Unlike some labels, who chose to celebrate
Duke Ellington's centennial with lavish sets of his complete recordings for a label, Columbia/Legacy decided to keep things relatively simple. They assembled Duke Ellington - The Essential Collection: 1927-1962, a three-disc set that features highlights of his sessions for Columbia over the years. Completists and purists may wish they have gone whole-hog with a complete sessions box, but it's hard to argue against this wonderful set. Since this spans several decades, it winds up being a terrific overview of
Ellington's bands and the progression of his career, as it hits many of his best compositions in classic performances. Yes, there are great moments missing, not just from his RCA or Decca work, but from his Columbia waxings, but that ultimately doesn't matter, since this was designed as an overview for relative neophytes and for the dedicated that appreciate new contexts. On that level, it succeeds grandly, since it's hard to imagine anyone that hears this set not wanting to dig deeper into
Ellington's rich body of work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine