I started experimenting with some of Ellington's tunes one day and after a while found I had four or five strong ideas that I was excited about. Some of these tunes including 'Satin Doll' and 'Mood Indigo' became the inspiration for the rest of the album which gradually took shape over about a year. I've always loved the way Ellington wrote for distinct musical instrumental voices and became fascinated in the way you could hear Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves and Lawerence Brown all 'sticking out' in the section . The sucess of this record lies alot in the individual voices I have on this record.
Parliamentary Jazz Awards winner
