"When Billy Strayhorn died of cancer in 1967, Duke Ellington was devastated. His closest friend and arranger had left his life full of music and memories. As a tribute, Ellington and his orchestra almost immediately began recording a tribute to Strayhorn, using the late arrangers own compositions and charts. The album features well-known and previously unrecorded Strayhorn tunes that showcased his range, versatility, and above all, the quality that Ellington admired him most for: his sensitivity to all the timbral, tonal, and color possibilities an orchestra could bring to a piece of music." - All Music Guide
Musicians:
Duke Ellington, piano
Cat Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Herbie Jones, Cootie Williams, trumpets
Clark Terry, flugelhorn
Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, trombones
Chuck Connors, bass trombone
Johnny Hodges, alto sax
Russell Proope, alto sax, clarinet
Jimmy Hamilton, tenor sax, clarinet
Paul Gonaslves, tenor sax
Harry Carney, baritone sax, clarinet
Aaron Bell, bass
Steve Little, drums
Selections:
1. Snibor
2. Boo-Dah
3. Blood Count
4. U.M.M.G.
5. Charpoy
6. After All
7. The Intimacy of the Blues
8. Rain Check
9. Day-Dream
10. Rock Skippin at the Blue Note
11. All Day Long
12. Lotus Blossom
Musicians:
Duke Ellington, piano
Cat Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Herbie Jones, Cootie Williams, trumpets
Clark Terry, flugelhorn
Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, trombones
Chuck Connors, bass trombone
Johnny Hodges, alto sax
Russell Proope, alto sax, clarinet
Jimmy Hamilton, tenor sax, clarinet
Paul Gonaslves, tenor sax
Harry Carney, baritone sax, clarinet
Aaron Bell, bass
Steve Little, drums
Selections:
1. Snibor
2. Boo-Dah
3. Blood Count
4. U.M.M.G.
5. Charpoy
6. After All
7. The Intimacy of the Blues
8. Rain Check
9. Day-Dream
10. Rock Skippin at the Blue Note
11. All Day Long
12. Lotus Blossom