Ellington 125: The Attucks Jazz Orchestra Celebrates Duke Ellington’s 125th Birthday

Todd Stoll, director
Catherine Russell, vocals
Walter Blanding, tenor saxophone

Presented by Virginia Arts Festival. A phenomenally gifted composer, band leader and pianist, Duke Ellington defined an era in jazz, shaping the sound of American music for more than 50 years. In fact, Ellington rejected being limited to jazz; he thought of his music as “beyond category.” Winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and 14 Grammy Awards (including the Lifetime Achievement Award), Ellington graced the great concert stages, films, and hottest clubs around, including Norfolk’s Attucks Theatre.

This concert celebrates Ellington’s career with a 16-piece all-star jazz orchestra showcasing local, regional and national artists across three generations, including the great vocalist Catherine Russell and tenor saxophone soloist Walter Blanding from Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Septet. They’ll perform music from 50 years of Ellington’s incredible compositional output, covering the widest range of works by a composer in history – a fitting celebration of the 125th anniversary of his birth.