This is the second in hopefully a long series of interpretations of music by Duke Ellington by leader and percussionist RJ Spangler. The winning feature of his tributes to The Duke is that for the most part, Spangler shies away from Ellington’s big hits and focuses on more obscure pieces, such as ones from Anatomy of A Murder, which are spotlighted here along with some other pieces from the latter-days of the famed composer.
This, you get trumpeter James O’Donnell plunging deeper than Beyonce’s neckline on a thrilling take of “Echoes Of Harlem” , Alex Colista going rich and reedy for “Addi” and “The Shepherd” and Goode Wyche III’s bari gloriously as dark as molasses on “Frustration”. The sax section sways Colista on “Blood Count” and sways to vocalist Camille Price on a bluesy “Rocks In My Bed. Yes, there are a couple well known pieces, with T-bone Paxton giving some earthy vocals over the tribal percussion on the avalanche of “Caravan”, and a “Sophisticated Lady” featuring pianist Michael Zaporski in a luminous fashion. Extra points for playing Ellington well, and playing lesser known Ellington like a balm in Gilead.