Arnie Somogyi and Mark Edwards: the Ellington Piano Project [jazz]

Few would imagine that Duke Ellington, a jazz legend and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century made his final recording in Eastbourne – a seaside town on the South Coast of England. Yet it was here, at The Congress Theatre, that Ellington delivered his swan song – a live concert immortalised on the 1975 RCA album, The Eastbourne Performance. This was to be his last officially-released recording, cementing a poignant chapter in musical history.

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of this landmark recording, and to celebrate this legacy leading jazz musicians, bassist Arnie Somogyi and pianist Mark Edwards, have recorded a brand-new album – ‘The Ellington Piano Project’ – that rekindles Ellington’s spirit and showcases the piano played during that historic concert.

With fresh reworkings of classic Ellington compositions placed alongside original music inspired by Ellington’s improvisations, the album spotlights New York-based Dutch tenor virtuoso Gideon Tazelaar and rising star Matthew Holmes on drums.

The album is scheduled for release in October 2025 on Rubicon Jazz, accompanied by a supporting tour around the UK, which culminates in a whole day of Ellington-themed events and evening gala concert at The Congress Theatre, Eastbourne on 12th October, marking the 50th Anniversary of the release of Eastbourne Performance.

“Musical re-imaginings these days so often mask the material they seek to champion. This album, however, does precisely the opposite, offering us a new view on a legend mapped a million different times already. In this, its significance is as noteworthy as its brilliance.” – Simon Spillett