Hot Club of Los Angeles’ upcoming album, Nova, is a collection of 15 diverse numbers that encompass styles ranging from classic and contemporary gypsy jazz, bossa nova, French chanson and traditional Roma fare; to film soundtrack, jazz standards and several original numbers composed by group members. The album is being produced by group co-founders, Carl Byron and Jim Doyle. 

Full band tracking and initial overdubbing were engineered by Kevin Smith at Jackson Browne’s Groove Masters studio in Santa Monica, CA beginning in December 2022. Further recording and mixing by Kevin Jarvis was done at his Sonic Boom Room studio in Venice, CA during 2023. The album is slated for release in early 2024.
Josh Workman (guitar)
Jake Bluenote (guitar/mandolin/banjo/vocal)
Carl Byron (accordion/piano/organ/pan-pipes/ocarina/vocal)
Paul Eckman (upright bass)
Jim Doyle (drums/percussion/backing vocal)

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Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a "musical ace," keyboardist/ composer Carl Byron records and performs with a wide range of  artists and ensembles as an in-demand sideman, session musician, arranger and music director. He has toured internationally, collaborates with dance and theater groups, is a founder of the acclaimed gypsy jazz ensemble, the Hot Club of Los Angeles (https://www.facebook.com/HotClubOfLa/), and is also a proud member of the world (in)famous Sin City All Stars (https://www.facebook.com/sincityallstars/). 
His credits as sideman (piano/organ/accordion/other keyboards) include work with artists such as Rita Coolidge, Jackson Browne, Stray Cat Lee Rocker, Anne McCue, Michelle Shocked, Lori Lieberman, Shane Alexander, Deana Carter, Bo Diddley, Austin Hanks, Warren Zevon, Jim Lauderdale, Duane Jarvis, The Songbirds, Ben Vaughn, the Young Dubliners, Pi Jacobs, Michaela Paige, Spencer Davis Group, Fran Banish, Kara Grainger, Calico, Donna Loren, Steven Casper, Lynn Anderson, Mike Stoller & Gerry Goffin, Ron Dziubla, Sally Dworsky, Low And Sweet Orchestra, Sin City All Stars, Thelma Jones, Marvin Etzioni, Ryan Hedgecock, Charlie Louvin, Diego Sandrin, Travis Howard, Desborde, Steve Barton, Kyle Johnson, Darius Degher, and Michael Anderson among many others. 

Some of the renowned producers that Carl has recorded with include David Kahne, Dusty Wakeman, David Baerwald, Ed Tree, David Bianco, Anne McCue, Drew Sherrod, Eric Corne, Peter Case, Val Garay, Ira Ingber, Rich McCulley, Sheldon Gomberg, Kevin Jarvis, Steve Refling, Bill Smith, Shawn Nourse and Moris Tepper among many others. 

Born in Lebanon, and raised in Cambodia, Congo, Mozambique, Turkey and the US, Byron studied composition with esteemed Cuban-American composer Aurelio de la Vega at California State University, Northridge (CSUN.) 

Byron’s contemporary classical scores include String Quartet for the Elkhorn Music Festival; Trilogy for soprano Janet Williams; Birds of Sorrow, commissioned for the AIDS Quilt Songbook; Arabesques for the California Trio; Musica Festiva for the Sun Valley Summer Symphony; Sola for award-winning violist Karen Elaine; Colloquy for the California EAR Unit; Fragments for soprano Shana Blake Hill; and the electro-acoustic score for Residue--visual artist Steve DeGroodt's installation at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Byron performed his 2016 solo piano piece Ghazal at California State University, Northridge on a program celebrating the 90th birthday of his mentor, Aurelio de la Vega: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dywL2xxjrTM&t=145s

 Of Byron's compositions, the New York Amsterdam News wrote: "His is a first-rate talent. Here is a composer who combines intellect with a loving heart." The San Francisco Chronicle hailed Birds of Sorrow as "a dramatic metaphor;” and the Village View praised Byron's "deft, harmonically ambitious work, a special treat throughout."
 
As a performing arts writer, Byron has written features, profiles, reviews and program notes for Opera News, KUSC Listener’s Guide, Los Angeles Reader, Boulevards, Latin American Music Review, High Performance, Virgin Los Angeles City Guide and other publications. Byron also produced broadcast arts reports and program notes for KUSC (91.5 FM) and also wrote and hosted in flight music programs for Delta Airlines.

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