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.