Chris Ingham Piano
Paul Higgs Trumpet
Simon Thorpe Double bass
George Double Drums
“Hoagy II is a show rich with anecdote, insight and delightful curiosities from a unique and varied songbook.”
Hoagy Carmichael was one of the most prolific Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s. He composed hundreds of songs, often working with lyricists such as Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer and Harold Adamson.
Ten years after their acclaimed album Hoagy, the Chris Ingham Quartet follow up with a further joyful set of the wry, wise and beautiful songs of the songwriter-singer-pianist following the release of its worthy successor, Hoagy II. Ingham says in his liner notes “These 70-100 year-old songs still sing to us, still make us stop for a moment. Dazzling absurdity juxtaposes plaintive romanticism while at the centre of everything (is) the eternal quest for the peacefully dandy.” Hoagy II expresses this in spades.
With Chris Ingham vibrantly leading on piano and vocals, the quartet comprises trumpeter Paul Higgs, a highly accomplished and respected trumpet player with an impressive career in many fields including performing, composing and arranging music for film, TV and theatre. Formerly with Shorty Rogers, Johnny Dankworth & Nancy Wilson, here he “exquisitely invokes the spirit of cornettist Bix Beiderbecke”. Simon Thorpe is one of the UK’s best-known jazz bassists who has worked with many of the great UK and US names in jazz, recording and touring with Bobby Wellins, Stacey Kent , Bheki Mseleku, Alan Barnes, Elaine Delmar, Scott Hamilton, Benn Clatworthy and Ray Gelato. George Double is active on the British jazz scene and appears regularly at Ronnie Scott’s club in London and elsewhere as a freelancer with Chris Ingham, John Etheridge, Art Themen, Digby Fairweather, Derek Nash and many others.
“Captures the essence of Carmichael’s catchy, jazz-influenced melodies and their droll, laconic lyrics perfectly. The performance of all four musicians is superb” Jazz Journal