Duke Ellington is one of the great geniuses of the 20th century. The body of music for which he is responsible has influenced all of us deeply. It's difficult — impossible — to imagine what jazz would be like without him.

From this treasure chest I've selected a handful of musical gems I've long admired. My intention was not to imitate Duke. Instead, I tried to treat these great tunes in new and unexpected ways; « Chelsea Bridge » and « Mood Indigo », originally done as ballads, are given new time signatures and much faster tempos; « Creole Love Call » led by Ron Carter's insistent bass line, is much "dirtier" than Duke's version; « Caravan » is built on an arrangement Erroll Garner did for his trio on a 1954 LP (listen for his "left hand" under Phil Woods' solo).

As a special tribute, I've created a new suite, « Joyful Noise », built on Ellington's motifs and laced throughout with quotes from many of Duke's greatest compositions.

This is our love letter to this jazz master.

I give my heartfelt thanks to all the fabulous musicians who participated in performing this music which Duke so generously gave us. We all want him to know we "love him madly."

—Don Sebesky