Vancouver’s Hot Club of Mars has been swinging for a few spins around the sun (a dozen earth years or so), though things have been really heating up with the addition of chanteuse Deanna Knight.  Adding a magic sparkle to the sound “D” writes tunes with as much pizzazz as when she delivers them! This high-energy acoustic 7-piece inspires toe tapping and dancing to some fabulous old Gypsy jazz tunes of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s.
Bassist Charlie Knowles "kicks the cat" with finesse while guitarist Steve "Bugzy" Szabo keeps the rhythms chugging. Martian Ambassador Michael Dunn and new arrival Don Kellett on lead guitars spin their sweet Djangoesque lines, and resident windgod Mark Dowding keeps those Martian desert winds blowing hot while the newest Martian import, violinist Tom Neville, channels the spirit of te late great Stephane Grappelli.

In our Listening Space page on this website, you can hear Deanna and the group on their hot new debut CD, Gypsy Fire! Samples of a few tracks from the CD are now providing the background music on this web page*.

Jennifer Layne

Our alternate vocalist is the lovely and talented Jennifer Layne. "Geneviève" graced the mainstage of the 1998 Mission Folk Music Fest with us, and with her she brings her scorching scat singing, some hot new tunes of her own, and some old faves too. She will be joining us on occasions when Deanna is unavailable.