Mike Westbrook Recordings
S a y s   t h e   D u k e
Mike Westbrook
The Uncommon Orchestra
Says the Duke 2022
Track Listing
1. Says The Duke
Buy Download or CD from the artist on Bandcamp
Information
Download
dedicated to Duke Ellington
from the suite 'On Duke’s Birthday'

music by Mike Westbrook
words by Kate Westbrook
with quotes from Duke Ellington
and Billy Strayhorn
The Uncommon Orchestra
Kate Westbrook voice Mike Westbrook piano
Pete Whyman saxophone /clarinet Chris Biscoe Roz Harding
Sarah Dean Alan Wakeman Ian Wellens saxophones
trumpets Graham Russell Robin Pengilley Andy Hague Sam Massey
trombones Joe Carnell Sam Chamberlain-Keen Stewart Stunell Ashley Nayler
violin Dominique Pifarely cello Frank Schaefer guitars Jesse Molins Matthew North
bass Marcus Vergette drums Coach York

directed by Matthew Bourne
recorded at Ronnie Scott’s, London 14th April 2022
sound engineer Miles Ashton mixed and mastered by Matthew North
produced for Westbrook Records by Mike Westbrook,
Matthew North and Chris Topley.
recording courtesy of Ronnie Scott’s Club.

available as a download on Bandcamp from Westbrook Records
and streaming/downloading from Proper Music Distribution on all digital platforms.
Reviews
Despite his advanced age but strong In the artistic and life partnership with wife Kate, Westbrook continues to stay on the cutting edge after a long and successful career. Here he tackles the unusual form of the single in a self-released track available on Bandcamp.
Just under 11 minutes of music taken from a London concert with the Uncommon Orchestra. It is a big band that includes many veterans devoted for years to the English master plus many newcomers. The project “On Duke's Birthday” was born in 1984 to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Ellington's passing, and this piece reaffirms its principal theme.
A challenge from which Westbrook once again emerges with his head held high, engaging in writing of great originality. Westbrook does not perform Ellington's music nor does he rearrange it, but rather evokes the spirit of the Duke, echoing the accurate and silky textures of the brass sections and saxophones, expands the spaces reserved for solos, entrusts Kate with the task of stitching together the essential parts into a coherent whole. There is no shortage of references to the proverbial interjections of such Ellingtonian soloists such as Barney Bigard or Juan Tizol. The singing of Kate is rich in charm and intimate participation, just as Biscoe's sax shines, but what amazes is always Westbrook himself: the few seconds of his prelude, with its powerful attack and notes suspended and mysterious, An authentic masterpiece.
Giancarlo Spezia - Musica Jazz
Mike Westbrook