Search - Duke Ellington :: Unknown Session

One Ellington's best records. VERY underrated.

MG Nagy | 07/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The session was recorded in Hollywood on 14 July, 1960, with Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Johhny Hodges, Harry Carney, Aaron Bell, and Sam Woodyard.



Track list: Everything But You, Black Beauty, All Too Soon, Something To Live For, Mood Indigo, Creole Blues, Don't You Know I Care, Mighty Like The Blues, Tonight I Shall Sleep, Dual Highway, Blues.



I don't know why, but Columbia (now Sony) didn't see fit to release this recording until 1979. This record is in a lot of ways like the Indigo record, only with a much smaller band. The booklet doesn't offer much explanation on the session, but gives great details on the background of the individual songs.



This record is very relaxed, making it a great late nite (or Sunday morning) record. Some of the arrangements are quite different, with "Creole Blues" being a duet between Ellington (piano) and Brown (trombone). This version of "Everything But You" is an instrumental (as is the whole record).



I can't understand why this record sat for so long. The arrangments and performances are great, with "Dual Highway" absolutely swingin' big. The quality of the recording isn't perfect (there is some distortion on particular solos due to mic placement) but in no way detracts from the listening experience. The levels are fine, and no one gets lost, even on the muted solos.



I have about a dozen Ellington records in my collection, and I've heard a few dozen more. This is the one I take out and play again and again on a regular basis. I don't know if it's his best (I think it's up there), but it certainly is my favorite.



For some reason, Sony has never seen fit to release this record in the US on CD, despite the big rollout and revamp they did for his 100th birthday. Sony needs to do an SACD release of this record. Right now, while you are reading this. Really."