The Ellington Piano Project

Join us for a very special jazz night with The Ellington Piano Project.
Hot from their sell-out headline show at legendary jazz club Ronnie Scott's, the performance at St Luke's is rare chance to hear this critically-acclaimed group of stellar musicians outside the capital.

Eastbourne 1973 Reimagined – Echoes from The Duke’s Last Recording
Over fifty years ago, the last official album of one of the world’s greatest ever jazz musicians, Duke Ellington, was released featuring a live recording of one of his final inspiring performances, not in some famous jazz club in America, but in the UK, at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne - a provincial seaside town in East Sussex.

“The Ellington Piano Project”, was initiated and is led by Arnie Somogyi and Mark Edwards, two of the most experienced and adaptable musicians in UK jazz. It's inspired by that final Ellington album, 'Eastbourne Performance', and is centred around the very same Steinway Grand Piano played by Ellington, acquired during a refit of the theatre and restored by studio owner, Dave Lynch.

The album, recorded a stone’s throw from the Congress Theatre at Echo Zoo Studios, was released on Rubicon Jazz in September 2025, to widespread critical acclaim and toured around the UK in October 2025. It draws on harmonies and improvised phrases recorded during the iconic 1973 concert as inspiration for new compositions and spontaneous improvisations, alongside contemporary re-imaginings of Ellington classics.

Link: The Ellington Piano Project Live @ Peggy's Skylight

Link: The Ellington Piano Project, Eastbourne 1973 Reimagined Album

Link: In-depth article about the project by John Fordham, Jazz Critic at The Guardian

Lineup:

Mark Edwards - piano and keyboards
Touring the world over the last 10 years as pianist for Katie Melua, Mark’s three decade ‘pop’ resume also includes Paul Weller, Aztec Camera, Roddy Frame and Marc Almond.
On the Jazz scene, Mark has worked with top U.K. and U.S. names, including Johnny Dankworth, Bobby Wellins, Scott Hamilton and Ken Peplowski. He has performed at such prestigious festivals as Montreux, Montreal, Mount Fuji Japan, Singapore and the North Sea Jazz Festival, and established Jazz venues such as Ronnie Scotts, The Bottom Line New York, and Blue Note Milan.

Arnie Somogyi - bass
Arnie Somogyi is a renowned UK bassist, featured on over 50 albums, including five as a leader. He has  toured with a wide range of internationally-important jazz artists, including Eddie Henderson, Art Farmer, James Moody and Bobby Hutcherson; and recorded with stars such as Amy Winehouse, Tom Jones, Michael Kiwanuka and Omar. A frequent performer at Ronnie Scott’s, he’s also a member of the Ronnie Scott’s All-Stars.

Gideon Tazelaar - sax
New York-based Dutch tenor saxophonist, Tazelaar has worked with Dr Lonnie Smith, Eric Alexander and Dick Oatts and is rapidly establishing himself as one to watch in New York. He embodies a style deeply connected to the great masters of his instrument, including John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, and Sonny Rollins. At the same time, his repertoire and improvisational voice draw inspiration from a broad musical world—from Sidney Bechet, Dionne Warwick, and Frank Sinatra to Milton Nascimento, Bach, and Schumann.
He has been praised by Wynton Marsalis for both his tone and the depth of his musical expression.

Joe Edwards - drums
Edwards is a relative new-comer on the Brighton jazz scene. Already steeped in the tradition of the be-bop and hard-bop genre his prowess on the drums belie his age.

Special guests tbc
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[Ellington] "would have found in Edwards, Somogyi, Talezaar, Oschlag and all of the musicians...an adherence to the creative credo that remained constant throughout his five-decade career: that a performer should make a piece their own, shape it as only they can, and leave those listening in no doubt as to who they are" - Simon Spillett, award-winning saxophonist and jazz writer

"One of those rare albums that sheds new and brilliant light on an existing work” - Kevin Whitlock, Jazzwise

“Imaginative and subtly personal tribute to Duke Ellington” - John Fordham, The Guardian

“Outstanding”- Jazz Journal