Isfahan from the Far East Suite

I remember many, many years ago we were performing Such Sweet Thunder, also known as the Shakespearean Suite, composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. A musician in the audience was talking to me after the concert and said, “Now I understand why Sandy Gordon is in this orchestra!” Sandy has been with the OJO since the very beginning, along with a handful of other fine musicians including our drummer Mark Rehder, trumpeter Rick Rangno, trombonist Mark Ferguson, and saxophonist and clarinettist Dave Renaud. Sandy used to play principal alto sax in the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces for many years and just retired recently. He has the most incredible control over the saxophone. This performance of Isfahan, one of the lovely ballads from Ellington and Strayhorn’s Far East Suite, and arguably one of the most beautiful ballads ever written in jazz, features the most sublime playing from Sandy. This was recorded at our Lush Life concert last season. I hope you enjoy this. I can listen to it over and over.