Beyond gorgeous is the piece that is our song of the day today. Featuring the supreme lyricism of Ben Webster’s tenor saxophone, this composition is another example of how Ellington had the power to write specifically for members of his band. During my college years an ensemble I was in played the transcription of this song and I got to do the Ben Webster solo… I learned so much from those few bars of transcription than you can imagine. It is often said that the players of this era said more with less.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
