One of two albums released from the same 1959 sessions, Duke Ellington and alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges come together to play the blues, as the album's subtitle announces. Consisting entirely of covers, the recording features three tunes by classic American blues composer W.C. Handy, including a rendition of "Beale Street Blues".

A smooth and well tempered sound is what the listener will get with this record, you even sometimes get the feeling that this is an classical orchestra who gives an late martinee…

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.

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 ‘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.

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.

This lush, Caribbean-themed collection created a new standard for big band music. The recording includes four original compositions representing the “Virgin Island Suite” and new readings of classics from Ellington’s extensive repertoire. The pieces on this set are as impressive as the stellar line up of musicians including Cat Anderson, Jimmy Hamilton, Billy Strayhorn, among others. The inspired performances and textured nuances are captured with the highest fidelity.

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.

Duke Ellington was the most important composer in the history of jazz as well as being a bandleader who held his large group together continuously for almost 50 years. The two aspects of his career were related; Ellington used his band as a musical laboratory for his new compositions and shaped his writing specifically to showcase the talents of his bandmembers, many of whom remained with him for long periods. Ellington also wrote film scores and stage musicals, and several of his instrumental works were adapted into songs that became standards. In addition to touring year in and year out, he recorded extensively, resulting in a gigantic body of work that was still being assessed a quarter century after his death.

Masterpieces by Ellington is the first LP album by American pianist, composer, and bandleader Duke Ellington, recorded for the Columbia label in 1950. It was one of the earliest 12-inch LPs to take advantage of the extended time available and consisted of four tracks, three of them "concert arrangements" of Ellington standards and one, "The Tattooed Bride", a recent tone poem. The original 1951 release under the "Columbia Masterworks" banner featured a red cover which was replaced by the more modern blue cover in 1956. This album was re-released with additional bonus tracks recorded at later sessions from 1951.

"Midnight in Paris" is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded in 1962 for the Columbia label. The album features performances of compositions inspired by or associated with Paris…