Duke Ellington found deep inspiration in Africa, travelling with his orchestra to Dakar, Senegal in 1966 to perform at the first World Festival of Negro Arts, organized against the backdrop of African decolonization and the civil rights efforts underway in the United States. This trip led him to compose several of his most iconic works, including music you will hear tonight, drawn from albums including Afro-Bossa, Liberian Suite, and the Grammy Award-winning Togo Brava Suite. Co-music-directed by JLCO saxophonists Chris Lewis and Alexa Tarantino, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis celebrates these compositions and the spirit of Duke’s historic trip, nearly 60 years later.