The Dutch Jazz Orchestra - Portrait of a Silk Thread: Newly Discovered Works of Billy Strayhorn (1996)

This is a historically significant CD for it features the Dutch Jazz Orchestra performing a dozen Billy Strayhorn numbers, including eight that 28 years after the composer's death were finally receiving their world premiere recording. The 16-piece big band does not attempt to sound like Duke Ellington's Orchestra but there are strong hints of Duke's ensemble in the arrangements. The quality of the music is consistently high, the soloists are respectful but creative to Strayhorn's recently discovered pieces and the overall results are quite memorable.