I have about a hundred Big Band Albums. Handed down. I listened to them starting at the age of 8, when my dad played some. He loved the Dorsey Brothers, Glenn MIller and Benny Goodman. My mom loved Gene Krupa, since she saw him in England during WWII. Was a surprise guest. But she said she knew about him before. I got into Duke Ellington, who had such a great feel on his 88's! My fav live cut of his is from the Newport Jazz Festival when Paul Gonzalas on Sax was lit up, (drinking), and Duke let him go on and on for about 27 full progressions. The place is heard going nuts! A piano tuner friend of mine how was the first tuner who tuned my piano when I first got my Upright was Duke Ellington's tuner when Duke came to the philly, South Jersey area. Haddonfield Music Fair is where they first met. The tuner, (Jeff England, from Collingswood, NJ, deceased now), told me the whole story that Duke told him about Paul Gonzalas. When I listened to the live cut of that tine, called, Crescendo in C, I noticed how Ellington eventually calmed down the crowd, and with that same playing style after 27 go arounds, gave the hint to Gonzalas to wrap it up. It was GREAT, the whole piece, along with the whole live ablum!

I started to TRY to play in a Duke Ellington style as soon as my father bought my mother a piano for her birthday, which she played ONCE, that day. She had competition for the bench! Ha! That key of C, from that jam in C by Duke and Gonzalas, is why I played just about ALL my attempts at Jazz and Blues in the key of C. After years of doing that, I could play just about any jazz or blues piano in C with my eyes closed. To this day, it's C, even if I need to change the tuning on the keyboard, (when doing complicated jazz or blues playing in any song of mine). Thanks Duke Ellington!

Actually a Member Since 1996 or 97 (Number One Hundred Something).
https://www.soundclick.com/bands3/default.cfm?bandID=1409522