Lovingly performed, beautifully recorded, and possessing that singularly Jarreauesque joyousness throughout, in these and many other ways it would be hard to imagine a finer swansong than Ellington. Conducted and arranged by Jörg Achim Keller and recorded live over two nights – at Paradiso, Amsterdam and the Opera Garnier, Monte Carlo – during Jarreau’s 2016 European tour with the NDR Bigband, with whom he had a long association, the music-making courses with an unwavering energy.

One of Ellington’s most beloved songs and a personal favourite of the composer, Jarreau and the NDR Bigband give a supercharged reading of ‘I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart’ which is topped off by a breathtaking solo from alto saxist Fiete Felsch. Strayhorn’s ‘Lush Life’ also includes wonderful solos from Felsch (on flute here) and tenor saxist Christof Lauer.

Other highlights include an affecting and decidedly understated take on the great ‘Come Sunday’, a deeply swinging ‘In a Mellow Tone’ which features one of Jarreau’s typically freewheeling scats intertwining with Ingolf Burkhardt on flugel, plus a memorable interpretation of the classic Ellington/Don George collaboration, ‘I Ain’t Got Nothing but the Blues’, in which Jarreau is clearly having a ball, with guitarist Peter Tiehuis contributing a coruscating solo.