The story of Stark Reality… Discovers The Hoagy Carmichael Music Shop begins with Hoagy Carmichael’s son, Hoagy Bix Carmichael. Nearing 30 and working on Wall Street, Bix wanted to do something more worthwhile. He relocated to Boston and started working at WGBH, one of the country’s most innovative PBS stations. There he met Monty Stark, WGBH’s resident “music man.” When Bix set out to create an all new WGBH program, Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop, a children’s show revolving around his father’s 1958 children’s album Hoagy Carmichael’s Havin’ A Party, Stark was tapped to do the music. The resulting reimagination of Hoagy Carmichael’s recording was used for the show, and issued on jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal’s AJP label. The recording features Monty Stark on vibes, saxophonist Carl Atkins, Phil Morrison on bass, Vinnie Johnson on drums and John Abercrombie on guitar.
