Ellington Forever: Enrico Tomasso

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death – on May 24, 1974 – I’ve asked a number of jazz musicians and aficionados to share their thoughts and feelings about this titan of the music. Today: the ace British trumpeter Enrico Tomasso. Next time: Dick Hyman

How did you first hear or become aware of Duke Ellington and his music?

Being the son of a jazz musician, the music of Ellington was a part of my regular musical listening from before I can remember. 

Which Ellington recording/tune first piqued your interest?

My father had a heathy percentage of Ellington in his collection and the ones featuring Johnny Hodges were played on a regular basis as he was a favourite of my mother also. I remember being introduced to the sound of “Tricky” Sam Nanton and my father explaining the plunger-pixie technique which created a unique and distinct sound producing a “yah-yah” to the notes played. He then told me an anecdote about when Tyree Glen stepped in for “Tricky Sa”’. Ellington would let Sam take some leave only if he passed on his closely guarded technique to his substitute. With great reluctance he taught Tyree the skill with the proviso, “If you tell anyone else I’ll kill you.” As I was already playing trumpet I naturally was exposed to the way Cootie Williams developed a similar technique on the trumpet – which I’ve studied and used my whole career. The Ellington way of writing made his band instantly recognisable and sounded so different to his contemporaries even to my child’s ear. 

Which period or periods of Ellington’s career are you fondest of?

My induction into Ellington was non-chronological thus I would hear recordings from differing periods, often of the same song, which led to me appreciating his whole output equally and as a constant “work in progress”. I still listen to and love tracks from across the entire output from the 1950s and 1960s  back to the early 1920s.

When you hear his name being mentioned, what springs to mind?

The fact that he was the biggest innovator of jazz composition and development and was always years ahead of contemporaries. For example, you can hear certain harmonic structures being used in the 1930s recordings that only became the mainstream in post-bop forms. Also, his way of hiring musicians for their individual sounds to enrich the collective ensemble in a certain way was inspirational. 

Did you ever see him and his band perform?

I feel very fortunate not only to have heard the Ellington orchestra live but also to have met some of the iconic Ellingtonions. The venue was the Wakefield theatre club in about 1969/70 and my father. in his inimitable fashion, got us backstage into the band room where we met Cootie Williams, Jimmy Hamilton and Cat Anderson. Cat was extremely helpful to me as a developing trumpeter and my mum reminded me in later years that we invited him to stay and have some home-cooked Italian food for which he was graciously thankful.  

Which are your favourite recordings? (And why?) 

It’s always hard to answer this question. I have so many favourites – picking the best is impossible. Old King Doojie is one of them. A perfect example of Ellington’s advanced harmonic sense. The theme stated on the saxes is indicating the key of Cm whilst the response from the brass intimates an entirely different key of Bb major. The suspense this creates, played with startling vibrancy by the ensembles and perfectly balanced solos alongside the driving rhythm of Sonny Greer and co, adds up to an incredible piece of music which I describe as no less than genius. I can repeat this critical appreciation to a hundred more recordings and still not be able to pick a favourite.

Are there any particular Ellington numbers you like to play?

Answer to this is most of them. I have been fortunate to have performed with many bands – notably The Midnight Follies, Harlem and Echoes Of Ellington – playing Ellington transcriptions from every period, and the experience is so rewarding. Playing any of the ballads – eg: In A Sentimental Mood, Sophisticated Lady, Prelude to a Kiss, Black Butterfly …. – in small band settings is always a dream.

Which are your favourite albums? (And why?)

I will admit to a favourite here as Live at Newport is such an important milestone in the Ellington band. A pivotal time of the Orchestra between periods, with players like Clark Terry helping the transition. And of course the incredible 27 choruses of Paul Gonsalves as part of The Festival Suite, a forerunner to many contemporary concepts in Jazz orchestral writing. But apart from this huge significance it shows that Ellington could get through to the audience and create a live musical experience of unsurpassed joy. 

Do you remember when Duke Ellington died – and what the reaction was like?

I was only 13 so I don’t remember much about it. In some ways I felt he was immortal because of the legacy he left behind.

Ellington Forever: Russell Davies

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death – on May 24, 1974 – I’ve asked a number of jazz musicians and aficionados to share their thoughts and feelings about this titan of the music. Today: the broadcaster, writer and jazz documentary filmmaker Russell Davies. Next time: Enrico Tomasso

How did you first hear or become aware of Duke Ellington and his music?

I was first introduced to Ellington as an enthusiasm-in-itself by my school classmate David Marks (later a KC) who caught on to him while I was still working through King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton. We first bonded in a jazz sense over an LP called Great Jazz Pianists, issued in 1959 on RCA Camden. It had everything from Peterson and Garner to Morton on it, and the Duke was represented by Rockin’ In Rhythm, the 1931 version, which we loved. 

David was half French and had picked up more Ellington in France, unavailable here at the time. Later in life, he practised in Chicago as a lawyer for a while, and met Ellington – actually what happened was that Paul Gonsalves got completely wasted and Dave was one of two volunteers who carried him out. Ellington noticed this, and gave Dave his calling card, which remained one of his most reassured possessions until his death.

 Which period or periods of Ellington’s career are you fondest of?

I remained fond of early Ellington, collecting for example all the many versions I could find of East St Louis Toodle-Oo (which the Duke called “todle-o”), including a fascinating one with Jabbo Smith, whom I later interviewed in NYC. Even my father liked that number, because he said the opening dirge-like theme resembled some Welsh hymn-tune he knew. But as the reissue programmes of the record companies got going here, I moved quickly on to the Blanton-Webster era. By then I was a trombone-player, so I was very fond of Lawrence Brown and Tricky Sam – and Juan Tizol actually, because I had a valve-trombone. 

An early Duke/Brown feature I got to love was Adelaide Hall’s version of Baby, with its marvellous unhurried tempo. I interviewed her too, twice – once in company with Cab Calloway. I’d asked Calloway on an earlier occasion which of Duke’s musicians he’d have poached, given the chance. He had to think about it, but he said: “Lawrence Brown. Trombone. Beautiful.” He was grinning as he answered.

When you hear his name being mentioned, what springs to mind?

I saw Duke play several times, so I have lots of mental pictures of him. His shiny suits were always memorable, bulky in the jacket region, stovepipe-thin in the trousers, which were always that little bit short (Sunak-like!) to expose his silk socks and extremely shiny pump-like patent-leather shoes. The arm-waving manner of conducting wasn’t wasn’t quite like anybody else’s – often it was like hailing a very distant taxi.. And there was the perennial joke of his holding a sheet of music up for Johnny Hodges to “read”, and Hodges disdainfully ignoring it. The way the band came to the stand was notorious – never as one body, but in ones and twos, gradually filling the chairs, possibly hoping for their own round of applause which they often got. Cootie Williams came last, and of course played behind the beat in his rhetorical style most of the evening. I wrote in The Listener once (review-depping for Sandy Brown) that Cootie sometimes sounded as if he were keeping time with another band, across the street.

 Did you ever see the Ellington band in action?

The closest any of us came to the band physically was in Great St May’s Church, 1967, when Duke played his first-version Sacred Concert. Our university group, the Idle Hour Jazz Band, were among the first to buy tickets. I’m going to be talking about this occasion in July in King’s College Chapel, because the Crouch End Festival Chorus is singing its own version of the piece, and I’m there as a witness to the original. 

We were quite close to the stage (the holy end), and I was on the end of a row, with my foot sticking out a bit – I remember that because Johnny Hodges, on his way to the stage, tripped over it. I could have ended a great career there. I sat next to our clarinet player, Trevor Stent, and I remember his sobs of panic (“Oh NO! you CAN’T do that!”) when Russell Procope, an early arrival, starting carving visible strips off his reed. But of course he’d been doing it since the 1920s. The only person we were envious of at the Cambridge event was a drummer we knew under the name of Freddie Foskett, who wangled sole permission to be present at Duke’s rehearsal, where he took many fine photographs – we’d no idea he was a serious photographer at all (he wasn’t a great drummer). He’s gone now, but his work is quite revered – under his proper name of Brian Foskett.

Twenty years later, I made a BBC2 documentary – a long one – called Duke Ellington – And His Famous Orchestra, filmed mostly in America, and got to know the Ellington world much better. Duke was dead by then, much lamented by all – especially his personal physician, Dr Luther Cloud (Lester Young’s doctor too), who saw him in his last days. “And he was such a nice-looking man,” he said, almost tearfully, meaning that by that time he no longer was. Anyway that film was crammed with interviews – with Duke’s sister Ruth, with Mercer his son, Cootie, Clark Terry, Al Hibbler, Louis Bellson, Jimmy Hamilton (very useful), Dizzy Gillespie, John Sanders, Dick Hyman (demonstrating the James P. Johnson style), Pastor John Gensel, Cab and so on. It was Jimmy H. who told us that Cootie and Cat Anderson were known as the Bookends, because they got on so badly that they had to be placed at opposite ends of the trumpet section. 

Which are your favourite recordings/albums?

Favourite records are too many to list. I like all of 1939-45, and pretty well anything with Ivie Anderson on it, and have an odd fondness for the slightly preposterous Flamingo with Herb Jeffries. (Ed Anderson who wrote the lyric is also in the film.) I like oddments like Tonk, the Ellington/Strayhorn piano duet. By some accident, I happen to be specially fond of all the songs beginning with I: I Ain’t Got Nothin’ but the Blues, I Didn’t Know About You, I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good), I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart, I’m Beginning to See the Light, I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So, In a Mellow Tone and In a Sentimental Mood.

Do you remember when Duke Ellington died – and what the reaction was like?

I don’t remember much about his death, except the same sort numbness that set in when Louis died. The last band of Duke’s I saw was a bit of a mess – full of just-about-heard-of-him players, too many saxophones etc. And the leader obviously not well, though we still loved him madly. 

Ellington Forever: Scott Hamilton

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death – on May 24, 1974 – I’ve asked a number of jazz musicians and aficionados to share their thoughts and feelings about this titan of the music. Today: the magisterial American tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton. Next time: Russell Davies

Scott Hamilton, Pizza Express, March 2022 (c) Alison Kerr

How did you first hear or become aware of Duke Ellington and his music?

When I was little (maybe 8), I became fascinated with the chapter on Ellington in The Pictorial History of Jazz. I was especially fascinated by Johnny Hodges who I thought looked so cool. I saved up and bought In A Mellotone at the record store and played it to death.

Which period or periods of Ellington’s career are you fondest of?

They are all equally interesting to me.

Did you ever see him and his band perform?

Yes! The first time was 1970 at Providence College, about a month before Hodges died. After that, I saw the band twice – once at a dance, which was pretty amazing. We could stand right in front of the saxes and read the music.

Which are your favourite recordings? 

I love too many to list here but I’m really fond of Unknown Session and Ellington 65 and 66.

Do you remember when Duke Ellington died – and what the reaction was like? 

Right before I came to NY the whole band started dying. It was spooky. One of my first gigs was at Gregory’s on 1st Ave. Brooks Kerr was the leader and the band was Russell Procope and Sonny Greer. And me for 8 weeks!

Scott Hamilton & Brian Kellock (piano) play the Edinburgh Jazz Festival on July 18

Ellington Forever: Bruce Adams

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death – on May 24, 1974 – I’ve asked a number of jazz musicians and aficionados to share their thoughts and feelings about this titan of the music. Today: the dynamic Scottish trumpeter Bruce Adams. Tomorrow: Scott Hamilton

How did you first hear or become aware of Duke Ellington and his music?

I first became aware of Duke Ellington through Django Reinhardt. My father, who was a guitarist, bought the album Django the Unforgettable when I was about seven. One of the first tracks to make an impression on me was C Jam Blues. Later on, I heard Django’s recording of In A Sentimental Mood, and began to realise there was something of interest here. Roll on to when I was 11 and had just started playing trumpet. Ellington numbers kept on popping up so a lot of my trumpet heroes at the time were Ellington sidemen – Cootie Williams, Ray Nance and Cat Anderson – and I was always looking out for new stuff to hear.

Did you ever see Ellington and his band perform?

Sadly, I never got to hear Ellington live myself. I did however see several television broadcasts which blew me away. I think the one from Coventry Cathedral in 1966 was probably the most memorable. The two numbers that stood out for me were Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue and Single Petal of a Rose.

My father had seen Ellington when he came here and performed with a British rhythm section. That would have been the time of the M.U ban on visiting Americans. Ellington had Ray Nance who did his complete act of trumpet, violin, vocals and flying backflips across the stage. He was known in the band as “Floorshow”. The singer was Kay Davis and the British guys included Malcolm Mitchell on guitar and Tony Crombie on drums. I think the bass player might have been Jack Fallon, but I could be wrong there.

What do you think made Ellington’s orchestra so great?

I always felt Ellington’s band to be the most multifaceted of all the big bands. The band never stopped developing and growing. They had people – like Harry Carney – who virtually spent their whole career in the band. Johnny Hodges was such an integral part of band as was Paul Gonsalves. You couldn’t imagine either of them without thinking of Ellington.

Which Ellington numbers have you enjoyed playing?

In the 1990s, I had the privilege of playing the Cat Anderson chair with Echoes of Ellington, a British band run by Pete Long. We played everything in the Ellington repertoire from the early Cotton Club charts to the later suites written in collaboration with Billy Strayhorn. I played The Madness in Great Ones [from Such Sweet Thunder] for the Birmingham Royal Ballet. That was some of the best music I ever played, although that solo probably shortened my life by five years …

I was lucky to work a lot in Germany with Jimmy Woode, the bass player on Such Sweet Thunder. He was a nice man and had so many stories of Duke. There is one story I remember about when Duke stole three of the guys from Harry James’s band. One was Willie Smith who replaced Johnny Hodges for a couple of years. It was known as “The Great James Robbery” … A journalist asked Harry James about it and he said if Duke had asked him, he’d have gone too. Ellington’s band could be chaotic and sometimes sounded terrible. They also played mind games with Duke, and vice versa, but when they hit the groove there was nothing like it. 

Do you remember when Duke Ellington died?

I was 22 when Duke died, aged 75. We were all saddened but not surprised: in comparison to a lot of his contemporaries he had a long life. He did, however, leave a fantastic legacy which we’re lucky to have. As I’ve grown older I’ve learned to appreciate it even more, and if you are a mainstream jazz musician, Ellington is always going to make an appearance in your orbit.

We have a lot to be thankful for.

Bruce Adams is playing at the Leith Jazz Festival, various venues in Leith, Edinburgh between June 7 and 9. Visit http://www.bruce-adams.co.uk for more info on Bruce’s work.

Ellington Forever: Dave Green

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death – on May 24, 1974 – I’ve asked a number of jazz musicians and aficionados to share their thoughts and feelings about this titan of the music. Today: the doyen of British bass players, Dave Green. Tomorrow: Bruce Adams

Ben Webster, who dazzled in Dave Green’s favourite incarnation of the Ellington band, with Dave himself, backstage at Ronnie Scott’s, London, 1967

How did you first hear or become aware of Duke Ellington and his music?

I first became aware of Duke Ellington when I was a young teenager, maybe around the age of 15. I used to listen to Willis Conover’s Jazz Hour which was broadcast over the Voice Of America every night at 12.15am on medium wave. The reception wasn’t that good but the music was fantastic. The programme opened up with Willis Conover saying “This is the Voice of America Jazz Hour” followed by Duke playing Take The ‘A’ Train. It was wonderful and mesmerising. 

What was your first Ellington record/CD? Or the recording/tune which first piqued your interest?

The first LP that I bought was Duke Ellington At His Very Best on RCA Victor. It was a compilation of various Duke Ellington tracks from the 1940s including Jack The Bear featuring the wonderful young bassist Jimmy Blanton. Of all the great bassists in the history of the music, I still go back to Blanton as my biggest influence.

Which period or periods of Ellington’s career are you fondest of?

My favourite period of Duke’s career is the 1939-41 band known as the Blanton/Webster band.   

When you hear his name being mentioned, what springs to mind?

Duke’s name to me represents the peak, in fact the very summit of the music we call Jazz. 

Did you ever see him and his band perform?

I went to see Duke at the Hammersmith Odeon on Valentine’s Day 1965. It was an unforgettable experience. To see and hear the band live was sensational. The legendary names of Cootie Williams, Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Johnny Hodges, Russel Procope, Harry Carney were still there.  To hear the saxophone section, which included Paul Gonsalves, was alone worth the price of admission. I couldn’t believe the sound of Johnny Hodges’ alto and the baritone of Harry Carney. It was a wonderful evening of Duke’s music which I will never forget.

Which are your favourite recordings? 

My favourite recordings are too numerous to mention but here are a few: 

• The Duke Ellington Jimmy Blanton duets recorded in October 1940. Jimmy Blanton was a true innovator of the bass. He was just 21 when he recorded these four duets with Duke. 
• The legendary live recording from Fargo, North Dakota on 7 November 1940. This recording shows how great the band sounded on a live date. It was Ray Nance’s first night with the Duke.
• From the studio recordings of the 1940/41 band – Sepia Panorama, Jack The Bear, Cottontail, Take The ‘A’ Train, Sidewalks of New York, All Too Soon, Harlem Air Shaft, I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good, Warm Valley, Jumpin’ Pumpkins.

I’ve just picked out a few but I love all the records that were made by the 1940/41 band. From March 1940, when the band started recording for RCA Victor, the band took off. The addition of Jimmy Blanton in the rhythm section and Ben Webster in the saxes spurred Duke onto new heights of inspiration and in 1940 he produced a series of masterpieces one after the other. 

– Such Sweet Thunder, released in 1957, which includes the exquisite Johnny Hodges playing The Star Crossed Lovers.

– Black, Brown And Beige – the 1944 RCA Victor recording. 

Are there any particular Ellington numbers you like to play?

It’s a constant inspiration to play Duke’s music. Of course, I love to play Take The ‘A’ Train. I also love to play the songs written by Billy Strayhorn or in collaboration with the Duke, such as Isfahan, Day Dream, Passion Flower and Something To Live For. 

A few months ago I did a live recording at the Pizza Express, Dean Street with singer Ian Shaw, saxophonist Tony Kofi and pianist Barry Green. The album, which is being released in June on CD and LP on the Pizza’s new label PX Records, is titled An Adventurous Dream and is dedicated to the music of Billy Strayhorn and his collaborations with Duke. Some of the titles we do are Blood Count, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing and Passion Flower. There’s a couple of gigs coming up with the group – the Swanage Jazz Festival on July 12 and the Watermill, Dorking on August 20.

I’m also involved in a couple of other Duke projects with the pianist Alex Webb.The Pocket Ellington is a seven piece band dedicated to playing the music of Ellington small groups. The band includes Alan Barnes, Tony Kofi and drummer Winston Clifford. The debut gig with the band is at the Pizza Express, Dean Street on September 2.

The other project with Alex is a tribute to Ben Webster called Big Ben which we are doing at the Scarborough Jazz Festival on September 29. This involves the same line-up as the seven piece except it has Clark Tracey on drums plus a string quartet to recreate the Ben Webster with strings LP Webster’s Dictionary, which was recorded in London in 1970 and which I was honoured to play bass on.

We’ve already done a couple of gigs with Big Ben, including the London Jazz Festival last November. Tony Kofi does a brilliant job of emulating Ben’s playing and does it with great respect for the great man.

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Ellington Forever: Clark Tracey

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death – on May 24, 1974 – I’ve asked a number of jazz musicians and aficionados to share their thoughts and feelings about this titan of the music. Today: Britain’s leading jazz drummer, Clark Tracey. Tomorrow: Dave Green

How did you first hear or become aware of Duke Ellington and his music?

I was lucky enough to hear Ellington’s music from infancy – he was constantly played at my house. Stan [Clark’s father, the renowned pianist and composer Stan Tracey] was particularly fond of the 15 minute extended version of Mood Indigo from the 1950 album Masterpieces. He played In A Mellotone a lot on gigs, but I think it was simply because everyone knew the changes!

What was your first Ellington record? Or the recording/tune which first piqued your interest?

Too many to pin down although I’ve always had a special place for Live in Newport 1956.

Which period or periods of Ellington’s career are you fondest of?

All of them, but especially the Sam Woodyard era. Sam’s input for me was a special concept of keeping time.  His cymbal, where he played the cymbal, and his solid time were hugely influential on me.  The comparison of his version of Skin Deep to Louis Bellson’s original version exemplifies his hipness and groove.  He also made great use of the offbeat “knock” as heard to great effect on Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue in the late 1950s.

When you hear his name being mentioned, what springs to mind?

Orchestration and swing.

Did you ever see him and his band perform?

I only saw him once at Westminster Abbey in the early 1970s. We were way back in the audience so couldn’t see him too clearly.  The giant figure of Harry Carney was more prominent.  I remember Princess Margaret was there but as far as I can recall, Ellington was in a white jacket with the band in blue jackets.  It was a long time ago!

Which is your favourite recording? (And why?)

Queen’s Suite – the crankier side of the Duke. Crankier in terms of his compositions being less hard swing, but more intricate and personal towards the subject, her majesty.  The writing is unusual and more profound in its way.

Is there/are there any particular Ellington numbers you like to play?

The Nutcracker Suite, Such Sweet Thunder, the Sacred Music.

Which are your favourite albums? (And why?)

Live at Newport ‘56.  The crowd reaction enhanced the band and it swings hard.

Do you remember when Duke Ellington died – and what the reaction was like? 

I was 13.  My family was deeply saddened.

Clark has some gigs coming up with an all-star line-up over the next few weeks, including:

MAY

20 Isleworth

22 Stoke by Nayland

24 Chichester

26 Hexham Jazz Festival

31 Harlow

JUNE

6 Cadogan Hall

For more information, visit Clark’s website

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Ellington Forever: Alan Barnes

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death – on May 24, 1974 – I’ve asked a number of jazz musicians and aficionados to share their thoughts and feelings about this titan of the music. First up … the wonderful British saxophonist, clarinettist, bandleader, arranger and composer Alan Barnes. Tomorrow: Clark Tracey …

How did you first become aware of Duke Ellington’s music?

When I was 15, my parents bought me a Selmer alto saxophone for the then exorbitant sum of £200 from Stock and Chapman’s music store in Manchester. An old musician sat in the corner smoking a roll-up, perhaps sensing that I was being spoiled, said: “Now you’ve got that, get a Johnny Hodges record.” Soon afterwards, I purchased a remarkable collection of JH small band performances on Verve, featuring lots of other Ellingtonians – Ben Webster, Billy Strayhorn, Sonny Greer and Laurence Brown amongst them. There were a few non Ellington names on there as well: John Coltrane (not given any solos!) and trumpeter Emmet Berry (often called the greatest Ellingtonian to not join Ellington). I loved the music, with great charts featuring lots of blues and rhythm changes type things alternating with gorgeous ballads. The Strayhorn composition Day Dream really caught my ear. The sleeve notes mentioned that Hodges made these records when on a break from Ellington in the early-mid 1950’s so next purchase was an Ellington recording.

What was your first Ellington record?

It was The Popular Duke Ellington, which is a 1966 session revisiting and reworking some of the Duke’s biggest hits. It started with Take The A Train and then there were lovely versions of Mood Indigo, Perdido and Black and Tan Fantasy. I didn’t know at the time that Duke was constantly revisiting earlier material, including the medleys with which he would begin his concerts, getting the hits out of the way quickly so that he could move on to newer things. There is an unbelievable version of I Got It Bad on there with Hodges getting the biggest alto sound ever! It would be a while before I got around to hearing the first versions of these tunes.

Which period or periods of Ellington’s career are you fondest of?

I like all periods of the band’s history, but if pushed I’d have to choose the Blanton/ Webster years.  Blanton revolutionised jazz bass playing giving it such a strong solo voice. Ben brought so much to the band, joining one of the greatest sax sections ever. Cottontail was a huge hit for him of course. There’s a general opinion that the band lost its sound when Hodges left for a few years but Willie Smith always sounds good in this band (as he did in every band he joined). I also loved the bands after Paul Gonsalves came in.

When you hear Duke Ellington’s name being mentioned, what springs to mind?

I always think of the courage he must have had to keep a band of this size and quality on the road whilst constantly composing new music. He invested his song royalties back into the orchestra and created something completely unique. It will never happen again in this way. He wrote specifically for the strengths of his players who were all, first and foremost, jazz musicians. I also think of his catch phrase “love you madly” which could be used in the most ironic way.

Which are your favourite recordings? (And why?)

 I love the later suites – Such Sweet Thunder, The New Orleans Suite and Queen’s Suite. A lot of Sweet Thunder was written by Billy Strayhorn and their relationship was a complex one. I love jazz compositions that develop rather than just being in the tune, string of solos, tune. There are many examples of longer form writing for the band right from Reminiscing in Rhythm, Harlem Airshaft and Black, Brown and Beige.  As well as all the most famous things I have four albums that I constantly return to: Duke Ellington’s Spacemen – The Cosmic Scene, Piano Reflections, which is piano trio, Unknown Session from 1960 (a beautifully recorded small band) and Blues in Orbit. Money Jungle is a brilliant session with Duke, Charles Mingus and Max Roach which still sounds contemporary.

Are there any particular Ellington numbers you like to play?

I regularly play Chelsea Bridge, A Flower is a Lovesome Thing, Tonight I Shall Sleep With a Smile on My Face, I let a Song Go Out of My Heart, Johnny Come Lately, Do Nothin’ Til You Hear From Me and Drop Me Off in Harlem. I like playing Charlie the Chulo and The Mooche on duo gigs with David Newton.

Here’s Alan leading an all-star band on Harlem Airshaft at the much-missed Norwich Jazz Party in 2012.

For details of Alan’s forthcoming gigs, visit his website

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