This CD contains rarely heard arrangements of some of Ellington"s best compositions. Billy Strayhorn once stated that "Duke Ellington plays the piano, but his real instrument is the orchestra". . Even if this is in some way true, Duke"s sporadic experiments with smaller groups and his skills as a pianist were nevertheless superb. The live performance at the Rainbow Grill offered here gives additional evidence of his stature as an instrumentalist. The octet was formed taking several of the major soloists from the 1967 Ellington band, including five horns (Cat Anderson on trumpet, Lawrence Brown on trombone, Johnny Hodges on alto sax, Paul Gonsalves on tenor sax and Harry Carney on baritone sax), plus the rhythm section including the Duke himself, John Lamb on bass, and Steve Little on drums. 13 tracks total, including "In A Sentimental Mood", "Azure", "Rock The Clock" and more. Gambit.