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Duke Ellington famously professed that when composing for his revered orchestra he wrote for the individual players, not for their instruments. For his stunning new album celebrating the timeless music of Ellington and his frequent composing partner Billy Strayhorn, low woodwind specialist Brian Landrus essentially reversed that concept. In order to find his own personal interpretation of the works of Ellington and Strayhorn, Landrus created a virtual orchestra composed of the musician he knows better than any other – himself. Brian Landrus Plays Ellington & Strayhorn, released via Palmetto Records, features Landrus on a full spectrum of instruments: baritone and bass saxophones, bass and contra alto clarinets, piccolo, and C, alto and bass flutes. With Grammy-winning engineer and producer John Kilgore, he layers his multi-hued voices into a rich and distinctive orchestral sound that harkens to the lush timbres of the classic Ellington Orchestra while displaying a evocative sonic hue all his own. That tonality is given a brilliant foundation by the stellar rhythm section that Landrus has assembled for the occasion: guitarist Dave Stryker, bassist Jay Anderson, and drummer Billy Hart. While the music of these two legendary composers has been an influence on Landrus throughout his life, it was playing a concert of Ellington’s sacred music with Berklee professor Gregory Hopkins that sparked this project: “I heard these masterpieces and thought that there might be room for exploration with the sounds that I could provide them. But I didn't want to just do a quartet record of Duke tunes. It occurred to me that one way to do the music justice would be to use all the woodwinds at my disposal and make something that felt as rich as the originals.” - Brian Landrus