Shipton is a treasure for British jazz as a broadcaster and the author of many fine jazz biographies, including one on Buck Clayton. The legendary trumpet player from the Swing era became the raison d’etre for a tribute band formed in 2004 by Shipton and the saxophonist Matthias Seuffert. The Buck Clayton Legacy Band played at Pizza Express commemorating one of the greatest of all jazz musicians, Duke Ellington, 40 years after his death. The eight instrumentalists played compositions by Ellington and the members of Ellingtonia, such as right-hand man Billy Strayhorn and alto player Johnny Hodges. Most of the arrangements were by Alan Barnes who is also a skilled soloist, playing a wide range of reed instruments.
Across two sets the band performed rarities (‘Stop, Look, and Listen!’, ‘Snibor’) and classics (‘Harlem Air Shaft’, ‘Happy Reunion’, ‘The Jeep Is Jumpin’’). Some of the most well-known numbers were obscured—the immortal ‘Take the “A” Train’ was almost unrecognisable—while a classic flavour was added to lesser-known pieces, such as Shady Side whose autumnal mood perfectly suited the rain outside on Dean Street and the fast-fading November sun. The highlight of the evening was a majestic performance of ‘The Mooche’, which suggested a world falling apart in every direction; it is a composition whose every single note reminds us of the importance of Ellington as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century.
Original source of the content:
Underline Magazine (by British Council Iran): http://www.britishcouncil.ir/en/underline/music/efg-london-jazz-festival