The North West Duke Ellington Orchestra is a 15-piece big band of Ellington obsessed musicians from across the North West.
Directed by saxophonist and bandleader Phil Shotton the orchestra celebrates the music of jazz legend Duke Ellington, performing pieces from his early 1920s days at The Cotton Club up to the dynamic and sophisticated suites of the 1950s.
Founded in 2024—the 125th anniversary of Ellington’s birth and the 50th anniversary of his death—the North West Duke Ellington Orchestra has celebrated World Jazz Day in Liverpool & Chester as well as headlining the Free Stage at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
