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Hugh Laurie looks at the ways the blues has influenced jazz, with music from Miles Davis, Kid Ory, Duke Ellington and more, including his own live version of One for the Road.

Actor, comedian and musician Hugh Laurie presents this new series in which he examines the ways in which the blues has influenced all the types of popular music that we listen to today.

Each week he'll be playing a song with his acclaimed Copper Bottom Band and using that as a starting point from which to explore the permutations and permeations of the music that he loves.

This week, Hugh plays and sings "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)", and looks at the blues strain in jazz music, illustrated with music from Miles Davis, Kid Ory, Duke Ellington and more.

A performance film accompanying the series can be seen on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Red Button service.

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Hugh Laurie is an English actor, comedian, writer, musician and director. He first became known as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster from 1985 to 1999.

From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and six Emmy nominations. He has been listed in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor ever in a television drama, earning Β£250,000 ($409,000) per episode in House, and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Acting aside, he is an accomplished pianist, leading the Copper Bottom Band in a smorgasbord of traditional jazz and blues which has so far resulted in two critically acclaimed albums and a series of sell-out world tours.

This is his first series for Radio 2.

57 minutes

Last on

Mon 2 Feb 2015 22:00

Music Played

  • Hugh Laurie & The Copper Bottom Band

    One For The Road

  • Louis Armstrong

    POTATO HEAD BLUES

    • Louis Armstrong: The 25 Greatest Hot Fives & Hot Sevens.
    • Living Era.
    • CDAJA-5171.
  • Louis Armstrong

    WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD

    • THE BEST OF BOND....... JAMES BOND.
    • CAPITOL.
    • 523294-2.
  • Kid Ory

    BEALE STREET BLUES

    • William Christopher Handy: "Father Of The Blues".
    • Luxury Multimedia Ltd.
    • 000.
  • Fletcher Henderson

    D Natural Blues

    • Fletcher Henderson 1925-1928.
    • Disques Swing.
    • SW8445/6.
  • Bessie Smith

    ANY WOMAN BLUES

    • THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS VOL1.
    • COLUMBIA LEGACY.
    • C2K-47091.
  • ELLINGTON/BIGARD

    ACROSS THE TRACK BLUES

    • BARNEY'S BOUNCE.
    • LIVING ERA.
    • AJA-5507.
  • Count Basie

    ONE O'CLOCK JUMP

    • THIS IS JAZZ.
    • COLUMBIA LEGACY.
    • CK-64966.
  • Louis Jordan

    THERE AIN'T NOBODY HERE BUT US CHICKENS

    • LOUIS JORDAN THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION.
    • SPECTRUM.
    • 544-328-2.
  • Wynonie Harris

    Good Rockin Tonight

    • The History Of Rhythm and Blues 1942 - 52.
    • Rhythm & Blues.
    • RANDB-003.
  • Ray Charles

    SWEET SIXTEEN BARS

    • BLUES AND JAZZ.
    • RHINO.
    • 8127-71607-2.
  • Miles Davis

    All Blues

    • Kind of Blue.
    • CBS.
    • CDCBS-62066.
  • Sun Ra

    Big City Blues

    • The Singles.
    • Evidence.
    • 000.

Broadcasts

  • Mon 14 Oct 2013 22:00
  • Mon 2 Feb 2015 22:00