Saturday 25th April 2026
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUKE! - A SPECIAL SHOW BY THE POCKET ELLINGTON!
A very important and nice anniversary is coming up soon - Duke Ellington's birthday, April 29th!
The Pocket Ellington manages what ought to be impossible - creating a classic Ellingtonian sound with just four horns and a rhythm section. Great charts from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s – Main Stem, Rain Check, Cotton Tail, Chelsea Bridge, Such Sweet Thunder and others - are presented in clever new arrangements which evoke the period but also offer solo space to these top-flight musicians. The repertoire also includes pieces from artists and arrangers who were influenced by the Duke – Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk and Gil Evans. It’s a big sound from a pocket band.
Miles Davis is supposed to have said, ‘at least one day out of the year all musicians should just put their instruments down, and give thanks to Duke Ellington’. The Pocket Ellington does just that.
Line Up:
Alex Webb - piano/MD
Dave Green – bass
Winston Clifford – drums
Tom Smith, Robert Fowler – reeds
Andy Davies – trumpet
David Lalljee – trombone
Dave Green has been a stalwart of rh British scene for 60 years, and in his time as house bassist at Ronnie Scott's played with a number of Ellingtonians; Tom Smith is one of the most exciting young saxophonists and arrangers around today; Andy Davies is the long-time host of the Ronnie Scott's jam sessions; David Lalljee is a key part of the Mingus legacy group Blues And Roots, Robert Fowler plays classic swing tenor; Winston Clifford is one of the most in-demand drummers on the scene, and Alex Webb is an arranger and pianist with a long history of tribute projects and jazz history shows.
“A terrific band with a rhythm section as good as any on the planet”– Blue Light, magazine of the Duke Ellington Society UK
“It's hard to think of a better way to experience the magic of Ellington, given that the maestro and his associates are all gone; it's the closest thing we'll get to experiencing live Duke in 2025”- Jazzwise
“A wonderful night’s live music paying tribute to one of the greats” - ArcanaFM
“It's called 'The Pocket Ellington', but there is nothing about this band that is small. A big sound and some really high-quality arrangements wowed the audience” - Hilaryseabrook.blogspot.com
www.thebluemoment.com/tag/the-pocket-ellington/
Video 1 (“Such Sweet Thunder” – The Pocket Ellington – live): https://youtu.be/NlMkkJDkn9k?si=AdVix2ZnBCD0Q17b
Video 2 (“Mood Indigo” – The Pocket Ellington – live): https://youtu.be/_EIvEBK3Gok?si=-H0ePCzDaPEaQbbR
