Chris Ingham & Harry Greene: The Life & Music Of Billy Strayhorn at Crazy Coqs

Probably the greatest composer of popular music many have never heard of, Billy Strayhorn, played an essential role in changing the sound of American popular music, at a time when jazz was American popular music, in the 1940s. Strayhorn wrote or co-wrote more than 100 tunes for the great Duke Ellington .

His compositions including “Take The A Train”, “Chelsea Bridge”, “Lush Life”, “Daydream” “Lotus Blossom”, “Something To Live For” and many more, have all become standard, must play numbers for all musicians.

If you want something hard enough, it just gets done” – Billy Strayhorn...

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Probably the greatest composer of popular music many have never heard of, Billy Strayhorn, played an essential role in changing the sound of American popular music, at a time when jazz was American popular music, in the 1940s. Strayhorn wrote or co-wrote more than 100 tunes for the great Duke Ellington .

His compositions including “Take The A Train”, “Chelsea Bridge”, “Lush Life”, “Daydream” “Lotus Blossom”, “Something To Live For” and many more, have all become standard, must play numbers for all musicians.

If you want something hard enough, it just gets done” – Billy Strayhorn

With stories & anecdotes about the man and his quirky personality playing Strayhorn’s evocative music, it’s a welcome return to Crazy Coqs regular Chris Ingham, widely recognised as not only an outstanding pianist, singer and arranger with Jazz At The Movies but also as a interpreter of the music greats. His forthcoming series featuring the lives and music of Rodgers & Hart, Harry Warren, Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Mercer across February and March at Crazy Coqs, is eagerly awaited.

Joining Chris to give voice to the legendary saxophone writing in which Strayhorn specialised is fast rising star Harry Greene, fresh from sold out concerts with his Quintet at Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Jazz Club and other top London venues.

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