Your 3 Favorite Ellington LPs

[medjuck]

I remember when the bargain bins were full of copies of the EKE "All American". I think I never got it because I'd read a bunch of dismissive reviews. (Or maybe I was just being snobbish.) Maybe Mosaic can do a single (or have they stopped doing those?).

[kt66brooklyn]

Here's my first post here. I joined up at the suggestion of a fellow fourumite; Allen Lowe.

Anyway, Here are some of my go-to Duke disks:

#1 The Cosmic Scene, keep in mind that he's backed by Spacemen, not his usual famous orchestra, which makes all the difference for me.

#2 Saturday Night Function, This is a nifty 10" HMV LP from the 50's. The quality of the transfers is top notch. Late 20's- early 30's Victor material.

#3 The SESAC 45, Duke's DJ Special. I picked this one up a while ago. I really like how his late 50's group was captured by Crown. I want to pick up the SESAC LP as well. Crown also put together a great Duke tribute record, too: Compositions of Duke Ellngton and Others, with the likes of Ben Webster, Juan Tizol, Conte Condoli--The list goes on.

[Guest Bill Barton]

At this juncture in time and space:

And His Mother Called Him Bill

Far East Suite

Money Jungle

[Clunky]

" ...and his mother called him Bill"

Latin American Suite

Money Jungle

nothing new on my list, these would be my three, perhaps because all have been in my collection for 20 years.

[DMP]

"... Bill," "The Popular...," and the the Columbia album with the Basie band (which seems to have a couple titles).

[gmonahan]

New Orleans Suite

70th Birthday Concert

Jazz Party

I'd put "First Time" with Basie on the list, but it's not entirely an Ellington album.

And I agree that "Moon Maiden" on "Intimate Ellington" is a gas!

gregmo

[Big Al]

Money Jungle

Live at the Whitney

Piano in the Background

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

What a nice thread this is! I'm now having to change my three from

Piano in the foreground

Money Jungle

Back to back

to

Piano in the foreground

Money Jungle

All star road band vol 1 - WOW! Booful!

Thanks everyone

MG

[bluesbro]

* Far East Suite

* And his mother called him Bill

* Togo Brava Suite

[aparxa]

My top 3 this year would be:

1.

 

2.

 

 

3.

[soulpope]

On 5.12.2009 at 9:47 AM, The Magnificent Goldberg said:

All small groups for me

 

Piano in the foreground

Money Jungle

Back to back

 

MG

As of now also my three choices and "Back To Back" being tied with "The New Orleans Suite"  ....

[felser]

Ellington at Newport (why has no one mentioned this?)

Ellington Uptown

And His Mother Called Him Bill

but there are dozens of others worthy of being on the list - these may have as much to do with their initial impact on me (I came to them all very early in my jazz journey) as their relative merit compared to his many other great recordings.

 

[mjzee]

I'm not a huge Ellington fan...I can respect him more than fully enjoy him.  But I do really like these 4 (which is the requested 3, plus the ignored restriction at the beginning forbidding 78 reissues):

The Blanton/Webster Band (rereleased as Never No Lament), RCA - probably my first Ellington album

Fargo 1940 (various labels, including Storyville)

Unknown Session (Columbia) - also has a great cover

Hot Summer Dance (Flying Dutchman)

Especially on the last 3, the band is looser and more driving than usual.

Edited December 30, 2016 by mjzee

[l p]

 

[John L]

On ‎12‎/‎5‎/‎2009 at 9:52 PM, jazzbo said:

Aric, check it out:

Details of the Private Collection

I keep coming back to the private collection too, some of that really bluesy stuff that can be SO potent.  

[Jim R]

On 12/7/2009 at 2:04 PM, mikeweil said:

The Pianist (Capitol)

I'm not sure what this one is... a european issue?

Anyway, it may be some other version of this, which has always been my #1 Ellington favorite (not otherwise mentioned in this thread, unless I missed it):

Also love the album with Trane, and although I was never really a huge fan of Ella (at least relative to some of the other great vocalists), I still think that the collaboration with Ellington was by far the best and most re-listenable of her entire "Songbook" series.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Jim R

[mikeweil]

Jim, you're right, it was Piano Reflections that I had in mind.

[xybert]

Insanely hard to pick three, but off the top of my head:

Masterpieces, Piano Reflections, Back to Back

[Jim R]

10 hours ago, mikeweil said:

Jim, you're right, it was Piano Reflections that I had in mind.

And it only took me 7 years to bring it up!  

[Larry Kart]

Restricting myself to actual LPs, not LPs that compile 78 performances, I'd say (off the top of my head): All-American, Afro Bossa, and the Far East Suite. Also, there's Bal Masque, with Hodges' "Alice Blue Gown."

[HutchFan]

Three?!?!?! Impossible!  

O.K. I'll give it a shot: How about Piano in the Foreground, Far East Suite, and The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse.

. . .

Or Ellington Uptown, Anatomy of a Murder, and The Great Paris Concert.

. . .

Or Piano Reflections, The All-Star Road Band, Vol. 1, and Blues in Orbit.

[MomsMobley]

afro-eurasion eclipse (eke pronounces it ee-clips)

 

[Tom 1960]

I have a feeling this is a Fresh Sound release and a cd. Still I'm going to pose this question to those who enjoy the Ellington Indigos release. What do you think?https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WJRJ22/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1BIMNAHK0TY8D&colid=1KDG9H84FVIM7

Edited November 1, 2017 by Tom 1960

[jazzbo]

It's a decent cd. The best cd I have  ever heard of this session is the Impex gold cd.

https://www.amazon.com/Indigos-Limited-Duke-Ellington/dp/B00YB9BMDU/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1509548490&sr=1-1&keywords=duke+ellington+ellington+indigos

[medjuck]

2 hours ago, jazzbo said:

It's a decent cd. The best cd I have  ever heard of this session is the Impex gold cd.

https://www.amazon.com/Indigos-Limited-Duke-Ellington/dp/B00YB9BMDU/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1509548490&sr=1-1&keywords=duke+ellington+ellington+indigos

I agree. though "The Complete" has a couple of cuts that aren't on the Gold disc they aren't all in the mood of the rest of the record. The "Gold" disc is great.