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Although he was only a member of Duke Ellington's Orchestra for three years, tenor-saxophonist Ben Webster was linked with Duke Ellington throughout his career. This Storyville release features the great tenor playing nine songs associated with Ellington. The music is drawn from five separate sessions including trio gigs with pianists Kenny Drew and Teddy Wilson and three with The Danish Radio Band. The emphasis is on uptempo pieces such as "Perdido," "Rockin' in Rhythm" and "Stompy Jones;" a special highlight are the two very different versions of "Cottontail."

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What an alliance: a legendary bandleader and composer, a pioneering bop drummer, and an unclassifiable (and often prickly) bass behemoth. It's no wonder that the tension between Duke Ellington, Max Roach, and Charlie Mingus is thick and extremely tangible, permeating this breathtaking 1962 album with passion and aggression. On the jagged blues "Very Special," Ellington establishes a weighty mood while his piano work almost borders on free jazz. Roach's sticks dance and prance across every inch of his kit on "A Little Max"; on "Caravan" he effectively shifts from exotic rhythms to straight time. ~ Amazon

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Recorded in 1966 in RCA Studios. All the tracks that made the Duke 'Popular' are re-recorded on this album. The 3 bonus tracks are 'Caravan' & 'Wings and Things' & 'Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me'. Original cover, digipak and remastered 24 bits. 2002. ~ Amazon

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From his 1940s work with Benny Goodman and Woody Herman until his death in 1985, tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims was the quintessential jazz musician. He always kept an enthusiastic commitment to improvising and a profound allegiance to the rhythmic art of swing. On this 1979 date he and a big band play distinctive Ellington orchestrations written by Benny Carter, who, like Ellington, helped architect the Swing Era. Here Sims's melodic and evocative tenor mingles the lightness of Lester Young with some of the richly grained sound of Ben Webster, and his performances of Billy Strayhorn's lush "Passion Flower" and Duke's "I've Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" are especially moving. ~ Amazon

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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. The album features well-known and previously unrecorded Strayhorn tunes that showcased his range, versatility, and, above all, the quality that Ellington admired him most for: his sensitivity to all of the timbral, tonal, and color possibilities an orchestra could bring to a piece of music. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

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This Pablo set has odds and ends taken from nine different recording/rehearsal sessions that find Ellington experimenting a bit with instrumentation and personnel, even taking a vocal on the tongue-in-cheek "Moon Maiden." Performances range from a couple of vigorous trio workouts and spots for Wild Bill Davis's organ to a few big-band performances. Even this late in his life, Duke Ellington had a great deal to say musically and his band continued to rank near the top. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

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Though Duke Ellington is justifiably legendary for leading the best and longest-lasting big band in jazz history, he often recorded and occasionally performed with small bands as well. Since Ellington would often lead a small group through newly-written material to test it out before creating big band arrangements, the 11 tracks here, recorded in three sessions with four-to-eight-player lineups, are basically demos. ~ CD Universe

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With this recording, Monk began his tenure at Riverside Records, which was very fruitful and lasted till around the early sixties when Columbia stole him away. The idea was that Monk was gaining popularity, but he was still a tough act to get used to for a lot of people because of the idiosyncratic compositions and piano style. So they suggested an album of someone else's material, to let those less familiar with Monk get used to his playing before confronting the genius of his writing. And who better than Duke to supply the material--Duke, whose playing, along with James P. Johnson and some of the other stride players, influenced Monk a great deal. ~ Amazon

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I can't say enough good things about this music. Consisting of all the known performances Pops and Duke recorded together, this set is a must-own for any music lover. I also recommend this for beginning jazz listeners, as Louis is the most likeable performer in jazz and Duke's songs are some of the most listenable. While the majority of the tunes are Duke pieces, the performances are distinctly Louis. The two greats are supported by members of Louis' Allstars Trummy Young and Barney Brigard who help Satchmo turn this into one of his finest performances. Forget the hype about Pops losing his chops by the time this was recorded (1961) ~ Amazon

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Magical jazz atmosphere, created by one of the greatest composers, big band leaders and perfomers of all time. Careful selection of 18 representative compositions from his inexhaustible songbook. Another quality compilation in the Jazz & Blues series, full of authentic jazz, free of the New Orleans' restrictions. A genuine 'impressionist' and his jazz band, play 18 immortal masterpieces for you. Enjoy.