Duke Ellington Duke´s Big 4

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life…

This 10CD Box set was released posthumously and actually includes recordings from Ellington's private collection. They are mainly studio recordings which he produced at his own expense, but two volumes cover a couple of dance dates at military bases in California. The whole set is essential as it includes some compositions which are not recorded elsewhere (such as The Degas Suite and The River) and generally excellent performances.

Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were (and are) two of the main stems of jazz. Any way you look at it, just about everything that's ever happened in this music leads directly – or indirectly – back to them. Both men were born on the cusp of the 19th and 20th centuries, and each became established as a leader during the middle '20s. …

Such Sweet Thunder (1957). 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…

Duke Ellington called his music "American Music" rather than jazz, and liked to describe those who impressed him as "beyond category. He remains one of the most influential figures in jazz, if not in all American music and is widely considered as one of the twentieth century's best known African American personalites. As both a composer and a band leader, Ellington's reputation has increased since his death, with thematic repackagings of his signature music often becoming best-sellers. Posthumous recognition of his work include a special award citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board.

This 24-CD box, which dwarfs even most Bear Family sets in scope, is essentially everything Ellington cut for RCA-Victor over a 46-year period. There are gaps, especially after 1946 when he jumped to Columbia, but otherwise, this is all of it. One quickly discovers that, by virtue of its leader's taste, combined with the good sense of RCA-Victor's recording managers, this was a band that did little, if any, wrong on record…

The classic 1962 album Duke Ellington & John Coltrane showcased the rising jazz saxophone innovator performing alongside the long-established piano institution…