Recorded just after Labor Day 1959, following a highly successful run on the U.S. summer jazz festival circuit, Festival Session is one of the Duke Ellington Orchestra's most consistently invigorating albums. Ellington (1899-1974) mixes old and new, with the orchestra in peak form, whether the material is tried-and-true (e.g. "Perdido" and "Things Ain't What They Used," the former co-written by the Maestro's longtime star valve trombone soloist Juan Tizol, the latter composed entirely his Duke's son, Mercer) or of then-recent vintage Ellingtonia. "Copout," is a workout for Paul Gonsalves' booting tenor saxophone;" Duael," a collegial stereophonic battle between drummers Sam Woodyard and Jimmy Johnson;" "Idiom '59," a three-part suite spotlighting Russell Procope's and Jimmy Hamilton's clarinets and Clark Terry's flugelhorn; and "Launching Pad," which, like earlier "train tunes," evinces Ellington's interest in a form of travel -- in this case, outer space. The newly remastered set is completed by a pair of previously unreleased tracks, making this an additionally exciting Festival Session.

Masterpieces by Ellington is among the most significant recordings in the vast discography of Duke Ellington (1899-1974). The four selections comprising the original album, recorded in December 1950, catapulted the Maestro into the LP era; the still-new 33-1/3 rpm format allowed this great composer/ arranger/ pianist and his matchless orchestra to take full advantage for the first time of the possibilities extended, high-fidelity performances. Ellington did not merely revisit three of his signature songs ("Mood Indigo" and "Sophisticated Lady," with evocative vocals by Yvonne Lanauze, as well as "Solitude"), he modernized their arrangements in a concert vein. "Masterpieces" was also notable for the debut of the full-bodied, surprise-laden "The Tattooed Bride," and for the swansongs of three Ellingtonian giants of longstanding: drummer Sonny Greer, trombonist Lawrence Brown, and alto saxist Johnny Hodges. (The latter two would eventually return to the fold.) Newly remastered, and containing three bonus tracks from 1950-51, Masterpieces is a revelation.

Recorded in December 1951 and 1952, Ellington Uptown joins stunning, extended works of recent vintage ("A Tone Parallel to Harlem", "The Liberian Suite," "The Controversial Suite") with fresh looks at such bona fide classics by Ellington and alter ego Billy Strayhorn ("The Mooche," "Take the 'A' Train)," as well as "Perdido," co-written by longtime star valve trombone soloist Juan Tizol. Ellington (1899-1974) was justly acclaimed for his portraits of various principal players; "Harlem" is a portrait-in-sound of daily life in the world's most famous African-American community. Vocalists also take star turns herein, with Betty Roche's jauntily bopping rendition of "'A' Train," and Al Hibbler's moving "I Like The Sunrise," the first movement of "The Liberian Suite." And there's Louie Bellson establishing himself as the dean of double bass drums on his "Skin Deep." Now expanded by six bonus cuts, and remastered to enhance the album's already spectacular sound, Uptown is a high water mark in the annals of Elingtonia.

ALSO AVAILABLE...

The ultimate Duke collection - a career overview - in stores now
The Duke Ellington Centennial Celebration is one of the most ambitious and far-reaching reissue and restoration projects of his music. This unprecedented program will ultimately cover the entire recording career of Ellington for Columbia and its affiliated labels that released his music starting in 1927. [More]


The Duke: The Essential Collection (1927-1962)
 
Legacy Recordings continues to celebrate Duke Ellington's genius with the definitive Ellington overview - The Duke: Essential Collection (1927-1962).
 
This beautiful 3-CD boxed set will feature all of The Duke's masterworks and hits---beginning with his very first recording in 1927, "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo."
 
The set will encompass Ellington's three great periods with the company, including his work for Columbia, OKeh, and the various ARC (American Record Company) labels:
 
CD ONE
1927-1940, from the Washingtonians and the Harlem Footwarmers, into the golden era of the Duke Ellington Orchestra
 
CD TWO
1947-52, big band survival in the post-war period, when virtually every other jazz orchestra faded
 
CD THREE
1956-1962, the long-play album period, including highlights from some of Duke's classic LP's, such as Newport '56 and Such Sweet Thunder.
 
Complete Track Listing (with audio) and Featured Personnel
 
THE DUKE has been compiled by reissue specialist/pianist Henri Renaud of France, a jazz musician, composer, arranger and producer whose career began in the 1940s and continues today. Liner notes were written by noted Ellington authority Robert G. O'Meally, professor of American Studies at Columbia University, and co-producer of the Smithsonian Institution's Grammy-nominated 5-CD boxed-set, The Jazz Singers. Reams of rare and previously unpublished photos will be included.
 
As with every Legacy release, painstaking efforts in the studio have resulted in the finest possible sound - unprecedented sonic quality. This is Duke as you've never been able to hear him before.