As the 1940’s rolled to an end, it appeared as though Duke Ellington’s career had careened off the rails.

His fan base seemingly evaporated overnight, once the war (and the nasty AFM strike) came to an end, his own record label was no longer interested in supporting his releases, and even the critics who once swooned over each released were suddenly filled with vitriol. All this, despite the fact that Ellington was the only bandleader to survive the seismic shift in times, that he supported his band from his own earnings, and he continued to record interesting music (albeit less frequently).

As I hope this show can attest, Ellington’s genius may not have been quite as evident on every recording, but he was still doing things that no one else was willing to try. Ellington struggled, but he worked as hard as ever to remain unique, original and interesting.

Featured tracks include:

Suddenly It Jumped

Swamp Fire

Golden Cress

Stomp, Look and Listen

The Liberian Suite:

1. I Like the Sunrise
2. Dance #1
3. Dance #2
4. Dance #3
5. Dance #4
6. Dance #5