50 early Ellington recordings for the famous Okeh label! Songs feature Jabbo Smith and Cootie Williams on trumpet, Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton on trombone, Johnny Hodges on clarinet and alto sax, Barney Bigard on clarinet and tenor sax, Fred Guy on banjo, Lonnie Johnson on guitar, and Sonny Greer on drums. CD

Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams, Ray Nance, trumpet: Rex Stewart, cornet, Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown, trombone, Juan Tizol, valve trombone, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Ben Webster, Harry Carney. Chauncey Haughton, reeds. Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, piano, Fred Guy, guitar, Jimmie Blanton, Alvin "Junior" Raglin, bass, Sonny Greer, drums: lvie Anderson, Herb Jeffries, Ray Nance, vocals. Arrangements by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. CD

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

A really great look at some of the coolest material issued by Motown in the early days of the label – tracks from a brief foray into jazz, from a time when the company was testing the waters with some very hip material from the Detroit scene! The cuts here have a nice sort of grit – very much in the best soul jazz styles that bigger labels that Prestige or Argo/Chess were doing at the time – and the tracks also include some great work by artists caught in the very early days of their careers. Titles include "See You Later" and "I Did" by Johnny Griffith, "El Rig" and "Bobbie" by George Bohannon, "I Did" and "Falling In Love With Love" by Paula Greer, "Exodus" and "I Remember You" by Hank & Carol Diamond, "Opus No 3" and "March Lightly" by Earl Washington, and "Late Freight" and "Mellow In Cali" by Dave Hamilton. LP, Vinyl record album

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. CD

Johnny Hodges on alto sax, Duke Ellington on piano, Harry Carney on baritone sax and clarinet, Jimmy Blanton on bass, Otto Hardwick on alto sax and clarinet, Barney Bigard on tenor sax and clarinet, Sonny Greer on drums, Freddy Guy on guitar and whistle, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown and Tricky Sam Nanton on trombones, Rex Stewart and Wallace Jones on trumpets, Ray Nance on trumpet, vibes and vocals and Herb Jeffries and Ivie Anderson on vocals. CD

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

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 and clarinet, Jimmy Blanton on bass, Otto Hardwick on alto sax and clarinet, Barney Bigard on tenor sax and clarinet, Sonny Greer on drums, Freddy Guy on guitar and whistle, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown and Tricky Sam Nanton on trombones, Rex Stewart and Wallace Jones on trumpets, Ray Nance on trumpet, vibes and vocals and Herb Jeffries and Ivie Anderson on vocals. CD