Hot House West

Hot House West Hot House West // Salt Lake City, UT Hot House West is a music nonprofit 501(c)(3). We strive to create these opportunities both on and off the bandstand.

Mission Statement
Our purpose is to create experiences of connectedness, learning, and joy through the language of acoustic music. Vision Statement
We envision Salt Lake City as a hub for world class acoustic music. We accomplish this by building a healthy community-oriented ecosystem that’s accessible for all. We have four programs:
The Hot House West Swing Orchestra
The Trash Moon Collective
Th

e Swing Collective
Westmoon Records

We accomplish the following objectives through each of these four programs:

EDUCATION

A strong and connected music scene starts with education. From elementary school students through adult beginners, from professionals to audience members — we are working to deepen our communities’ ties to music through continuing education on every level. MENTORSHIP

The best way to learn music is to play with more experienced players than yourself. By pairing aspiring musicians with veteran players we can create the highly impactful and deeply motivating musical experiences that start careers. OPPORTUNITY

We are creating opportunities to connect, learn, and progress that are accessible for all. We believe everyone should have opportunities to participate regardless of their experience, background, sexual-orientation, identity, religion, or color of their skin. COMMUNITY

Not everyone needs to aspire to be a professional musician. We aim to build a strong community through the connective and joyful power of music. We invite people to come as they are and find community in music. VISIBILITY

Through strong community engagement, excellent production and management, and a commitment to professionalism, we aim to put Utah on the map for having a top-tier music scene.

08/20/2026

🎺✨🎶 Joy In Rhythm — Presented by Hot House West.

5 Exhilarating Nights of Music, Dancing, and Fun! All Ages and Free to Attend! Our LAST night is coming up—Friday, August 28th!

📍Gallivan Center ()

6:00pm • Social Hour (food trucks, local art vendors, buskers)
7:00pm • Opening Performance (featuring the HHWSO with student mentees)
7:45pm • Free Dance Lesson (no experience needed)
8:15pm • Hot House West Swing Orchestra (the one-and-only award-winning band)

Join our newsletter to stay in the loop! (Link in bio)

Brought to you by our sponsors:
Salt Lake City Arts Council Salt Lake County Salt Lake County ZAP Utah Division of Arts & Museums Salt City Swing Custom Stickers AARP Utah The Blocks 90.9 KRCL OTW Safety Equipment & Barricades Monique Higginson, Jenni Holmstead and team | Salt Lake City

Artwork by David Habben

08/19/2026

Our last Joy in Rhythm of the summer is coming up—and we’re closing things out with a few new friends, some student mentorship, and probably more than a few shenanigans. 👀

We’ll be joined by talented young musicians from Bountiful High School and beyond, giving them the chance to sit in, learn alongside the band, and experience the full Hot House West treatment.

Come for the music. Stay to see what happens. You won’t want to miss this one.

📍 Gallivan Center
📅 August 28
🎶 Music starts at 6:00 PM

🎧 Good morning! Welcome to Hot House West’s Listening Room #1 where we will dive into the details of some amazing swing...
08/15/2026

🎧 Good morning! Welcome to Hot House West’s Listening Room #1 where we will dive into the details of some amazing swing records you may not have heard of and give flowers to some people who frankly don’t get them enough!

1️⃣ First up, “Hot and Anxious” by Fletcher Henderson and His Orchetsra (1931)

This tune was composed and arranged by Fletcher’s younger brother Horace Henderson. It was recorded by the orchestra in March of 1931 for Columbia and released as a single under the pseudonym “the Baltimore Bell Hops.” On this record you’ll hear Coleman Hawkins, John Kirby, Rex Stewart, and other swing era legends.

The cool thing is about one minute in you will hear a familiar melody! This tune was the antecedent to the HUGE Glenn Miller standard “In The Mood” and predates it by 8 years! While the riff we’re talking about was a standard blues riff for dance bands, and floated around, Miller ultimately was able to copyright the melody. Consider that!

Henderson’s band really set the stage for what a big band sound could be and paved the way for arranging styles, instrumentation, and in this case, how to use each section/instrument group.

2️⃣ Jimmie Lunceford’s “Shoemaker’s Holiday” (1939)
Check out the New Orleans rhythms that seemingly drift into Western territory! This chart was a huge influence on our writing in the Swing Orchestra.

This tune was written by Hugh McKay and Don Raye and recorded in February of 1939. It’s a classic Sy Oliver arrangement that features the quintessential Lunceford reeds known for their tightness and blend, and a relentless dry, quarter-note pulse in the rhythm section that gets interrupted much more frequently than you might first guess.

Check out how short those articulations are!

This band really defined swing music in seriously meaningful ways and should be essential listening for anybody interested in big band music.

Go listen to these tracks today and tell us what you think!

🎧 Good morning! Welcome to Hot House West’s Listening Room #1 where we will dive into the details of some amazing swing...
08/15/2026

🎧 Good morning! Welcome to Hot House West’s Listening Room #1 where we will dive into the details of some amazing swing records you may not have heard of and give flowers to some people who frankly don’t get them enough!

1️⃣ First up, “Hot and Anxious” by Fletcher Henderson and His Orchetsra (1931)

This tune was composed and arranged by Fletcher’s younger brother Horace Henderson. It was recorded by the orchestra in March of 1931 for Columbia and released as a single under the pseudonym “the Baltimore Bell Hops.” On this record you’ll hear Coleman Hawkins, John Kirby, Rex Stewart, and other swing era legends.

The cool thing is about one minute in you will hear a familiar melody! This tune was the antecedent to the HUGE Glenn Miller standard “In The Mood” and predates it by 8 years! While the riff we’re talking about was a standard blues riff for dance bands, and floated around, Miller ultimately was able to copyright the melody. Consider that!

2️⃣ Jimmie Lunceford’s “Shoemaker’s Holiday” (1939)
Check out the New Orleans rhythms that seemingly drift into Western territory! This chart was a huge influence on our writing in the Swing Orchestra. This tune was written by Hugh McKay and Don Raye and recorded in February of 1939. It’s a classic Sy Oliver arrangement that features the quintessential Lunceford reeds known for their tightness and blend, and a relentless dry, quarter-note pulse in the rhythm section that gets interrupted much more frequently than you might first guess.

This band really defined swing music in seriously meaningful ways and should be essential listening for anybody interested in big band music.

Go listen to these tracks today and tell us what you think!

08/13/2026

The voices of the past are calling—and they sound startlingly like our own.

How do we remain human in a world driven by efficiency? How do we live alongside machines and rapidly changing technology without losing our identity?

The Machine Is the Dancer transforms these questions into an exhilarating new suite for the Hot House West Swing Orchestra. Inspired by turn-of-the-century poetry and featuring original text written in conversation with those historic voices, the music journeys through struggle and alienation, hope and resilience, tension, balance, and growth.

And the orchestra can’t bring it to life without YOU.

In this highly interactive performance, audience members become part of the suite—joining the swing orchestra to create a one-of-a-kind experience that will exist only in that room, on that night.

This is new territory for Hot House West: ambitious, immersive, and unlike anything we’ve presented before. 45 minutes of new music and text written by our Artistic Director David Baker.

Experience one of the defining events of our 2026–27 season.

The Machine Is the Dancer
January 16, 2027
Orem Library Hall

📩 Join our mailing list so you don’t miss any information about it! Link in bio.

✨🎺 Looking back on some amazing memories at the Utah Symphony Park City Gala / Afterparty. We love partnering with amazi...
08/12/2026

✨🎺 Looking back on some amazing memories at the Utah Symphony Park City Gala / Afterparty. We love partnering with amazing arts organization like USUO and are so honored to join forces for such a great event!

We might have to do black tie more often! 🤵🤵‍♀️🤵‍♂️

We hope to see you at the rest of our 26-27 season! May the stoke never die! ❤️

📸 Candace Ashworth Simpson Candace Ashworth Simpson

3️⃣ Weeks until our last JOY IN RHYTHM of the summer!We’re going out with our most ambitious night of the series. Celebr...
08/08/2026

3️⃣ Weeks until our last JOY IN RHYTHM of the summer!

We’re going out with our most ambitious night of the series. Celebrate back to school, the end of summer, the approach of September, whatever excited you!

Free and All Ages.

Live Jazz, Dancing, Mentorship, Food Trucks, Kids Zone

August 28th - Gallivan Center

See you there!

08/04/2026

Our last Joy In Rhythm is coming up soon!

In just three weeks, we will conclude our summer series at the . It’s been the best time and you all have made it so extraordinary! 😍

For our last Joy In Rhythm, we are bringing student mentees to the stage to join our swing orchestra. We’ll also bring a real New Orleans-inspired second line parade to the Gallivan. You’ll see choreographed numbers from Salt City Swing’s Salt Shakers dance troupe and witness a real Lindy Hop dance competition. ✨

We’ll have our free dance lesson there as well! Kids zone, buskers, food trucks, you know the deal! 🎶🎺

We’re going out with a bang and you don’t want to miss it! 🎉

RSVP using the link in our bio and check out our amazing sponsors and donors that make this happen. Consider becoming one yourself even!

See you in a few weeks! 😘

The summer isn’t over… and we’re just getting started.Here’s what’s still ahead in our 2026–27 season:🎺 August 15 — Nath...
07/31/2026

The summer isn’t over… and we’re just getting started.

Here’s what’s still ahead in our 2026–27 season:

🎺 August 15 — Nathan Royal Trio at McCarty Gardens. Join Executive Director Nathan Royal, Artistic Director David Baker, and pianist Tony Elison for an intimate evening of jazz. This performance also marks Tony’s final public concert with the trio before he begins graduate study. ALL AGES

🎶 August 28 — Joy in Rhythm: Summer Finale at the Gallivan Center. One last free night of live jazz, dancing, and community under the stars. FREE - ALL AGES

🎷 September 19 — HHW Jazz Fest comes to Daybreak for a full day of performances, workshops, jam sessions, and celebration. FREE - ALL AGES

🎼 January 16 — The world premiere of The Machine Is the Dancer at Orem Public Library, an original interactive suite for swing orchestra featuring a new artistic angle for the group, audience immersion, and live visuals. ALL AGES

💃 February 20 — Salt City Stomp, an unforgettable evening of live big band jazz and social dancing. ALL AGES

✨ April 16 — We close the season at Kingsbury Hall alongside the incredible Bria Skonberg for one of the biggest concerts in Hot House West history. ALL AGES

Whether you’ve been with us all summer or are just discovering what we do, we’d love to have you with us this season. Save these dates, bring a friend, and help us continue building a thriving jazz community here in Utah.

🎟️ Learn more, RSVP, and explore the full season at hothousewest.org.

Consider joining our amazing roster of sponsors and donors to support world-class jazz here in Utah!

07/30/2026

Who likes a good double time lick? 😘

Sometimes we like to bring in tons of influences to the Hot House West Swing Orchestra. One belief we have is that swing musicians ought to have a healthy dose of fresh insights and influences in addition to their study of the tradition itself. It feels most honoring to embody the spirit of the people we look up to: create something your own while doing your homework!

This arrangement of Josef Myrow’s tune “Blue Drag” brings in some Balkan influence in this particular double time lick!

Join our mailing list so you don’t miss out on any upcoming fun!

Address

Salt Lake City, UT
84102

Telephone

(801) 473-8136

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