Global Sounds on the Hill Featuring Joe Troop’s Whirlwind

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“…some of the most unusual music I’ve ever heard: polyglot internationalist banjo player Joe Troop and his latest group Whirlwind, a lineup featuring flute, viola, jazz-adjacent rhythm section and electric banjo that often sounded a lot more like a guitar. It was something like gypsy jazz leaning in all sorts of unexpected directions, very hard to describe — a super-group jam with the late Frank Zappa coming back from the great beyond to sit in with Punch Brothers and Jens Kruger, maybe?”

– David Menconi, music writer and author

Curated and hosted by iconic DC impresario and musician Jim Thomson

Joe Troop is a GRAMMY-nominated  multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter hailing from the Piedmont. He is one half of the acclaimed panamerican folk duo Larry & Joe, and founder of Latingrass stringband Che Apalache. His music is deeply inspired by a decade living in Buenos Aires and traveling throughout Latin America and the world.

Now clad with his long-awaited custom electric jazz banjo, he’s curated an unexpected ensemble featuring flute (Rebecca Kleinmann), viola (Bailey Newman), drums (Gaston Reggio) and bass (Ramon Garcia) to bring to life a new concept album called “Whirlwind.”

Drawing from a kaleidoscope of influences – Latin jazz to R&B, candombe to bluegrass, classical music to samba, rock and roll – this group will surely keep you on the edge of your seat.

About Jim Thomson: Jim Thomson is an independent DIY music producer based in Washington DC who specializes in booking, live music production, artist management, DJ events, and record releases. In Washington DC he operates an ongoing live music series called Secret Planet DC that partners with various venues, foundations, and musicians all across the city to produce unique, intimate, and meaningful performances. He also owns and operates the Washington, DC-based boutique record label Electric Cowbell Records as well as holding down and curating all vinyl DJ residencies at The Green Zone, Cana, La Shukran, Daikaya, Le Mont Royal, Eaton Hotel, the DC Record Fair, and other bars and restaurants in the city.

Jim is also a lifelong musician and promoter, playing drums as a founding member of GWAR, The Alter-Natives (SST Records), Bio Ritmo, CSC Funk Band, Time Is Fire, and he currently plays drums and percussion with Motherf*ckers JMB & Co with Geologist from Animal Collective. One of the first concerts he co-promoted was a Bad Brains show in Richmond, Virginia in 1987 followed by years of concerts including surf guitar legend Dick Dale, Knitting Factory tours, Marc Ribot, Charles Gayle, Negativland, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, and many others.