This duo is inspired by 1920s-style jazz, stride piano and swing, but renews these styles with spontaneity, humour, rythmic games and virtuosity. The repertoire is a mixture of arrangements of jazz standards and original compositions written by Skinner. We have a new recording, on Pling Music (2022), called "Look Both Ways".

Listen to the music

Here's some extra titbits about the tunes on the recording:

1. "Out of Sorts" is marked in the sheet music "Grumpy swing". This tune expresses grumpy exasperation - with a wink.
   
2. "Coconut Sue" is a calypso in 9 beats. The title comes from the Japanese word for "ninth", and the chords are based on the classic standard tune "Sweet Sue". Coconuts are sweet, and coconuts and calypsos go together like rice and fish.
3. "Leggy Peggy is a lady with long legs who dances slightly uncontrolled Charleston. She starts out a bit confused but gets it together later on.
4. "Nigel's Lament" is inspired by the sad story of a gannet called Nigel, who fell hopelessly in love with a statue.
5. "Quirks Work" is a celebration of people who don't fit the mold. It's in five-four time, with polyrhythms.
6. Our arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser" is anything but straight, and is performed in 13 beats.
7. "Keepin' out of mischief now" is a little-played Fats Waller tune. We also play the verse, and this tune makes it clear where a big part of the inspiration for this recording and instrumentation comes from.
8. Duke Ellington's "In a sentimental mood" is played as a ballad, but with quite unusual harmonies.
9. "Sparrow Waltz" is a tune I imagine a sparrow might write, if sparrows wrote tunes, and if I hadn't written it first.
10. A well-known drum feature, written by Neil Hefti, "Cute" is this time played in five. So... cute AND confusing! The best combination.
11. Finally, "Forgotten Blues is about all those times you have felt blue, but forgot about it afterwards.