Duke Ellington

3 LPs ON 2 CDs + 6 BONUS TRACKS

This release compiles, for the first time ever on a singl set, all existing material from the sessions that produced the classic Duke Ellington albums Ellington Uptown (Columbia ML4639/CL830), The Liberian Suite (Columbia CL848), and Masterpieces by Ellington (Columbia ML4418).

Ellington Uptown was originally issued in two different versions, the first one containing “The Harlem Suite”, and the second one replacing it with “The Controversial Suite”. To add to the confusion, the LP The Liberian Suite, first issued on a 10” LP, was later presented on a 12” album coupled with “The Harlem Suite”.

All of these materials here, plus a song (“Come on Home”) that completes the Ellington Uptown sessions, and four rare alternate takes from the “Liberian Suite” taped during the same session as the masters have been added as a bonus. To round out this set, CD2 also presents Ellington’s earliest version of “The Tattooed Bride”, taped live at Carnegie Hall in 1948, which is very interesting to compare with the one on Masterpieces by Ellington.

DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA:

Collective Personnel: Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Willie Cook (tp)
Ray Nance (tp, vln, vcl), Lawrence Brown, Quentin Jackson,
Britt Woodman, Juan Tizol (tb), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts),
Russell Procope (as, cl), Willie Smith (as), Paul Gonsalves (ts),
Harry Carney (bar, cl,b-cl), Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn (p),
Wendell Marshall (b), Louie Bellson, Sonny Greer (d), among others.

Recorded in New York, between 1947 & 1952.

Bonus Tracks (CD2, 5-10):
CD2, 5: Duke Ellington & His Orchestra. New York, November 13, 1948.
CD2, 6: From the Ellington Uptown sessions. Not on the original LP.
CD2, 7-10: Alternate takes from the Liberian Suite LP

CD1 [1-7]: Ellington Uptown (4 1/2 Stars All Music Guide)
CD1 [8-13]: The Liberian Suite (4 Stars All Music Guide
CD2 [1-4]: Masterpieces by Ellington (4 1/2 Stars All Music Guide)

INCLUDES 20-PAGE BOOKLET

CD1 · Total Time: 79:14

01 Skin Deep
02 The Mooche
03 Take The “A” Train
04 Perdido
05 The Controversial Suite Part 1 (Before My Time)
06 The Controversial Suite Part 2 (Later)
07 A Tone Parallel To Harlem (The Harlem Suite)
08 The Liberian Suite: I Like The Sunrise
09 The Liberian Suite: Dance #1
10 The Liberian Suite: Dance #2
11 The Liberian Suite: Dance #3
12 The Liberian Suite: Dance #4
13 The Liberian Suite: Dance #5

CD2 · Total Time: 78:17

01 Mood Indigo
02 Sophisticated Lady
03 The Tattooed Bride
04 Solitude
05 The Tattooed Bride [Live At Carnegie Hall]
06 Come On Home
07 The Liberian Suite: I Like The Sunrise [A.T.]
08 The Liberian Suite: I Like The Sunrise [A.T]
09 The Liberian Suite: Dance #1 [A.T.]
10 The Liberian Suite: Dance #3 [Incomplete take]