Duke Ellington & Count Basie - First Time! (1961)

Duke Ellington & Count Basie - First Time! (1961)
(The Count Meets The Duke)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 235MB

Columbia/Legacy 2009

Allmusic:
At first glance this collaboration should not have worked. The Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras had already been competitors for 25 years but the leaders' mutual admiration (Ellington was one of Basie's main idols) and some brilliant planning made this a very successful and surprisingly uncrowded encounter. On most selections Ellington and Basie both play piano (their interaction with each other is wonderful) and the arrangements allowed the stars from both bands to take turns soloing. "Segue in C" is the highpoint but versions of "Until I Met You," "Battle Royal" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside" are not far behind.

Tracks
-1. "Battle Royal" (Ellington) - 5:33
-2. "To You" (Benny Davis, Tommy Dorsey, Thad Jones, Ted Shapiro) - 3:53
-3. "Take the "A" Train (Billy Strayhorn) - 3:46
-4. "Corner Pocket" [aka "Until I Met You"] (Freddie Green, Donald Wolf) - 4:53
-5. "Wild Man" [aka "Wild Man Moore"] - 6:20
-6. "Segue in C" (Frank Wess) - 8:22
-7. "B D B" (Ellington, Strayhorn) - 4:43
-8. "Jumpin' at the Woodside" (Count Basie) - 3:09
Recorded at 30th Street Studio, New York on July 6, 1961

Personnel
* Duke Ellington, Count Basie – piano
* Cat Anderson, Willie Cook, Eddie Mullens, Ray Nance, Sonny Cohn, Lennie Johnson, Thad Jones, Snooky Young - trumpet
* Louis Blackburn, Lawrence Brown, Henry Coker, Quentin Jackson, Benny Powell - trombone
* Juan Tizol - valve trombone
* Jimmy Hamilton - clarinet, tenor saxophone
* Johnny Hodges - alto saxophone
* Russell Procope, Marshall Royal - alto saxophone, clarinet
* Frank Wess - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
* Paul Gonsalves, Frank Foster, Budd Johnson - tenor saxophone
* Harry Carney, Charlie Fowlkes - baritone saxophone
* Freddie Green - guitar
* Aaron Bell, Eddie Jones - bass
* Sam Woodyard, Sonny Payne - drums

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Duke Ellington - Latin American Suite (1970)

Duke Ellington - Latin American Suite (1970)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 235MB

OJC

Allmusic:
Duke Ellington always absorbed influences from the music he heard as he toured the world, and The Latin American Suite is no exception. Written during his first tour of Central and South America in 1968, Ellington premiered several of the pieces during concerts in the Southern hemisphere, though he didn't record it until returning to the U.S., with one piece ("Tina") being recorded separately over a year after the other tracks. "Oclupaca" is an exotic opener showcasing Paul Gonsalves' robust tenor, while Ellington gets in an Oriental kick during his driving blues "Chico Cuadradino" (jointly written with his son Mercer). Ellington is in a jaunty mood in his bossa nova "Eque," which spotlights both Johnny Hodges and Gonsalves. The infectious "Latin American Sunshine" is buoyed by Harry Carney's sonorous baritone sax and trombonist Lawrence Brown's solo. It's a shame that Ellington chose not to keep any of these originals in his repertoire once work was completed on this album.

Tracks
-1. "Oclupaca" - 4:20
-2. "Chico Cuadradino" (Ellington, Mercer Ellington) - 5:00
-3. "Eque" - 3:30
-4. "Tina" - 4:34
-5. "The Sleeping Lady and the Giant Who Watches over Her" - 7:25
-6. "Latin American Sunshine" - 6:52
-7. "Brasilliance" - 5:02
All compositions by Duke Ellington except as indicated
Recorded at National Recording Studio in New York, NY on November 5, 1968 (tracks 1-3 & 5-7) and January 7, 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada (track 4).

Personnel
* Duke Ellington – piano
* Cat Anderson, Willie Cook, Mercer Ellington, Cootie Williams - trumpet (tracks 1-3 & 5-7)
* Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper - trombone (tracks 1-3 & 5-7)
* Chuck Connors - bass trombone, tenor saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5-7)
* Johnny Hodges - alto saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5-7)
* Russell Procope - alto saxophone, clarinet (tracks 1-3 & 5-7)
* Paul Gonsalves tenor saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5-7)
* Harold Ashby - tenor saxophone, clarinet (tracks 1-3 & 5-7)
* Harry Carney - baritone saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5-7)
* Jeff Castleman (tracks 1-3 & 5-7), Paul Kondziela (track 4) - bass
* Rufus Jones - drums

sample & buy: Latin American Suite

Duke Ellington - Three Suites (1960) (eac-flac-cover)

Duke Ellington  - Three Suites (1960

jazz, classical | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 415MB

Columbia | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
One of Duke Ellington's most delightful adaptations of another composer's material is his reworking of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite" into jazz; this version is a classic and well worth treasuring. Ellington's reworking of Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suites" (including "In the Hall of the Mountain King") and his tribute to John Steinbeck ("Suite Thursday") are also among his better extended works, really utilizing the unique tones of his distinctive sidemen. Highly recommended.

Tracks:
01-09: Tchaikovsky: The Nutracker Suite
10-14: Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites 1&2
15-18: Ellington-Strayhorn: Suite Thursday

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Duke Ellington 1969 - All-Star White House Tribute (BN)

 
Duke Ellington 1969 - All-Star White House Tribute (BN)

jazz | 1CD | EAC Rip | FLAC+CUE+LOG | cover

Blue Note | RAR +5% recovery | 480 MB

Recorded live at the White House, Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1969. Includes liner notes by Doug Ramsey.
Recorded at The White House on Duke Ellington's 70th birthday, when he was awarded the Medal Of Freedom by President Richard M. Nixon

Personnel:
Duke Ellington (piano)
Mary Mayo, Joe Williams (vocals)
Paul Desmond (alto saxophone)
Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone)
Clark Terry (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Bill Berry (trumpet)
Urbie Green, J.J. Johnson (trombone)
Earl Hines, Dave Brubeck, Hank Jones, Billy Taylor (piano)
Jim Hall (guitar)
Milt Hinton (bass)
Louie Bellson (drums)

track list:
01. Take the "A" Train [0:02:39.10]
Medley 1:
02. I Got It Bad [0:02:15.41]
03. Chelsea Bridge [0:02:06.59]
04. Satin Doll [0:02:42.12]
05. Sophisticated Lady [0:01:51.06]
06. Just Squeeze Me [0:03:18.31]
07. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart [0:01:00.42]
08. Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me [0:00:54.72]
09. Don't Get Around Much Anymore [0:00:55.01]
10. In a Mellow Tone [0:07:04.58]
End of Medley 1:
11. In a Sentimental Mood [0:01:55.27]
12. Prelude to a Kiss [0:03:56.60]
13. Ring Dem Bells [0:02:16.03]
Medley 2:
14. Drop Me Off in Harlem [0:02:23.33]
15. All Too Soon [0:01:56.04]
16. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) [0:02:18.06]
End of Medley 2:
17. Things Ain't What They Used to Be [0:04:28.53]
18. Perdido [0:02:09.11]
19. Warm Valley [0:03:33.40]
20. Caravan [0:05:22.64]
21. Mood Indigo [0:03:45.19]
Medley 3:
22. Prelude to a Kiss [2] [0:02:11.09]
23. I Didn't Know about You [0:02:38.39]
End of Medley 3:
24. Praise God and Dance [0:02:26.59]
25. Come Sunday [0:02:28.10]
26. Heritage [0:02:13.13]
27. Jump for Joy [0:01:56.47]
28. Pat [0:02:56.40]

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