Bruce recreates the live atmosphere in the studio, along with Chaka Khan, Pat Metheny, Levi Little, David Hollister, and with his last recorded material, Jerry Garcia.
Released: July 18 1995
Chart: #68
- Spider Fingers
- White-Wheeled Limousine
- Walk in the Sun
- The Changes
- The Tango King
- Big Rumble
- Country Doctor
- The Longest Night
- Hot House Ball
- Swing Street
- Cruise Control
Singles: Walk in the Sun and Cruise Control
Personnel:
Bruce Hornsby (piano, accordion, vocals), Jimmy Haslip (bass), J.V. Collier (bass), John Molo (drums), J.T. Thomas (organ), Debbie Henry (vocals), John Dearth (trumpet), Bobby Read (alto sax, tenor sax), Louis Price (vocals), Glenn Wilson (baritone sax), Joe White (vocals), Derwin Cox (percussion), Larry Sears (percussion), Ornette Fogelberg (tambourine), Bela Fleck (banjo), Pat Metheny (guitar), David Hollister (vocals), Levi Little (vocals), Randy Jacobs (melody guitar, rhythm guitar), Chaka Khan (vocals), Jerry Garcia (guitar)
Reviews:
The Music Box: Bruce Hornsby’s latest release Hot House, while extremely enjoyable, is a virtual remake of Harbor Lights. Throughout the endeavor, he delivers a similar brew of jazz-pop grooves, and as a result, it sounds just a tad formulaic. On his last outing, he tucked bits of the Grateful Dead’s Dark Star into the intro to Talk of the Town; this time, he borrows heavily from Estimated Prophet, calling his version The Tango King. Nevertheless, Hornsby’s amazing dexterity is on display as he leads Béla Fleck, Pat Metheny, and Jerry Garcia through some funky grooves. White-Wheeled Limousine is given more of a Flecktones-style treatment, and it stands in stark contrast to the stripped down version recorded with Rob Wasserman for Trios. 3.5/5
Bob Gajarsky: Bruce Hornsby has come a long way since being a backing pianist for Sheena Easton’s touring band in 1983. One Hornsby fan, upon hearing this record, said that it was like his last release, Harbor Lights, but taken to the next level – where the musicians sound like they’re having fun, jamming and improvising as they go. I couldn’t agree more. Expect the critics to rave about Hot House – and deservedly so.