Duke Jasinda Wilder

Alec Wilder is in the running for a dubious honor: most overlooked figure in 20th century music. There's a noble aspect, therefore, to this collection of Wilder's songs, all of which work quite well as vehicles for cutting-edge jazz improvisation.Juris, who came of age in the heyday of free-jazz and fusion, takes a postmodern, semi-abstract approach to the mainstream compositions of the late Alec Wilder, intoning the melodies as written, before veering off into cubist improvisatinos that preserve Wilder's air of sophisticated melancholy.The group faithfully renders Wilder's melodies before the blowing begins - a musical consideration of utmost importance to Wilder himself.Liebman and Hagans are beautifully recorded, and Juris varies the ensemble configurations to feature them, and himself, in ever-changing contexts.

First Time! The Count Meets the Duke is an album by American pianists, composers and bandleaders Duke Ellington and Count Basie with their combined Orchestras recorded and released on the Columbia label in 1961. On stereo releases of the album, Basie's band is featured on the left channel and Ellington's on the right.

Ellington Uptown is the 1952 album by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra, originally released in the 10" format. This is taken from the 2004 Columbia Legacy Edition, featuring bonus material.

A compilation of live recordings from the late '50s and mid '60s, this disc reveals a lesser-known side of the Duke. Loose and highly energetic in both structure and execution, these tracks show that even in mid-century Ellington was still keeping apace with musical developments. Particularly intriguing is his foray into modal jazz with "La Plus Belle Africaine," a 14-minute atmospheric journey full of stark, tribal rhythms and snaking melody lines. Ellington here seems to have loosened the formality of his earlier bandleading, replacing it with a wilder approach, powerful dynamics, and shouts and banter between the bandmembers.