The Hot Sardines

Hailing from New York, the Hot Sardines operate as a traditional jazz collective devoted to swing and blues rooted in the 1920s and 1930s. After surfacing during the mid-2000s, the ensemble cultivated a devoted audience through repeated Manhattan club appearances and early recordings, among them the 2014 release titled The Hot Sardines.

The group took shape in 2007 once lead vocalist and washboard player Elizabeth Bougerol, known onstage as Miz Elizabeth, crossed paths with pianist Evan Palazzo during a jam session. Over time the lineup expanded into a complete ensemble that included trumpeter Jason Prover, percussionist Alex Raderman, clarinetist and saxophonist Nick Myers, bassist and sousaphonist Evan Crane, and tap dancer Edwin Francisco. Their first full-length project, Shanghai'd, reached listeners in 2011. The same year their visibility increased sharply after a headline Bastille Day set within Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night’s Swing program. Two years afterward they issued the seasonal collection The Hot Sardines’ Lowdown Little Christmas Record.

Also arriving in 2014 was the concert document Live at Joe’s Pub, drawn from a fifteen-night run at the New York venue, alongside the band’s second studio album, The Hot Sardines, issued by Decca. French Fries + Champagne, their third studio effort, followed in 2016 and contained a version of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.” The record entered Billboard’s Jazz Traditional Chart at number five. Another live set, Welcome Home, Bon Voyage, surfaced in 2019 and documented performances both at the group’s longtime New York home, Joe’s Pub, and at Koerner Hall in Toronto.