A tribute to Duke Ellington

April 29, 1999 marked the 100th anniversary of Duke ELLINGTON's birth date. On this occasion, bassist/arranger Jean WARLAND, a specialist of Duke's music, teams up with Richard ROUSSELET and some top Belgian artists to pay a tribute to the master. The band presents a selection of his greats classics as well as some beautiful but less known pieces (as Jean puts it : "the great B sides" of his hit 78 rpm recordings).

The tribute is being paid through arrangements and faithful transcriptions made by bassist/arranger Jean WARLAND, who is known for his deep knowledge of Duke's music.

Pianist Michel HERR, while preserving his unique personality, alludes to the particular and rich sounds of Duke and illustrates Duke's art of accompanying .

The repertoire includes some of the very known pieces but also some rare pearls and unknown tunes, like the great "B sides" of 78 rpm, as Jean WARLAND likes to put it.

The band made his first appearance in February '99, at the Cologne "Subway" club, an evening recorded by WDR tv. Many concerts and festivals followed in 99 and 2000, all in front of an enthusiastic audience.

The band is still available.