This ensemble lead by U.K. expatriate
Keith Ingham
patterns itself on those outstanding small groups which let the
bop
revolution pass them by and stayed with a more refined approach to
jazz
.
The Manhattan Swingtet
finds musical antecedents in small groups led by
Teddy Wilson
,
Benny Goodman
Tiny Grimes
Ike Quebec
, and
Earl "Fatha" Hines
. Perhaps the
Ingham
group is a bit more suave than these groups with its swing a bit more sophisticated. Even on tunes where the title hints at some wild things to come, there's a touch of restraint, as on
"Celestial Boogie"
where
moves over to the small upright celeste. But the group does let its hair down on some tracks as on the title tune
"We're in the Money"
when
Peter Ecklund
's laughing trumpet leads the way. In contrast,
"A Room With a View"
returns to a less hectic stance with
Bobby Gordon
's middle-register clarinet out front and once again
being aristocratic on the celeste. Although euphonious throughout the session, songs like
"Mighty Like the Blues"
reveal the essence of melodic harmony as
Gordon
and
Ecklund
engage in musical byplay that can only be characterized as angelic. Tunes like
"Gee, But You're Swell"
"Comes Love"
conjure up images of cordial times over drinks at a swank New York lounge. In addition to
, oft-recorded guitarist
Chris Flory
makes a major contribution on such cuts as
"Indian Summer."
is probably better known to many for his accompanist skill. He was musical director for
Susannah McCorkle
and backed such vocalists as
Maxine Sullivan
Joyce Breach
. But during his active and varied career, he also recorded with
Bob Wilbur
Bud Freeman
the World's Greatest Band
. So he is very much at home in a solely instrumental setting as this album so entertainingly demonstrates. Coming up with just the right mix of up- and medium-tempo material and
ballads
, along with a
blues
number or two,
We're in the Money
is
at its cosmopolitan best. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan