Chris Ingham Quartet presents "Celebrating Hoagy Carmichael" in London, 9 July at the Pheasantry, Kings Road
Just a quick reminder that The Chris Ingham Quartet (in which I play bass) is performing on:
Wednesday 9th July
The Pheasantry, 152 Kings Road, London, SW3 4UT
Doors: 18.30, Music: 20.30
0845 6027 017
The poster for the event is below and, below that, you'll find the latest review of our new CD
See you there!
Here's the most recent review of the CD in Jazz Journal by Dave Gelly,
JAZZ JOURNAL Hoagy review
June 2014
****
Even the cover of this album is a classy product - cunningly disguised to give the appearance of a well-thumbed book, slightly foxed at the edges. Inside are 15 of Hoagy Carmichael's best-known songs, plus Dear Bix, Dave Frishberg's little gem which could almost be the work of the Old Music Master himself.
It's hard to believe that Hoagy rarely wrote the lyrics of his songs. When he sings them, the words sounds so Hoagy-ish, with their weird, potent mixture of aching nostalgia and whimsy, and they fit the melodies so well that one assumes they must be the work of one mind. Stranger still, some of the most Hoagy-ish of all, such as Memphis In June, have words by Paul Francis Webster, a lyricist famous for his willingness to turn his hand to just about anything. Another regular collaborator was Johnny Mercer, which is far less surprising.Anyway, the contents amply fulfil the promise of the cover. Not only does Chris Ingham sing with the requisite easy grace, he's a very good pianist too, with a crisp, light touch and plenty of the right kind of swing. Paul Higgs, the ex-NYJO trumpeter who went on to become a successful composer of film, TV and theatre scores, sounds so right for the part that I went back and checked Bix's solo on Rivereboat Shuffle to make sure Paul wasn't playing a transcription. He wasn't. Similarly, Andrew Brown and Russell Morgan play in perfect stylistic accord, especially Brown's solo accomaniment to the voice in Baltimore Oriole.
I shall keep this elegant production next to In Hoagland, by Georgie Fame and Annie Ross. That's more than 30 years old now. It was about time it had a worthy successor.
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