Born in Great Britain, John Burnett established himself in his country's big-band scene before relocating to the USA, settling in Chicago. With a music-rich city to draw upon for players, in 1999 Burnett established his own big band to pay tribute to the sounds of the 1940s. Like Duke Ellington, Burnett envisioned a band that would appeal to both dancers and listeners. With WEST OF STATE, the ratio leans a bit more to the side favoring the dancers--it's a collection of highly melodic, thoroughly swinging, unashamedly nostalgic tunes of the Swing Era (though they do cover Dizzy Gillespie's bebop classic "Night In Tunisia"). Featured as a guest soloist is the traditionally oriented ace trumpeter Randy Sandke.