Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. You, You Darlin'
2. Jack the Bear
3. Ko Ko
4. Morning Glory
5. So Far, So Good
6. Conga Brava
7. Concerto for Cootie
8. Me and You
9. Cotton Tail
10. Never No Lament (Don't Get Around Much Anymore)
11. Dusk
12. Bojangles
13. Portrait of Bert Williams
14. Blue Goose
15. Harlem Air Shaft
16. At a Dixie Roadside Diner
17. All Too Soon
18. Rumpus in Richmond
19. My Greatest Mistake
20. Sepia Panorama
21. There Shall Be No Night
22. In a Mellow Tone
23. Five O'Clock Whistle
24. Flaming Sword
25. Warm Valley

Disc 2:

1. Across the Track Blues
2. Chloe
3. I Never Felt This Way Before
4. Sidewalks of New York
5. Flamingo
6. Girl in My Dreams Tries to Look Like You
7. Take the "A" Train
8. Jumpin' Punkins
9. John Hardy's Wife
10. Blue Serge
11. After All
12. Bakiff
13. Are You Sticking?
14. Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'
15. Giddybug Gallop
16. Pitter Panther Patter
17. Body and Soul
18. Sophisticated Lady
19. Mr. J.B. Blues
20. Ko Ko [Alternate Take]
21. Bojangles [Alternate Take]
22. Sepia Panorama [Alternate Take]
23. Jumpin' Punkins [Alternate Take]
24. Jump for Joy [Alternate Take]

Disc 3:

1. Chocolate Shake
2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
3. Clementine
4. Brown-Skin Gal (In the Calico Gown) - Duke Ellington
5. Jump for Joy
6. Moon Over Cuba
7. Five O'Clock Drag
8. Rocks in My Bed
9. Bli-Blip
10. Rain Check
11. What Good Would It Do? - Duke Ellington
12. I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got
13. Chelsea Bridge
14. Perdido
15. C Jam Blues
16. Moon Mist
17. What Am I Here For?
18. I Don't Mind
19. Someone
20. My Little Brown Book
21. Main Stem
22. Johnny Come Lately
23. Hayfoot, Strawfoot
24. Sentimental Lady
25. Slip of the Lip (Can Sink a Ship)
26. Sherman Shuffle

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12361 in Music
• Released on: 2003-04-01
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: Box set

Amazon.com
This 75-track, three-CD set from Duke Ellington's RCA dates from 1940 to 1942, was culled from the massive, 1999 Bluebird mega-set. It's named for bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. Blanton's astonishing technique made him one of the greatest bass players of all time, and Webster's warm, raw-boned tenor tones inspired future saxophonists. Along with the famous Ellingtonians, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, trumpeter Cootie Williams, violinist Ray Nance, and trombonist Tricky Sam Nanton, the addition of Blanton and Webster, along with the arrival of composer/arranger/pianist Billy Strayhorn, make this aggregation Ellington's first "superband."

All the vivid and varied dimensions of Ellingtonia are included in this digitally remastered set, with songs written by his son, Mercer. There's Ellington's silky blues numbers such as "Jack the Bear" and "C-Jam Blues." The Puerto Rican valve trombonist Juan Tizol's "Conga Brava," "Moon Over Cuba," and "Bakiff" contribute Latin and Middle Eastern colors. "Harlem Airshaft" and "Sepia Panorama" are but two examples of Ellington's tonal portraits. The legendary Ellington/Blanton duets, with the bouncy "Pitter Panther Patter" and the emotive "Sophisticated Lady" still sound modern. Webster's surging, pre-bop solos drive the George Gershwin-based "Cottontail," and soulfully signature Strayhorn's ballad "Chelsea Bridge." This set also marks the introduction of other Strayhorn's classics, including "Take the 'A' Train" and "Johnny Come Lately." All told, these World War II-era sides are essential for the Ellington canon. Eugene Holley, Jr.

Customer Reviews

Superb reissue!
This is some of Ellington's most important music and it has finally been properly reissued. Contrary to what the previous review says, this is the best sound quality imaginable for these recordings:; clear, crisp and clean...unlike the previous reissues of this set. Maybe he needs to check his equipment, because from my stereo this sounds like Duke and his boys are playing in my living room. Yes, there is some high end buzz at times, but it is not bothersome and it is necessary to glean out the wide dynamic range. I have seriously been waiting for these recordings to be reissued in this manner for a few years (not being able to outright afford the mammoth 30 disc box set from which these remasters were taken from) and I am so overjoyed by it as it lives up to my every expectation. If you have these recordings in another form, this is well worth the reinvestment. If you are new to Ellington's recordings, then this is exactly where to start to understand why this man was, without a doubt, the greatest American composer ever. If Louis was jazz's greatest voice, Duke is jazz, and America's, greatest writer.

Essential Music, Beautifully Restored
These selections are widely recognized as among the most important recordings in the history of jazz, and rightly so. Included are the definitive versions of many of Ellington's (and his associates') most inspired compositions, performed by one of the greatest bands ever assembled. The musicianship is superb throughout, with absolutely stunning solo and ensemble work on track after track, particularly on the instrumental selections that make up the bulk of the set.

To my ears, the sound quality is astonishingly good. I've been listening to this material on various other compilations (Bluebird's "Blanton-Webster Band," the relevant volumes in the Melodie Jazz Classic label's "Chronological Classics" series, an RCA "Jazz Tribune" set, etc.) for years, and I'm amazed at how much better this issue sounds than any of those. It's true that there's a bit of surface noise, but as one other reviewer has already noted, the problem with noise reduction is that when it's used to excess (as on the Bluebird set, for example), it strips away a lot of the music along with the noise. Here, where the remastering has been done much more judiciously, the improved clarity, detail, presence, and tonal range more than compensate for the slight increase in extraneous background noise. The result is, to my ears, a stunning improvement in overall sound quality.

This is an extremely well-produced reissue that belongs in the collection of anyone with an interest in Ellington, or in big-band jazz in general.

Docked One Star for Shoddy Packaging
I won't echo what's been said about how great this stuff is- it's just great, some of the best jazz ever recorded. That said, I can't easily abide by music of this caliber being packaged in a cheap, flimsy cardboard contraption that doesn't even list all the tracks on the back. Just taking a disc out to listen to it is an exercise in delicacy and restraint, lest you accidentally tear the thing apart.

Still, this is worth purchasing if you're an Ellington fan. I haven't heard the 1980's CD release of this collection, but I had a Glenn Miller one from the same era and label, and the music sounded like it had been filed down with sandpaper- no body, no depth. The distortion on some of disc one's tunes in this set is annoying, but the rest of it sounds great. The exceptions are probably due to poor source recordings, so what can you do? I'd much prefer a few crackles than hear music that's been compressed down to nothing.

In short, I'd say this is worth the money, but look for it used first. I'm sure Bluebird will be reissuing it for a third time in the not-too-distant future, so why pay full price now?