Excellent Duke Ellington work from the late 50s – written and recorded during a period in which he was reemerging with a stronger jazz vision than ever before! The set was written by Ellington and Strayhorn – and dedicated to the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario – but forget the Bard-inspired roots of the tracks, because the shimmering moods of the pieces is pure Ellington – with a richness of feeling that's totally great, and a sound that's wonderfully fresh, given that most of these numbers aren't overplayed Ellington compositions! Players include Cat Anderson and Clark Terry on trumpets, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and Johnny Hodges on alto – and titles include "The Telecasters", "Circle Of Fourths", "Sonnet For Caesar", "Sonnet To Hank Cinq", and "Such Sweet Thunder". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to believe that given Duke Ellington's presence at the start of the 60s, there would be an unknown session from the time – but the discovery of this material in the 70s made for another great chapter in the Duke's career during the classic Columbia years! The material here is played by a sweet small group that includes Ray Nance on coronet, Lawrence Brown on Trombone, Johnny Hodges on alto sax, Harry Carney on baritone, Aaron Bell on bass, and Sam Woodward on drums – all working in a format that almost feels a bit more relaxed and intimate than other Columbia sessions – although not with the rough edges you might expect from a lost date. Tracks include "Everything But You", "Black Beauty", "Something To Live For" "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing", "Mighty Like The Blues", and "Dual Highway". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful jazzy score by Duke Ellington – and a fitting companion to this classic Otto Preminger film! The record captures Ellington at a perfect moment – right during his Indigos period of increased sophistication, when his band was at an all-time level of perfection – and really shaking free of the too-familiar modes of the past. Ellington's music has a wonderful range of feeling here – even more so than usual, given the shifting scenes of the film – and the players are an all star lineup that includes Clark Terry on trumpet, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Johnny Hodges on alto, and Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet. Titles include "Upper & Outest", "Almost Cried", "Sunswept Sunday", "Happy Anatomy", "Flirtibird", and "Low Key Lightly". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent and oft-overlooked 50s session from Duke – recorded in Chicago as a one-off for the Bethlehem label, and done with a lush, rich sound that's really tremendous! The group's nicely restrained and very moody – playing here in a mellow late nite mode that offers a good focus on the best horn soloists in the group, yet which also really hangs together perfectly from the slow-moving and eerie tone of the rest of the group. Jimmy Grissom sings a bit on the set, and other players include Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson, and Ray Nance – on tracks that include "Day Dream", "Blues", "Frustration", "My Funny Valentine", and "Laura". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 30s Ellington for Bluebird – with Cootie Williams on trumpet, Juan Tizol on trombone, Johnny Hodges on alto and soprano sax, and Harry Carney on baritone and clarinet. LP, Vinyl record album

A great documentation of this rare live set from 1940 – one of the best slices of Ellington from the time! Johnny Hodges on alto sax, Duke Ellington on piano, Harry Carney on baritone sax & clarinet, Jimmy Blanton on bass, Otto Hardwick on alto sax & clarinet, Barney Bigard on tenor sax & clarinet, Sonny Greer on drums, Freddy Guy on guitar & whistle, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown & Tricky Sam Nanton on trombones, Rex Stewart & Wallace Jones on trumpets, Ray Nance on trumpet, vibes & vocals & Herb Jeffries & Ivie Anderson on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent and oft-overlooked 50s session from Duke – recorded in Chicago as a one-off for the Bethlehem label, and done with a lush, rich sound that's really tremendous! The group's nicely restrained and very moody – playing here in a mellow late nite mode that offers a good focus on the best horn soloists in the group, yet which also really hangs together perfectly from the slow-moving and eerie tone of the rest of the group. Jimmy Grissom sings a bit on the set, and other players include Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson, and Ray Nance – on tracks that include "Day Dream", "Blues", "Frustration", "My Funny Valentine", and "Laura". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful 60s album from Duke Ellington – one that features some of his more popular numbers, as you'd guess by the title – but captured in these sublime, sophisticated arrangements that really reflect the genius sound of his group during the later years! The tracks are familiar, and the arrangements are maybe never too way out – but they're also these mini-masterpieces in color and tone – carried off by a fantastic group of all-stars who've matured and grown as much as the Duke himself – Cootie Williams and Cat Anderson on trumpets, Lawrence Brown and Buster Cooper on trombones, Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, Johnny Hodges on alto, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and Harry Carney on piano. There's a darkness in Duke's piano that's maybe missing from earlier versions of this material – that great modern undercurrent of the late years – and titles include "Black & Tan Fantasy", "The Twitch", "Perdido", "Solitude", "The Mooche", "Creole Love Call", "Take The A Train", and "Sophisticated Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

True masterpieces from Duke Ellington – some of his greatest compositions, presented here in an early Columbia LP that offers up "uncut concert arrangements" – clearly grooming a new side of Duke for the long-playing audience! The recordings were made in 1950, with players who include Johnny Hodges and Paul Gonzalves on saxes, Ray Nance and Cat Anderson on trumpets, and Tyree Glenn and Quentin Jackson on trombones. The tracks include "Mood Indigo", "Sophisticated Lady", "The Tattooed Bride" and "Solitude". LP, Vinyl record album

With sidemen including Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson, Lawrence Brown, Wilbur De Paris, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Oscar Pettiford, Sonny Greer, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Did Ellington ever record in concert and it not be great? This wonderful double-length set from the 60s is key proof of his genius in an unfettered live setting – recorded in Paris in 1963 with plenty of dark edges! The tracks are short overall, but Duke's really at the head of the group on piano – playing with those angular, modern tones he picked up in the post Money Jungle years – and clearly in charge of the group from the keyboard, not the podium. Horn players include Harry Carney, Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, and Paul Gonsalves – all bringing in some special tones and unique performances to an extended set list that includes both Ellington standards and a few lesser-known numbers. Titles include "Rockin In Rhythm", "Concerto For Cootie", "Suite Thursday", "Tone Parallel To Harlem", "Bula", "Cop Out", "Happy Go Lucky Local", "Theme From Asphalt Jungle", and "Star-Crossed Lovers". LP, Vinyl record album

Live session in Europe circa 1963 originally released on the Reprise label in 1967, with Cootie Williams and Ray Nance, plus Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Lawrence Brown, Jimmy Hamilton and Russel Procope, Ernie Shepard, Sam Woodyard, and Milt Grayson. LP, Vinyl record album

A 50s LP that showcases Duke's early 40s sides for the Bluebird/Victor label – including early versions of formative compositions, featuring players like Rex Stewart, Johnny Hodges, Barney Bigard, and Ray Nance. Titles include "Take The A Train", "Portrait Of Bert Williams", "Rumpus In Richmond", "Rocks In My Bed", "Sepia Panorama", "Flaming Sword", "Perdido", and "Blue Serge". LP, Vinyl record album

Soloists include Quentin Jackson and Tyree Glenn on trombone, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Ray Nance and Harold Baker on trumpets, and Johnny Hodges on alto. Lil Greewood sings on one track – and titles include "B Sharp Boston", "Cop Out", "Suburban Beauty", "Boogie Bop Blues", and "Snibor". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of recordings by the Duke Ellington big band from late 1947, with sidemen that include Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Tyree Glenn, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney, Oscar Pettiford, and Sonny Greer. 22 titles total, including "How High The Moon", "Lady Of The Lavendar Mist", "It's Mad Mad Mad!", "H'ya Sue", "Kitty", "Air Conditioned Jungle", "Three Cent Stomp", "Stomp Look And Listen", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

2 great 60s sessions from Duke Ellington – both with a key tenorist! First up is Duke Ellington & Coleman Hawkins – the meeting of two classic talents late in their careers – in a setting that's ideal to bring out all the complexity of their well-honed genius! The approach of the album is mostly an Ellington one – as the group features some of Duke's stalwarts, like Ray Nance, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, and Aaron Bell – but Coleman Hawkins gets plenty of space as the main soloist on each number, alongside Duke, who also solos strongly on piano! As with most later records by the players, the writing is great – with a lot more dark moments than you'd expect – and titles include "The Rictic", "You Dirty Dog", "Limbo Jazz", "Wanderlust", and "Self Portrait Of The Bean". Next is Duke Ellington & John Coltrane – a seminal meeting of the old and new generations of jazz in the 60s – put together in perfect Impulse fashion! At some level, this is actually an early 60s John Coltrane Quartet album – with Duke Ellington sitting in for McCoy Tyner on piano, as that's the lineup on about half of the album – tracks that feature Coltrane on tenor, Elvin Jones on drums, and Jimmy Garrison on bass, all working with Ellington on the keys. On other titles, though, the album features Coltrane playing with a Duke-ish trio that has Aaron Bell on bass and Sam Woodyard on drums – slightly less modern, but with a nice sense of depth throughout! Overall, the the record does a great job of balancing between the best talents of both players – and titles include "Big Nick", "The Feeling Of Jazz", "Take The Coltrane", and "My Little Brown Book". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album that features late 30s recordings by some of Duke Ellington's most famous sidemen! The groups on most of these are fairly similar – mostly small group sessions from the larger Ellington outfit – pulled out in ways that give a strong focus on the solo talents of the session leader – and as with other packages in this series, the fidelity is much better than the original singles, and accompanied with full notes on the music! Titles include "Rexatious" and "Lazy Man's Shuffle" by Rex Stewart; "Echoes Of Harlem", "Swing Pan Alley", and "I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me" by Cootie Williams; "The Rabbit's Jump", "Pyramid", and "Jitterbug's Lullaby" by Johnny Hodges; and "Caravan" and "Stompy Jones" by Barney Bigard. LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary meeting of two classic jazz talents late in their careers – in a setting that's ideal to bring out all the complexity of their well-honed genius! The approach of the album is mostly an Ellington one – as the group features some of Duke's stalwarts, like Ray Nance on trumpet, Johnny Hodges on alto, and Lawrence Brown on trombone – but Coleman Hawkins gets plenty of space as the main soloist on each number on tenor, alongside Duke, who also solos strongly on piano – both of them with those subtle modern elements that showed up wonderfully in their later work. As with most later records by the players, the writing is great – with a lot more dark moments than you'd expect – and titles include "The Rictic", "You Dirty Dog", "Limbo Jazz", "Wanderlust", and "Self Portrait Of The Bean". LP, Vinyl record album

Duke Ellington and Mary Poppins? Sounds like a terrible combination – but it's actually pretty darn great! You see, the key words in the title are "plays with" – as Duke takes the core score of the film and, working with Billy Strayhorn, comes up with some groovy little tunes that really depart from the originals – and become perfect backdrops for the modern Ellington genius of the 60s. Solo work on the set is by Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Cootie Williams, and Harry Carney – and overall, the album's got that nice punchy feel of Ellington's other Reprise sides – and makes especially nice use of the modal quality of some of the tunes from the film. Titles include "Jolly Holiday", "The Life I Lead", "I Love To Laugh", "Stay Awake", "Chim Chim Cheree", and "Feed The Birds". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual non-Ellington session from Billy Strayhorn – but one that's recorded in septet formation with plenty of the Duke's men at his side! Strayhorn's in the lead on piano, and other players include Quentin Jackson on trombone, Cue Porter (Johnny Hodges?) on alto sax, Shorty Baker on trumpet, and Russell Procope on clarinet – all gliding nicely with a bit more solo room than usual, in the great swing-based mode used by the Felsted label for it's short-lived series of sessions. Titles include "Watch Your Cue", "Cue's Blue Now", "Cherry", "Gone With The Wind", and "Rose Room". LP, Vinyl record album