I've never been to Coventry so I can't claim to have been at that performance, though I did see the Ellington band in Leicester, Leeds and Manchester in that era.
Reminds me of a radio interview I heard with Peter Ind (Lennie's mainstay bassist in the 50s). Peter described Lennie's chordal approach at the opening to his solo on "All the Things You Are" from the Confucius Restaurant album as "outta left field".
Early Eric and v nice too!
More accurately should have been called Harold Mabern Quartet featuring Eric Alexander as Harold is fantastic here 27 years ago. I guess that, understandably, some of the intensity had gone in his final years.