Vinyl Vault — Sonny Stitt, “Blues for Duke”

The Vinyl Vault features an Ellington tribute by saxman Sonny Stitt. The album “Blues for Duke” was released on the Muse Records label and is a tough one to find, but the Vinyl Vault has a copy.

Vinyl Vault is sponsored by Vinyl Me, Please

The album was recorded in 1975, the year after Ellington’s death and was released in 1978. The title track is Stitt’s composition as a salute to the Duke. The other tracks were all written or co-written by Ellington or are tunes associated with him.

The solid rhythm section featured Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Stitt played mostly tenor saxophone but picked up his alto for one tune.

Check out Sonny Stitt’s Ellington tribute on Tuesday, December 6 at 8:30 pm on the Vinyl Vault on KUVO JAZZ.

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