The Hot Sardines is an American jazz band formed in New York City in 2007 by the artistic director, singer, and writer Elizabeth Bougerol and the artistic director, actor, and pianist Evan Palazzo. The Sardines emphasize both authenticity and irreverence in their performances.
members: Jason Prover, Evan Crane, Eddy Francisco, Nick Myers, Evan Palazzo, Elizabeth Bougerol
formed in: New York City
labels: Decca, Decca Gold
genres: jazz
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Evan Palazzo, the bandleader and pianist, is a native New Yorker. He began playing piano by ear at age three and was beguiled by amateur musicianship his whole life. As a boy, he aspired to be "a performer and an entertainer, but also a combination of Rick Blaine and Victor Laszlo." He was a student at the Waldorf school in New York City and went on to major in theater and musical theater at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He developed a passion for jazz in general and playing stride jazz piano in particular. Returning to the Big Apple, he made a living as an actor in theater and film production, as well as continued working on his music. In 2007, he released an album titled Finding His Stride featuring his special brand of...
For several years, The Hot Sardines played free gigs for friends and at small open-mic venues such as the now-shuttered Banjo Jim's on the Lower East Side. During this time, the band was "playing in New York for anyone we could get to listen to us, busking in the subway and dragging friends out to look for bars with open mikes." Unexpectedly, they became part of an alcohol-fueled flash mob scene "in New York, where people go online and find the location and the secret password, and then 300 people show up dressed in vintage attire and party the night away."
Nothing is sacred... everything from The Muppets to Bugs Bunny... has infiltrated our music and the way we interpret and perform songs.
Underlined songs have their story further down.