Franz Hatts & Castle

An evening of music with the band takes the listener through the lesser explored areas of early jazz music: from the show pieces of once-world-famous Nick Lucas (who recorded the first guitar solo on 78 rpm record) — to Jelly Roll Morton piano and band arrangements with guitar assuming the trumpet or clarinet role — to the duo arrangements of Eddie Lang and Rube Bloom the prolific jazz rhythm section — to blues vocal numbers from Georgia White, Merline Johnson, Bessie Smith, Leroy Carr, and Milton Brown. Hawaiaan tunes on the lap steel also make an appearance on some familiar jazz and swing tunes.