‘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
‘The Pocket Ellington, as the pianist Alex Webb calls his septet devoted to the music of the immortal Duke, turns out to be a very good idea’ – thebluemoment.com
‘Pianist-leader-narrator Alex Webb’s headline idea is to recreate the impact and feel of Ellington’s big band classics but with just a four-horn front-line and, by Jove, he’s done it’ - UKJazzNews
‘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
Born out of saxophonist Tony Kofi and pianist Alex Webb’s shared love of Ellington, The Pocket Ellington manages what ought to be impossible – creating a classic Ellingtonian sound with just four horns and a rhythm section. But with Kofi, Alan Barnes (reeds), Andy Davies (trumpet) and David Lalljee (trombone) on hand, anything is possible. Veteran bassist Dave Green and powerhouse drummer Winston Clifford provide the swing.
More information
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.
