True to Jacksons word, The Duke is a decidedly unconventional salute to Ellington, demonstrating the timeless brilliance of his classic compositions while showcasing Jacksons sublime skills as an arranger, instrumentalist and vocal interpreter. Although its only the second time hes recorded an album not comprised of his own compositions, The Duke is nonetheless a deeply personal project for Jackson, whose longstanding affinity for Ellingtons pioneering spirit has served as a key inspiration throughout his own three-decades-plus career. The Duke finds the iconoclastic English singer/composer/arranger/keyboardist and five-time Grammy nominee interpreting 15 Ellington classics over the course of ten tracks, interspersing melodic and rhythmic elements of various compositions in a manner thats consistent with Ellingtons own freewheeling approach. Rather than emulating the songs original big-band settings, Jackson filters the material through his own musical imagination while exploring an assortment of unexpected grooves and textures. The resulting album is a seamless fusion of sounds and styles, whose abundant sense of playfulness is consistent with Ellingtons boundary-breaking attitude. Ellington didnt consider his own arrangements to be sacred, Jackson notes. He constantly reworked them, sometimes quite radically. So I think my approach is in the spirit of the man himself. Jacksons distinctive voice is featured on Im Beginning To See The Light, Mood Indigo, and I Got It Bad (And That Aint Good), while It Dont Mean A Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing) finds him trading vocals with punk icon Iggy Pop. RB diva Sharon Jones, meanwhile, shines with a soulful I Aint Got Nothin But The Blues. In keeping with Ellingtons multiculuralism, Jackson also encouraged Iranian singer Sussan Deyhim to perform a soaring Caravan in Farsi, and Lilian Vieira, of the Brazilian/Dutch collective Zuco 103, to create a sunny, sexy Portuguese version of Perdido. The albums striking mix of electronic and organic textures is especially evident on instrumentals like Isfahan, Rockin In Rhythm, The Mooche, and Black and Tan Fantasy. The musicians include two contemporary jazz stars, violinist Regina Carter and bassist Christian McBride; rock guitar hero Steve Vai; drummer Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson and other members of The Roots; and two of Jacksons old associates, guitarist Vinnie Zummo and percussionist Sue Hadjopoulos. The album was recorded and mixed by the legendary, 7 time Grammy winner Elliot Scheiner (Steely Dan, Sting, Bob Dylan). When I started this, Jackson says, It felt a little daunting - like, how am I gonna pull this off? But it started to pick up momentum, and took on a life of its own. I got to work with people I never thought Id be able to get, and they were all extremely enthusiastic and supportive of the project. It all came together in a way that surpassed my expectations. And its been a hell of a lot of fun.