High Noon and Blue Notes: Jazz Meets the American Western

High Noon and Blue Notes features Hilary Gardner and her band, The Lonesome Pines, presenting their acclaimed album On the Trail, which explores a rarely heard segment of the American Songbook — the Hollywood Western.

Described by The Wall Street Journal as “something new and wondrous,” the album was named one of the top 10 jazz albums of 2024 by The London Times and received the 2025 Western Heritage Award.

In this engaging session, Gardner (voice), Justin Poindexter (guitars), Sasha Papernik (accordion), Ed Babar (bass), and myself (drums) will explore the songs, films, and immigrant influences that shaped this distinctive musical subgenre.

This presentation will take place the evening before their performance at Crazy Coqs on Saturday, 28 June. Like in previous workshops the event will be recorded and students will be invited to join and play with the band.

Performers:

• Hilary Gardner – vocals
• Justin Poindexter – guitars
• Sasha Papernik – accordion
• Ed Babar – bass
• Flavio Li Vigni – drums