It’s no secret that jazz composers have been profoundly influenced by classical composers and vice versa. Duke’s version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite is a fine example. Duke embraced the classical composer’s music with love and respect but transformed it in his own beautifully sincere way – the way it worked most naturally for his band and himself. Miles Davis and Gil Evans fell in love with Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez which became part of their project Sketches of Spain.

Rediscovered Ellington is presented in the same respectful manner. To continue Ellington’s legacy, we resurrected these compositions with our perspective through personalized arrangements. Although a few of them suggest a “tip of the hat” to Duke’s sound, most of these renditions showcase how quality music may be transformed into something new and refreshing while respecting the original essence of its composer. We hope you enjoy these compositions in this context.

Garry Dial, Dick Oatts, and Rich DeRosa.

In 1979, my mot