Elizabeth Bougerol, co-leader and singer with The Hot Sardines, joins host John Floridis by phone to talk about the band's genesis. During their COVID-19-enforced performing hiatus, members of the band have been composing new music. This interview was recorded in mid-June 2020, during widespread protests over the murder of George Floyd, and Elizabeth took the occasion to reflect on the deep artistic debt she owes to African-American musicians and singers - particularly given the style of music she performs.
These mischief-makers of hot jazz have been described as “potent and assured” (The New York Times) and “simply phenomenal” (The Times, London), with more than a year on the Billboard Jazz chart and 20+ million streams on Spotify (over 90 countries).
(Broadcast: Musician's Spotlight, 7/21/20 and 11/17/20. Listen on the radio Tuesdays, 7 p.m., or via podcast.)
