Star Crossed Lovers – Johnny Hodges & Duke Ellington | The Perfect Jazz Ballad

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Johnny Hodges’s sound was silk poured into brass. On alto saxophone, he could glide, swoop, and caress—smoother, more feline, with a sly seduction that made every note feel alive.

In Star Crossed Lovers, his feature with Duke Ellington’s Orchestra, Hodges becomes the whisperer of the band—the velvet glove. His lush, warm vibrato and legendary portamento make each phrase ache without tipping into sentimentality.

Duke Ellington once called Hodges’s tone “beyond category,” and here you’ll hear why. Whether in the smoky depths of his subtone or the cry of his high register, Hodges tells a love story without a single word.

🎧 Put on your best headphones and let Hodges pull you into his world.

#JohnnyHodges #DukeEllington #StarCrossedLovers

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