The North West Duke Ellington Orchestra

A 15-piece big band from across the North West, dedicated to the music of Duke Ellington, performing at Alexander's Live, a concert and performance venue in Chester.

The North West Duke Ellington Orchestra was formed in 2024 by musicians from Cheshire, Lancashire, the Liverpool City Region and Manchester who share a devotion to Duke Ellington's work. It is directed by saxophonist and bandleader Phil Shotton, and Dan Stinson, the group's founder, also plays saxophone. The project began in the year that marked the 125th anniversary of Ellington's birth and the 50th of his death.

The repertoire spans Ellington's career, from the dance tunes of the 1920s to the larger suites of the 1950s. Titles mentioned for the band include Ko-Ko, Blood Count and Rockin'in Rhythm. The players work from note-for-note transcriptions of historic live recordings by the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and the collaboration with Billy Strayhorn, Ellington's long-time partner in composition, is part of the material they perform. The orchestra has already played on World Jazz Day at Liverpool's Capstone Theatre and at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

The concert suits listeners who enjoy big band jazz and want to hear Ellington's writing performed by a large ensemble. Alexander's Live is a concert and performance venue in Chester, where the orchestra appears on this visit.