He was once the leader of an up-and-coming English blues rock band, The Hoax. When their success came to an end, he suddenly found himself as a street musician in Paris. Today, Hugh Coltman lives permanently in the French metropolis. For his tribute to Nat King Cole, "Shadows - Songs of Nat King Cole", the Brit adopted by the French and bluesman adopted by jazz musicians was named Singer of the Year at the prestigious Victoires du Jazz 2017. With the follow-up project "Who's Happy?", Hugh Coltman is now exploring the colorful sound of New Orleans jazz. He came across it in Paris when he helped out as a singer at a concert by Belgian groove pianist Éric Legnini in 2012. Coltman discovered "the nonchalance of jazz musicians who are more rock'n'roll than many rock musicians" and thus rediscovered the stars of his childhood, such as Kid Ory, Sidney Bechet, Fats Domino, Dr. John and The Meters. All of these musicians have their musical roots in New Orleans jazz. The recordings of "Who's Happy?" were made in New Orleans, making Coltman's dream come true. Coltman is coming to Karlsruhe with a top-class, eight-piece band in New Orleans format. On guitar, for example, is Freddy Koella, who played with Bob Dylan as well as spending a decade as Willy DeVille's guitarist. On drums is Raphael Chassin, one of the best-known session musicians from New Orleans, considered the cradle of jazz.
