All Ellington

All Ellington is an Amsterdam-based tentet dedicated to the music of Duke Ellington. Founded in 2013 by cornetist Eric Boeren, the band grew out of a chance conversation about starting a small Ellington-focused group, and quickly found a home with a monthly residency at Amsterdam's Zaal 100.
Drawing on veterans of the city's improvised-music scene — including Joost Buis, Wilbert de Joode, and Peter van Bergen — alongside younger musicians, the band builds its arrangements by ear. Since original Ellington scores are rarely available, the band members transcribe the music directly from historic recordings, then rework those transcriptions into new arrangements — staying close to Ellington's original voicings before deliberately breaking open the frame. Melodies and harmonies are treated with real fidelity, but the transitions, solos, and medleys are left loose enough for the band to slide into freer, more improvised territory in the moment — echoing the same balance of discipline and individuality that ran through Ellington's own orchestra.
A recent change to the lineup has brought the band to three trombone players, a shift that opens up new sonic possibilities and is already shaping fresh directions in the arrangements.
Regulars at the BIMHUIS and a fixture of the Dutch jazz circuit, All Ellington has also performed at North Sea Jazz Festival and released a self-titled debut album in 2020.