Duke Ellington: Complete Columbia and RCA Victor Sessions

Duke Ellington

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Duke Ellington: Complete Columbia and RCA Victor Sessions Review

by Thom Jurek

When BMG issued the Never No Lament sides, a triple-CD package finally remastered with all the right stuff, it would have seemed that the jazz punters finally had a definitive version of the classic Jimmy Blanton/Ben Webster edition of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Not so. Spain's Definitive Classics has just issued an audiophile version of the set with an extra disc of the material the Blanton-Webster Band recorded for Columbia. What is contained here includes not only the orchestra sides, but all of the small-unit groups, as well. Hardcore collectors will no doubt have this material in various forms, since all that is featured here are master takes, but it is convenient to have all of them in one place with finely remastered sound -- there is some minor noise on these transfers, but the music contains its full fidelity. These 88 tracks offer, finally, a definitive view of the band at its most poignant, and powerful.

Track Listing - Disc 1

Title/Composer Performer Time Stream
1 Duke Ellington feat: Ben Webster 03:02 SpotifyAmazon
2 Duke Ellington feat: Ben Webster 03:06 SpotifyAmazon
3 Duke Ellington feat: Ben Webster 03:07 SpotifyAmazon
4 Duke Ellington 03:00 SpotifyAmazon
5 Duke Ellington 03:12 SpotifyAmazon
6 Duke Ellington 03:24 SpotifyAmazon
7 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton 02:58 SpotifyAmazon
8 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Duke Ellington Orchestra 02:32 SpotifyAmazon
9 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton 02:43 SpotifyAmazon
10 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton 02:50 SpotifyAmazon
11 Duke Ellington 03:22 SpotifyAmazon
12 Duke Ellington 03:19 SpotifyAmazon
13 Duke Ellington 03:19 SpotifyAmazon
14 Duke Ellington 03:19 SpotifyAmazon
15 Duke Ellington 02:55 SpotifyAmazon
16 Duke Ellington 03:00 SpotifyAmazon
17 Duke Ellington 03:21 SpotifyAmazon
18 Duke Ellington 02:56 SpotifyAmazon
19 Duke Ellington 03:14 SpotifyAmazon
20 Duke Ellington 03:20 SpotifyAmazon
21 Duke Ellington 03:22 SpotifyAmazon
22 Duke Ellington 02:52 SpotifyAmazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

Title/Composer Performer Time Stream
1 Duke Ellington 03:11 SpotifyAmazon
2 Duke Ellington 03:23 SpotifyAmazon
3 Duke Ellington 03:01 SpotifyAmazon
4 Duke Ellington 02:51 SpotifyAmazon
5 Duke Ellington 03:32 SpotifyAmazon
6 Duke Ellington 02:51 SpotifyAmazon
7 Duke Ellington 03:27 SpotifyAmazon
8 Duke Ellington 03:27 SpotifyAmazon
9 Duke Ellington 03:14 SpotifyAmazon
10 Duke Ellington 03:18 SpotifyAmazon
11 Duke Ellington 03:20 SpotifyAmazon
12 Duke Ellington 03:09 SpotifyAmazon
13 Duke Ellington 03:24 SpotifyAmazon
14 Duke Ellington 03:03 SpotifyAmazon
15 Duke Ellington 03:27 SpotifyAmazon
16 Duke Ellington 03:35 SpotifyAmazon
17 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 02:47 SpotifyAmazon
18 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:11 SpotifyAmazon
19 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:07 SpotifyAmazon
20 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:27 SpotifyAmazon
21 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:05 SpotifyAmazon
22 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 02:50 SpotifyAmazon

Track Listing - Disc 3

Title/Composer Performer Time Stream
1 Duke Ellington 03:30 SpotifyAmazon
2 Duke Ellington 03:15 SpotifyAmazon
3 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:18 SpotifyAmazon
4 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:27 SpotifyAmazon
5 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:22 SpotifyAmazon
6 Duke Ellington 02:59 SpotifyAmazon
7 Duke Ellington 03:36 SpotifyAmazon
8 Duke Ellington 03:32 SpotifyAmazon
9 Duke Ellington 03:25 SpotifyAmazon
10 Duke Ellington 03:25 SpotifyAmazon
11 Duke Ellington 03:28 SpotifyAmazon
12 Duke Ellington 03:08 SpotifyAmazon
13 Duke Ellington 03:38 SpotifyAmazon
14 Duke Ellington 03:35 SpotifyAmazon
15 Duke Ellington 02:56 SpotifyAmazon
16 Duke Ellington 03:24 SpotifyAmazon
17 Duke Ellington 03:03 SpotifyAmazon
18 Duke Ellington 03:13 SpotifyAmazon
19 Duke Ellington 02:56 SpotifyAmazon
20 Duke Ellington 03:18 SpotifyAmazon
21 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:03 SpotifyAmazon
22 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:15 SpotifyAmazon

Track Listing - Disc 4

Title/Composer Performer Time Stream
1 Duke Ellington 03:20 SpotifyAmazon
2 Duke Ellington 03:21 SpotifyAmazon
3 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:16 SpotifyAmazon
4 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:11 SpotifyAmazon
5 Duke Ellington feat: Jimmy Blanton / Ben Webster 03:09 SpotifyAmazon
6 Duke Ellington 02:34 SpotifyAmazon
7 Duke Ellington 02:50 SpotifyAmazon
8 Duke Ellington 03:18 SpotifyAmazon
9 Duke Ellington 02:58 SpotifyAmazon
10 Duke Ellington 03:12 SpotifyAmazon
11 Duke Ellington 02:41 SpotifyAmazon
12 Duke Ellington 03:02 SpotifyAmazon
13 Duke Ellington 03:29 SpotifyAmazon
14 Duke Ellington 02:53 SpotifyAmazon
15 Duke Ellington 03:12 SpotifyAmazon
16 Duke Ellington 03:16 SpotifyAmazon
17 Duke Ellington 02:53 SpotifyAmazon
18 Duke Ellington 02:44 SpotifyAmazon
19 Duke Ellington 02:37 SpotifyAmazon
20 Duke Ellington 03:06 SpotifyAmazon
21 Duke Ellington feat: Mercer Ellington 03:00 SpotifyAmazon
22 Duke Ellington 02:38 SpotifyAmazon
blue highlight denotes track pick