the Special Men.
Russell and his albums have been honored with multiple “New Orleans Best” nominations, and reviews have praised his albums as a "tour de force” (“Mississippi Gipsy”) and “masterful” (“Mississippi Gipsy” “Showarama”). His studio-quality "Live In Baltimore" RWHQ concert album was recorded at the Charm City Django Jazz Festival.

Eli Bishop

Eli Bishop is an American violinist who is recognized for his virtuosity and versatility across multiple genres of music. A native of Nashville, TN, Eli has performed with artists including Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Lee Ann Womack, Kevin Costner & Modern West, The 8bit Big Band, and as a member of the Grand Ole Opry’s house band. Eli’s musical work spans many mediums of the entertainment industry, including commercials for Samsung, movies for Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Billy Crystal, and his soloist work can be heard in games including Minecraft, Apex Legends, as well as in theme parks including Dollywood and Disney. The Chicago Tribune has praised Eli’s “silken legato phrases, impeccable pitch and seemingly effortless technique in fast-moving passages...” Bishop stands out as a remarkable contemporary violinist, renowned for his unique blend of classical virtuosity and versatile expertise across genres. His exceptional ability to navigate diverse musical landscapes positions him as a singular figure in the modern music scene, crafting a resonant and unique sound that spans from the concert stage to new horizons.

Will Ledbetter

William “MoBetta” Ledbetter, a native of Hampton, Virginia, is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in the upright bass. He graduated from UNCG Miles Davis Jazz Studies program in 2019, where he studied double bass and blended Jazz with his foundations in the Blues, Gospel, and R&B. In December 2021, Ledbetter joined the U.S. Navy Band Commodores becoming their first African American bassist.
Anyone who has worked with or heard “MoBetta” knows that he
is a driving force while performing. His drive and love for music and performance has captured the attention of many world-renowned artist. Ledbetter has worked with a plethora of artists including, Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Sean Mason, and many more. He can be heard on Delfeayo’s latest album “Uptown on Mardi Gras Day”. He also performed at the historic Newport Jazz fest in 2023 with the Branford Marsalis Quartet.

Chris Christy

Chris Christy is a self-taught musician, a composer and multi instrumentalists who lives in New Orleans specializing in a unique fingerstyle guitar technique reminiscent of the legendary Oscar Alemán who was a contemporary of Django Reinhardt and who played with Josephine Baker's band in 1930's Paris. Christy's most recent album "Chris Christy Quintet" was just released in late 2023 and features his incredible compositions and breathtaking guitar playing. Christy's style is all his own but also deeply rooted in the traditions of jazz, world folk, and blues.

Sam Farthing

Twenty-one year old Baltimore guitarist, composer, and educator Sam Farthing has dedicated his life to the preservation of the traditions of gypsy jazz and swing. Beginning his musical journey as a classical guitarist, Sam gravitated towards the music of Sinti swing guitarist Django Reinhardt, and began immersing himself completely in the style. Over the last seven years, Samuel has studied and performed with some of the world's top gypsy jazz guitarists including Stochelo and Mozes Rosenberg, Fapy Lafertin, Tchavolo and Samson Schmitt and many others. Samuel has performed in some of the world's most prestigious gypsy jazz festivals across the world including Django sur Lennon, Djangofest Northwest, Djangofest Mill Valley, Django a Gogo, Charm City Django Jazz Fest.

Connor Holdridge

Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Connor Holdridge’s music expands beyond the bounds of the region he grew up in. His musical influences range from the jazz soloing styles of Django Reinhardt and Dexter Gordon to the overdriven blues/rock guitar of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. Alongside saxophonist Gabriel Wallace, Connor co-leads “The Hot Mess,” a quartet whose repertoire is inspired by the early 1940s ensembles of Django Reinhardt and Benny Goodman. Connor has also been featured with local artists such as Michael Joseph Harris (Ultrafaux; Hot Club of Baltimore) and Nataly Merezhuk (Strathmore AIR 2021). 
Connor’s own compositions seek to explore the possibilities in sound using two French guitars, upright bass/electric bass, and varied percussion. His sound draws upon various musical cultures and takes inspiration from a younger generation of acoustic guitar players with more modern influences.