Reissue. Originally released in 2000.

In Nov/December 1998 I was touring with the Donald Byrd Dance Company for their epic staging of “The Harlem Nutcracker” which featured Duke Ellington’s arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic, along with new arrangements by David Berger that continued in Duke’s lineage. Not only was the piece beautifully conceived and executed, but the band included many legendary musicians (some who had played with Duke) including Britt Woodman, Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Marcus Belgrave and Art Baron. I knew that Donald Byrd had expansive tastes in music, and at a party at the end of the run, I gave him the 1st Sexmob CD, which had just been released. A little while later Donald contacted me, he had been turned on by the music and made me an offer couldn’t refuse…. To reimagine Duke Ellington’s music in the image of the “old 42nd St”, full of sex shops, peepshows, hookers and grime. … I know its typecasting.. but it was a perfect assignment. FYI, I listened to Duke Ellington’s music every day for approximately 30 years, starting in 1981.. it was as close as I ever got to a strict religious affiliation.
Donald gave me complete freedom in the recording, just giving me approximate timings for the pieces. I decided to use rhythms from across the decades of 42nd St’s reign as the smut capital of NY, brought the arrangements in, and Sexmob went to work (we recorded at Tony’s home studio).When I sent Donald the music he only had one comment.. “I need one uptempo piece"… he gave me advice on how to find that missing element..and I followed it. Unfortunately Kenny was on the road and not able to make the final day of recording, but the (now legendary) Jim Black was in town, and the “jungle beat” he played is his "lingua franca”… serendipitous timing!
The work, entitled “In A Different Light:Duke Ellington” was premiered at the Joyce Theatre Feb 29, 2000. Donald’s vision of capturing the feeling of the old 42nd St including outfitting all the dancers with giant prosthetic breasts and enormous hanging phalluses (each dancer having a different coordinated color pattern on their apendages). This made for an incredible spectacle, but limited the number of venues willing to present the piece…story of my life.. the blessing and curse of a band named “Sexmob”
There is a funny story about a workshop/preview of the piece where Stanley Crouch was on the moderating panel. You can imagine what he had to say!
The final 4 pieces on this CD were written for a production of Mae West’s 1926 play entitled “Sex”…yes more typecasting. The play was was presented by The Hourglass Group, and directed by Elyse Singer. It premiered in Dec 1999 at the Gershwin Hotel, and it was the first restaging of the play since it opened in 1926. The music manages to sound like classic Sexmob while being very “era specific”… Tony overdubs banjo, and Kenny sounds like a mix of Baby Dodds and Dave Grohl.
So yes, the title is quite literal… “Theatre & Dance”. Available digitally on the information superhighway for the first time, and I think it still sounds fresh 20 years later…please enjoy.