Pigfoot Play Ellington

Pigfoot was formed by Chris Batchelor in 2014 to play classic 1920’s New Orleans material, spontaneously re-invented through the band’s wild musicality and wry humour. Their inquisitive exploration of repertoire then led them further afield, through a series of gigs entitled Pigfoot Play… Here they extended in all directions, with sets dedicated to Opera, Motown, Elvis, Bacharach and the hits of 1972.

Now they present a brand new programme: Pigfoot Play Ellington, an imaginative reworking of a range of Duke Ellington’s iconic compositions, from the early Cotton Club blues material to Swing hits and through to the exotica that was inspired by Ellington’s extensive travels.

The members of Pigfoot are all devotees of the Ellington sound – the muted rasp of trumpeter Cootie Williams, the poised grace of Harry Carney’s baritone, the dense crunch of Duke’s piano voicings and the buoyant bounce of drummer Sonny Greer are all reflected in the engaging and individual approaches of Batchelor, James Allsopp, Liam Noble and Paul Clarvis. An entertainingly riotous, swinging, delicate and atmospheric account of Ellington’s legacy is promised.

“Pigfoot, Chris Batchelor’s unfailingly entertaining quartet… If Batchelor ran a restaurant, critics would be describing small plates, packed with punchy flavours, using only the finest ingredients. Pigfoot will remind you of music you loved, and make you love it all over again. It’s the sort of artistic mission that could give jazz a good name.” – Jon Turney Londonjazznews

“Talk about originality. Pigfoot have absolutely nailed it….. you really do have to hear the music because it’s just so damned different.” – Roger Farbey Jazz Journal

“A Fats Domino meets Sun Ra love in….an absolute blast on stage. Fun, engrossing and rather addictive.” – Ian Patterson allaboutjazz.com