This is John D'earth at his best as a composer and trumpet player. Tuneful, soulful, lyrical, from beginning to end. Great band, too. Strong solos. Creative grooves.
This album deserves to be much better known. Few people outside of the Ellington orchestra have played Strayhorn better than Willie Ruff and Dwike Mitchell. Strayhorn composed "Suite for the Duo" specifically for them during the last months of his life. Because he had little experience writing for the French horn, he worked closely with Ruff while writing it. It shows a side of him as a composer that few people know. A gorgeous album start to finish.
