Personnel:
Duke Ellington (p), Clark Terry, Willie Cook, Cat Anderson, Ray Nance (tp), Quentin Jackson, Juan Tizol (tb), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts), Russell Procope (as), Paul Gonsalves (ts), Harry Carney (bs), Billy Strayhorn (p), Wendell Marshall (b), Dave Black (d)
Reference: DRCD 11361
Bar code: 8436006493614
All taken from the period marked by his contract with Capitol, between 1953 and 1955, this large body of recordings contains many elements outside of Ellington's familiar repertoire. For instance, instead of playing his old and new compositions, he devoted many sessions to arrangements of jazz standards and popular songs commonly associated with other bands.
The most obvious gems here were generated during the duo/trio sessions of 1953, in which the Duke was backed by Wendell Marshall on bass and Butch Pollard on drums. The last Capitol session, recorded on May 19, 1955, is another curiosity. Here Ellington again called upon a smaller unit, playing with a septet and on electric piano!
Tracklisting:
CD 1
01. Satin Doll
02. Without a Song
03. Cocktails For Two
04. My Old Flame
05. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
06. Ain't Nothin' Nothin' (Baby Without You)
07. Stormy Weather
08. Stardust
09. Three Little Words
10. Orson
11. Boo-Dah
12. Blossom
13. Ballin' the Blues
14. Warm Valley
15. Flamingo
16. Blue Jean Beguine
17. Liza
18. Who Knows?
19. Retrospection
20. B Sharp Blues
21. Passion Flower
22. Dancers in Love
23. Reflections in D
24. Melancholia
25. Prelude to a Kiss
26. In a Sentimental Mood
CD 2
01. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
02. All Too Soon
03. Janet
04. Give Me The Right
05. Is It A Sin? (My Loving You)
06. Basin Street Blues
07. Big Drag
08. Don't Ever Say Goodbye
09. Kinda Dukish
10. Montevideo
11. December Blue
12. I'm Just a Lucky So and So
13. It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream
14. What More Can I Say?
15. Rockin' in Rhythm
16. Ultra Deluxe
17. Flying Home
18. Blue Moon
19. Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'
20. Ultra Deluxe
21. Flying Home
22. What More Can I Say?
23. Serious Serenade
24. Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'
CD 3
01. Honeysuckle Rose
02. Stompin' at the Savoy
03. Don't Ever Say Goodbye
04. Black and Tan Fantasy
05. Frivolous Banta
06. In the Mood
07. One O'Clock Jump
08. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
09. Happy Go-Lucky Local
10 .Rockin' in Rhythm
11. Falling Like a Raindrop
12. All Day Long
13. Bunny Hop Mambo
14. Isle of Capr
15. C Jam Blues
16. Band Call
17. Gonna Tan Your Hide
18. Smile
19. Echo Tango
20. If I Give My Heart to You
CD 4
01. Chile Bowl
02. Bakiff
03. Twelfth Street Rag Mambo
04. September Song
05. Caravan
06. La Virgen de la Macarena
07. Harlem Air Shaft
08. Look What I've Got For You
09. Commercial Time
10. Clarinet Melodrama
11. Theme for Trambean
12. Coquette
13. Serious Serenade
14. Body and Soul
15. Once in a Blue Mood
16. Lady Be Good
17. So Long
18. It Don't Mean a Thing
CD 1, total time: 78:08 min.
CD 2, total time: 79:31 min.
CD 3, total time: 79:29 min.
CD 4, total time: 76:04 min.
All sessions recorded in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, between April 6, 1953 and May 19, 1955
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