The Ellington Piano Project

Arnie Somogyi Quartet with Mark Edwards, Matt Holmes & Gideon Tazelaar

The Ellington Piano Project – Album Release Tour

Few would imagine that jazz legend Duke Ellington, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, made his final recording in Eastbourne, on the South Coast of England. Yet it was here, at The Congress Theatre, that Ellington delivered his swan song, a live concert immortalised on the 1975 RCA album, The Eastbourne Performance. This was to be his last officially-released recording, cementing a poignant chapter in musical history.

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of this landmark recording, and to celebrate this legacy leading jazz musicians, bassist Arnie Somogyi and pianist Mark Edwards, have recorded a brand-new album, ‘The Ellington Piano Project’,  that rekindles Ellington’s spirit and showcases the piano played during that historic concert.

With fresh reworkings of classic Ellington compositions placed alongside original music inspired by Ellington’s improvisations on Eastbourne Performance, the album spotlights New York-based Dutch tenor virtuoso Gideon Tazelaar and rising star Matthew Holmes on drums, with special guest vocalist Sara Oschlag featured on two tracks.

The album is scheduled for release in October 2025 on Rubicon Jazz, accompanied by a supporting tour around the UK, which culminates in ‘Ellington in Eastbourne’ a whole day of Ellington-themed events and evening gala concert at The Congress Theatre, Eastbourne on 12th October, highlighting Ellington’s memorable Eastbourne performance and its legacy for the town.

“Musical re-imaginings these days so often mask the material they seek to champion. This album, however, does precisely the opposite, offering us a new view on a legend mapped a million different times already. In this, its significance is as noteworthy as its brilliance.”

 – Simon Spillett, award-winning saxophonist and writer.

Mark Edwards piano
Arnie Somogyi bass
Gideon Tazelaar sax
Matthew Holmes drums