Description

“And His Mother Called Him Bill” is The Duke‘s 7th studio album and is a tribute to his former music partner Billy “Sweet Pea” Strayhorn. Three months after Bill‘s death, at the end of May 1967, Ellington decided to record this emotional tribute using Strayhorn‘s own arrangements and songs which were written or co-written by Strayhorn. Some of the tracks are known to be from the Ellington Orchestra, others came from Strayhorn‘s personal archive. Many of the Ellington band members such as Johnny Hodges and Cootie Williams are featured on this album which is still regarded by the fans as one of Ellington‘s finest albums.