Duke Ellington Legacy Single Petal of a Rose
Single Petal of a Rose
Duke Ellington Legacy
Renma Recordings
Artist Website
The Duke Ellington Legacy with special guest Houston Person
“This band breathes new life into Duke Ellington's treasured, voluminous canon.”
–Joseph Blake, Times Colonist, Canada
With “Single Petal of a Rose”, the talent-laden Duke Ellington Legacy offers an insightful,
often-breathtaking tour through a program of masterpieces by Ellington and his inimitable
creative partner, Billy Strayhorn.
A nine-piece multi-generational ensemble founded by guitarist Edward Kennedy Ellington II, Duke’s grandson, the Legacy doesn’t attempt to replicate the Ellington Orchestra’s sound (because really, who could?). Rather, the band explores sublime ballads, hard-charging flag wavers, lustrous tone poems, and sultry vocals, channeling an essentially Ellingtonian spirit from a contemporary perspective. With savvy music direction by saxophonist Virginia Mayhew and brilliant arrangements by the great Norman Simmons, who also handles piano duties with elegant authority, the band fully adheres to Duke’s prime directive, swinging as if their lives depended on it.
MUSICIANS:
Edward Kennedy Ellington II (guitar) • Norman Simmons (piano) • Houston Person (tenor saxophone) Virginia Mayhew (tenor saxophone) • Jami Dauber (trumpet) • Noah Bless (trombone) • Tom DiCarlo (bass) • Paul Wells (drums) • Sheila Earley (percussion) • Nancy Reed (vocals)
TRACK LIST:
1. Dedication - Norman Simmons (0:16) 2. Single Petal Of A Rose (4:06) 3. Happy Go Lucky Local (6:49) 4. In My Solitude (4:09) 5. Johnny Come Lately (10:56) 6. Home Grown (6:40) 7. Blood Count (4:16) 8. In A Mellow Tone (5:14) 9. Upper Manhattan Medical Group (4:54) 10. Squeeze Me (5:37) 11. Lush Life
(7:23) 12. After Hours (4:36) 13. Love You Madly (4:09) 14. Lotus Blossom (3:06)
