Topping off a wealth of full-band recordings, the various stars of Ellington's great outfit recorded many combo sides under their own names. And while not on the same sophisticated level of classic Ellingtonia, the late-'30s material cut by Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, and Rex Stewart is packed with tasty solo work and some of the finest examples of early small-group swing. These later examples from 1958-1959 feature Hodges backed by both Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on piano and such non-Duke luminaries as Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and Jo Jones. Like its companion album, Back to Back, Side by Side has a loose, jam session feel, with all the soloists stretching out. Hodges is in top form throughout, while Edison and Webster man their spots just fine. Highlights include the sveltely swinging "Going Up" and Hodges' bluesy closer, "You Need to Rock." A must for fans of vintage combo swing. © Stephen Cook

ESOTERIC proudly introduces a series of re-master collection - A great Jazz collection. The reissue of historical music masterpieces by ESOTERIC has attracted a lot of attention, both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master sound, and for using SACD technology to improve sound quality. This Box Set of "Verve 6 Great Jazz" features masterpiece releases of Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges, Lester Young & Teddy Wilson, Illinois Jacquet, Dizzy Gillespie/Sonny Stitt/Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster & Art Tatum. Not only for new followers, but also for well experienced followers of these recorded materials.

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.

This 1959 Verve record is a collaboration between Ellington and saxophonist Johnny Hodges. Hodges takes the lead on most of the tracks, backed by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on piano and well-known jazz musicians like Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison and Jo Jones.

This 1956 session features Ellington and 14 sidemen performing updated recordings of some of the best from Ellington's career going back to 1926. Ellington's reputation has increased since his death in 1974, 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.

The experimental "Afro-Bossa" features Duke Ellington pushing his talented group to their limits. The jazz master tosses around the forms he knows so well. Other players include Cat Anderson, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, and Cootie Williams. There is plenty of cornet, violin and plunger-muted trumpets.

"Ellington ‘65" is an illuminating eleven-track album of standards from the legendary Duke Ellington. The album is among the very best in his career and highlights some of the most exceptional performances from veteran players like Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope and Lawrence Brown. With blistering horn arrangements, the ensemble delivers passionate and virtuosic performances on songs like “Hello, Dolly!”, “Never on Sunday”, “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”. A must have for any music library.

Issued in tip-on gatefold jacket. Blue Note Tone Poet Series hype sticker reads: 'Mastered from the original analog tapes, reissue supervised by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray at Coherent Audio, manufactured at Record Technology Inc. on 180 gram vinyl' Recorded: New York City, Sept. 17, 1962.

"The Far East Suite" is an album by Duke Ellington and his orchestra, recorded in New York City on 19 December to 21 December 1966. The nine compositions on the original album were all composed by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (except for one by Ellington). Strayhorn died in May, 1967, making "The Far East Suite" the final album to feature his compositions that was released during his life.

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.

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.

Ellington’s revolutionizing vision of incorporating a symphony orchestra in his work unfolds with "The Symphonic Ellington". This breathtaking recording is full of colorful arrangements and inspired solos. “Night Creatures”, the opening three part movement features Ellington’s effort to “make the symphony swing”. The ingenious album is a true highlight in Duke Ellington’s long established career.

"Recollections of the Big Band Era" is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded in 1962 & 1963 by Bruce Swedien at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago for the Reprise label but not released until 1974 on the Atlantic label. The album features performances of compositions associated with big bands led by artists such as Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and others by the Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Featuring familiar titles such as: "Ciribiribin", and "Auld Lang Syne", this one-of-a-kind set is beautifully remastered and presented in pristine HD quality. This tribute to the big pop-orchestra bands of Ellington's heyday stands on its own.

During the year of 1966 Duke Ellington was touring Europe. Duke Ellington s sacred concerts had many incarnations, more than the three on the commercial records: The First (1965), The Second (1968) and The Third (1973). At concerts Ellington often made changes in the proceedings left out some numbers, and played others, and altered the succession of numbers played. This was evidenced at Coventry Cathedral on a winter's Monday, February 21st 1966.

"Indigos" is a 1958 jazz album by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. This album stands as an outstanding example of the Ellington Orchestra playing Jazz, features standards such as "Mood Indigo", "Autumn Leaves", "Prelude To a Kiss" and more.