By Bailey Constas
Perhaps going to see a French band on the Fourth of July is a slightly unpatriotic gesture, but the swing-step gypsy-jazz of ignited the sold out crowd with sultry vocals, crushing xylophone solos and a whole lot of swinging on Thursday.
Encompassing a wide range of styles, Caravan Palaces’ most impressive talent is the ability to supplement jazz training with dubstep and electronica. Using instruments like the trombone, clarinet, upright bass and xylophone, they are the coolest band geeks you know, inspiring new generations to make face-melting clarinet solos.
And on top of this unique style of playing, each band member exudes personality on stage. Lead singer Zoé Colotis fronts the group with adorable dance moves that she must have picked up at a jazz club in Paris. Her stunningly clear voice is so reminiscent of a 1920s speakeasy that it is always just on the verge of crackling like an old vinyl record.
As an indication of the classy but high-voltage environment, Colotis had to lay on the ground to recharge her Charleston. As she recovered, Colotis recruited two couples from the wild audience to swing-dance on stage.
Caravan Palace showed an impressive amount of genuine talent and musicianship, a feat that is lacking in the electronic and dubstep scene. The group didn’t just loop a few vintage tracks to a beat, they performed as musicians and entertainers right out of the ragtime era.
After an encore, in her French accent Colotis admitted, “you win, we fall in love.” And even on the most America of days, the sold out Bluebird loved the Parisian right back.
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Bailey Constas is a Fort Collins-based writer and new contributor to Reverb. Follow her
