The Business Mike Hatchard - Piano, Herbie Flowers - Bass
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Herbie Flowers is one of the few bass players that everyone must have heard even if they did not realise it. As a session musician he was in such demand that he has played on recordings as diverse as Mancini to McCartney. On this album he partners Mike Hatchard, a pianist who has emerged with a rare talent to truly entertain. Fresh from their live performances at the Edinburgh Festival and the South Bank Centre they have produced a collection of jazz standards sure to include at least one of your favourites.

DDD Total Time = 63:50 - Recorded at The Barn, 1997

On our début album for Zah Zah we decided to stick to standards. The word 'standard' has a vaguely derogatory air about it, but in fact they are tunes that have floated to the top of a vastly overcrowded pool for no other reason than the fact they are so good.

• Work Song is one of those tunes that's so simple you swear you would have written it yourself if somebody hadn't beaten you to it. It kicks the session off to a nice earthy start.
• Tangerine is one of those tunes I learnt when as a teenager. I used to jam in all the Bournemouth jazz clubs in what was then quite a thriving scene. Years later I was disillusioned to discover it wasn't about the fruit but a South American lady with an unfortunate name.
• Wave is a wonderful tune. I first heard this song on the first Oscar Peterson album I ever bought. I cycled up to London from Poole to purchase it at Dobell's jazz record shop, and cycled all the way back with it strapped to my rear cycle rack with a bunjy chord (a round trip of 200miles). It's a miracle it wasn't damaged, I still have it.
• Body and Soul was first played to me by a bespectacled student in an anorak at Colchester in a harmony lesson. 'I don't know if you're interested in jazz?' he asked, and proceeded to play it rather badly. I rather arrogantly showed him how jazz should be played (or how I thought it ought to be played). Funnily enough he's quite a well-known jazz pianist now. A lovely tune with an intriguing middle eight.
• I Can't Give You Anything But Love is almost a pub song, and is the only lyric I know with the word 'Woolworths' in it. Nevertheless, it's a great sequence.
• Stella By Starlight was allegedly banned at the 606 Club at one time, because everybody played it. I can't say what it is about this sequence that makes it so enjoyable to play. The chords almost seem to start in the wrong place and spend the whole song two bars out with where they ought to be. I love it, it's probably my favourite song.
• On Green Dolphin Street is a very popular tune with jazz players, surprisingly written by a man called Kaper who as far as I know isn't known for any other songs. I don't actually know where Green Dolphin Street is, but it has a wonderfully evocative sound about it. I would be saddened to discover it's named after a fish and chip shop.
• All the Things You Are is similar to Stella. It's a positively beastly chord sequence and yet it flows like a dream. We decided to give it the JSB treatment (no, not the digger!).
• Three songs are all associated with pianists: Watermelon Man is Herbie Hancock's most approachable tune, it's another of those tunes you swear you'd have written yourself. With Waltz for Debbie we pay homage to the great Bill Evans and Honeysuckle Rose, of course, Fats Waller. Herbie and I are very into Fats Waller, we feel his ebullient approach to music has largely been lost in contemporary jazz.
• Pennies from Heaven is just a nice tune to play.
• Two Vernon Duke numbers finish the album; Autumn in New York and I Can't get Started which is a tune I've long wanted to record, here given a solo piano treatment. The middle eight has a lovely quirky way about it.

The Zah Zah team hopes you enjoy this album.