This two-CD set captures one of the milestones in
Duke Ellington's long and extremely productive career, highlighted by his monumental suite "Black, Brown and Beige" in the only full-length version ever recorded by his orchestra; soon it was only performed as excerpts. In addition,
Ellington's all-star orchestra (including such stylists as trumpeters
Rex Stewart,
Ray Nance, and
Shorty Baker; trombonists
Tricky Sam Nanton and
Lawrence Brown; and a saxophone section boasting
Johnny Hodges,
Ben Webster, and
Harry Carney) excels on the shorter pieces, a mixture of older and recent compositions. Every serious jazz library should contain this set. ~ Scott Yanow