INTERVIEW: Christian Hoff, Melissa Hoff team up for new jazz single

Photo: Christian Hoff and Melissa Hoff recently collaborated on a new jazz tune. Photo courtesy of the artists / Provided by Crossover Media with permission.

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Singers Melissa Hoff and Christian Hoff, who are married in real life, recently released their new jazz duet called “We Talk Without Words,” which features lyrics by Eileen Bluestone Sherman and music by Gail C. Bluestone. The song is now available from 6-10 Productions LLC.

Both performers are accomplished in their own right. Melissa has acted in everything from The Pirates of Penzance to The Phantom of the Opera to The Scarlet Pimpernel, while Christian is known for his Tony-winning turn in Jersey Boys on Broadway. He currently tours with The Midtown Men, a group consisting of alumni from the Jersey Boys stage production.

Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with the Hoffs about their new recording. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.

How did this recording come about?

CHRISTIAN: The song — with lyrics by Eileen Bluestone Sherman and music by Gail C. Bluestone — has had a life of its own for many years, but had yet to be recorded as a single. Melissa and I were asked to bring our voices to it, and we were thrilled to sing together on an original tune for the first time. 

MELISSA: We were also excited for the opportunity to work with our friend and producer Joshua Sherman (Eileen’s son) at Old Mill Road Recording and to contribute to the story of “We Talk Without Words.”

What inspired you to record this song?

MELISSA: I think the intricacies of a relationship are beautifully expressed in the song. These sentiments are very familiar for us now, having spent the past 22 years together … finishing each other’s sentences. 

CHRISTIAN: And yet we still communicate most of our thoughts in a single glance, just as we first did, without words. 

Do you believe this song will lead to a fuller EP or album?

CHRISTIAN: With producer and friend Joshua Sherman, all things are possible! We look forward to continuing collaborations together.

MELISSA: An album of Eileen and Gail’s gifted songwriting, communicating the human experience in a profound and relatable way, will be well worth the wait!

What’s it like working together as collaborators and a married couple?

MELISSA: We greatly enjoy any opportunity to work and collaborate together. We met in 2000, working opposite one another in the musical Camelot. 

CHRISTIAN: As artists, we love riffing off of each other’s ideas and “playing” within the structure of a scene or song.

When did you first fall in love with jazz?

CHRISTIAN: I first fell in love with jazz through my father’s love for music. He was a budding musician in the Swedish jazz scene of the 1950s. My dad told me wonderful stories of Quincy Jones sitting around his kitchen table many times. Jazz was always part of his life. I made it part of my own by studying and participating in vocal jazz festivals at an early age. 

MELISSA: My first memory of jazz was hearing it live, outdoors as a child in Southern California. I loved how the music made me feel … relaxed, cool, free. My favorite radio stations, even then, were playing great jazz music. As I found my personal love for performing music, I have been inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn. Jazz is inspiring, uplifting, thought-provoking, introspective and therapeutic.

How has the pandemic been? It seems particularly difficult for live performers.

MELISSA: We both saw a year and half of bookings disappear in the matter of a week. The early days … months … were difficult to navigate. Christian, however, developed some pragmatic solutions to keep the music going. 

CHRISTIAN: Through videos and live-streaming performances to drive-in concerts, we saw first-hand how people are willing to embrace the need for music by whatever means possible and connect with others. 

What’s next for you two?

MELISSA: We are both passionate about using music to benefit others. Music can be entertaining or therapeutic, and when brought to an event, it is a powerful tool for raising funds and awareness. A cause very close to our hearts is cancer research. 

CHRISTIAN: I lost my father to cancer as a teenager, and my mother is fighting cancer currently. Our youngest daughter is now facing a relapse with leukemia, and Melissa is in remission from breast cancer. 

MELISSA: Music is a great source of comfort and healing for us personally. Working in collaboration with sibling songwriters Eileen and Gail (“The Bluestone Sisters”) on “We Talk Without Words” reminded us that creativity and opportunity can be more closely related than we think. 

CHRISTIAN: We love singing together. In addition to touring, recording and producing entertainment events, I’ve been hosting a weekly jazz show from the award-winning Old Mill Road Recording Studio in East Arlington, Vermont, called Jazz ‘n TÖST. It airs every week on WEQX and is available online at Jazzntost.com.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

“We Talk Without Words” by Christian Hoff and Melissa Hoff is now available from 6-10 Productions LLC. Click here for more information.