Duke Ellington - From the Archives 2 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Through the ranks of Duke Ellington's Orchestra passed some of the biggest names in jazz, including Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Rex Stewart, Ben Webster, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney and Clark Terry, to name a few. The selections presented here feature the phenomenal Ellington Orchestra in it's prime, recorded between 1943 and 1946. InchThe Kissing BugInch features the vocals of Joya Sherrill; InchIt Don't Mean a ThingInch features Ray Nance and Taft Jordan on vocals; InchFrankie and JohnnyInch features the jazz violin of Ray Nance. All selections have been newly remastered.

Live recordings from the amazing Duke Ellington and his orchestra are presented here from two different venues. Tracks 1-5 were recorded in 1937, live at the Cotton Club; tracks 6-10 are from 1940, live at the Southland in Boston, showcasing the early Ellington band at it's finest. All selections have been newly remastered.

Directly after World War II, the great Duke Ellington recorded his most ambitious and experimental works. The selections here all hail from that glorious period and feature one of the best line-ups of his famed orchestra including Ray Nance on violin and trumpet, vocalist Kay Davis, who positively shines on InchThe Beautiful IndiansInch; Harry Carney's baritone sax is featured on InchGolden FeatherInch and the golden alto sax of Johnny Hodges features on InchMagenta HazeInch. All selections newly remastered.