Duke+ellington

Two titans of jazz come together in a rare and highly acclaimed collaboration, recorded in 1962. At the time, Duke Ellington had been working with various veteran jazz artists of the day such as Louis Armstrong and Count Basie, but John Coltrane was half Ellington's age and not nearly as famous at the time as he was going to be. For these small group sessions, each headliner brought his own bassist and drummer, who play in various combinations on the seven songs.

The 1959 courtroom crime drama "Anatomy of a Murder" was directed by Otto Preminger and adapted by Wendell Mayes from the best-selling homonymous novel written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver.

Take the "A" Train is the vibrant signature composition of Duke Ellington, the most important composer in the history of jazz, also a rare bandleader who held his large group together for almost 50 years. It is quite impossible for one album to capture the full flavour and rich diversity of Duke Ellington’s music and orchestra. The eight tracks here offer a remarkably well-balanced sample of the prolific repertoire – the immortal compositions, the arresting arrangements, the outstanding soloists and, not least, the distinctive solo work of the piano player, Edward Kennedy Ellington, the Duke who became King of Orchestral Jazz.

Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins is a jazz album by Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins that was recorded on August 18, 1962 and released in February 1963 by Impulse! Records. In 1995, The New York Times called it "one of the great Ellington albums, one of the great Hawkins albums and one of the great albums of the 1960s".

Although it is billed as a Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges album, Side by Side is a 1959 album mostly under the leadership of Johnny Hodges, Duke Ellington's alto saxophonist for many years.

One of the benchmark records in jazz and in the Ella Fitzgerald catalog. "The Duke Ellington Songbook" features a wonderful selection interpreted splendidly by one of the all time great voices in music. It was the first of a series of recordings by the prolific pair. Ellington's performances both at piano and directing orchestra are outstanding. This is beautifully balanced by the sweet and luscious delivery of Fitzgerald on the classics "Take The A Train", "Solitude", "I'm Just A Lucky So and So", and "Caravan". The album featured a number of legendary performers including Paul Gonsalves, Ben Webster, Ray Nance, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Billy Strayhorn, Barney Kessel, Dizzy Gillespie, Sam Woodyard and many more. The Duke Ellington Songbook is a true must have for any jazz fan.

When Billy Strayhorn died of cancer in 1967, Duke Ellington was devastated. His closest friend and arranger had left his life full of music and memories. As a tribute, Ellington and his orchestra almost immediately began recording a tribute to Strayhorn, using the late arranger's own compositions and charts.

Duke Ellington's fanciful tale of Carribee Joe and his drum, which evolved into a woman known as Madam Zajj (and a very abstract telling of the evolution of jazz) became a television special in the late '50s but does not translate all that well to record.

"Blues In Orbit" captures the essence of a late-night recording date that was as much a loose jam as a formal studio date, balancing the spontaneity of the former and the technical polish of the latter. If you're just getting into jazz, this album is highly recommended as a great way to initiate your collection.

Two titans of jazz come together in a rare and highly acclaimed collaboration, recorded in 1962. At the time, Duke Ellington had been working with various veteran jazz artists of the day such as Louis Armstrong and Count Basie, but John Coltrane was half Ellington's age and not nearly as famous at the time as he was going to be. For these small group sessions, each headliner brought his own bassist and drummer, who play in various combinations on the seven songs.