Hot Club of Las Vegas - Meet the BandHot Club of Las Vegas originated in Las Vegas in 2006, born of the passion of rippin’ guitarist Mundo Juillerat, the “Flyin’ Hawaiian”, who then collaborated with the versatile bass player Christopher Davis to form the base of the group. Percussion was added soon after with the addition of the solid rhythms of Gabriel Santana Falcon on the cajon (or box) followed by Marlow “Le Pompe” Valentin as the rhythm guitarist. Originally an acoustic instrumental group the band decided they wanted to expand upon the traditional gypsy jazz sound and add vocals. While playing in the pit of the Las Vegas production of Mamma Mia, Mundo was captured by the power and style of the voice of Carol Linnea Johnson who was playing the lead role of Donna in the show. The phrase, “we need someone like Carol to sing with us,” was a mantra shared among the band members for some time. After exhausting the options of who might be like Carol, Mundo finally approached Carol herself and without hesitation she agreed to join the group in spite of a very busy schedule. Meet our Associate Band Members that occasionally appear with HCLV HERE.  | Carol Linnea Johnson – Carol has spent the last 3 years playing the lead role of Donna In the Las Vegas production of Mamma Mia at the Mandalay Bay where she has received many accolades and high praise for her performance. Hot Club of Las Vegas represents a new chapter in her career. Prior to her time in Sin City she spent 3 years in the Broadway production of the show and considers herself a happy member of the Mamma Mia family. Other Broadway credits include Pam in “The Full Monty” which she joined after spending a year on the national tour of that show performing with her husband, Don Burroughs.
|  | Mundo Juillerat comes from the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Because his Mother, Aunty, and cousins were dancers in Hula (Halaus) and Tahitian dance troupes, he grew up surrounded by polynesian music. Starting off on the Ukulele, he graduated to playing guitar and the Toeti' (tahitian log drum) in various Hawaiian shows. Kai'polani's Hula Show and also Tama and the Hula Nanis being a few. Moving to the States, Mundo has worked professionally non-stop since 1981. Studying with Jennifer Batten, Scott Henderson, Joe Diorio, and Frank Gambale, he obtained a vocational diploma with honors from the Guitar Institute of Technology in 1987. Mundo has also studied Flamenco guitar with Phillip Amundson at the University of Nevada Reno. Keeping up with his professional studies he's worked learned from Bruce Conte of Tower of Power and jazz master Joe Lano. |  | Christopher Davis has been an active member of the Las Vegas music scene since his arrival here nearly ten years ago. Under the direction of Mrs. Audrey Bush he received his Master's Degree at The University of Nevada Las Vegas in Classical Music Performance on Contrabass in 1998. He has been a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic since its inception in 1998. In the realm of commercial music he has appeared with artists such as Frankie Avalon, The Spinners, Bobby Rydell, Carol Lawrence, Robert Goulet, The Animals and The Fifth Dimention. The show room at Mandalay Bay has become one of his current homes where he performs the Broadway Musical "Mama Mia" nightly. In addition to performance Chris is an active music educator. He is on the faculty at The Community College of Southern Nevada where he is the instructor of Bass and Contrabass studies as well as the Director of Strings and Conductor for the CCSN Orchestra.
|  | Gabriel Santana Falcon has performed professionally since 1973 and is one of Las Vegas' most celebrated Drummer/Percussionist. Gabriel currently appears Monday nights at the Palms Hotel Casino as a member of "Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns", Thursday nights with Kelly Clinton's "Latin Thursdays at The Stirling Club" in Turnberry Tower. In recent years, Gabriel has worked with many notable artists including, Martin Nievera, Clint Holmes, Mary Wilson,Patti Austin, John St. Peeters, The Scintas, Marilynn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., Bill Champlin (Chicago), Jerry Lopez (Ricky Martin), Tom Shuman (Spyro Gyra) and Bruce Conte (Tower Of Power) to name a few. Gabriel has an extensive discography and can be heard on: Henry Iglesias "Mis Raices, My Roots"-2006, Nathan Tanouye "Crossings, The Russ Freeman Project" featuring "The Las Vegas Jazz Connection"-2006, and Santa Fe & The Fat city Horns "Live at the Palace Station"-2005, and more recently, the "New" 2007 release of "Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns" - "Let The Healing Begin", also recorded Live at the Palms Hotel/Casino. |  | Marlow Valentin was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He's been playing guitar for 10 years performing various styles including hard rock, acoustic, bolero, jazz and gypsy jazz. Marlow studied guitar with professional guitarist Geary Queen and the legendary Joe Lano. He is also a singer and songwriter and has shared the stage with the likes of Marlena Shaw, the late Robert Goulet and performed the theme for the Race for the Cure in 2007. Marlow has even dabbled in musical theater - starring in the production of, It's Only Business, a story of Bugsy Seigel and his life in Las Vegas as a gangster.
Currently, he’s pursuing a musical education degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Marlow aspires to teach elementary school music, continue his studies towards a PhD and ultimately teach Music Theory at the university level.
"I am so fortunate to be playing with such a group of hip and caring individuals, playing music that we all genuinely love!" - Marlow Valentin
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