Duke Ellington: "The Far East Suite"

Tonight's Jazz Feature honors the Birthday Anniversary of one of America's most important artists. Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington D.C.and he passed away in New York on May 24, 1974 at age 75 from cancer. Tonight The Jazz Show presents one of Ellington's latter day masterpieces, "The Far East Suite". It commemorates a US State Department tour the band took in late 1963 to the Middle east, India and Japan. The music was written by Ellington and his partner Billy Strayhorn and recorded in late 1966. The band is at it's best and the prominent soloists are alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton, Ellington himself on piano and baritone saxophonist Harry Carney and trumpeters Cootie Williams and Cat Anderson. The bassist is John Lamb and the drummer is the great Rufus Jones. Enjoy this classic and marvel at how contemporary this music sounds today.