Duke Ellington - Duke At His Very Best - The Jimmy Blanton, Billy Strayhorn, Ben Webster Sessions - Legendary Works, 1940-1942 (2024)

This 4-CD set was produced by Alain Pailler and Tony Baldwin from meticulously restored originals that let you relive the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s golden age as though you were right there. These legendary 1940-1942 sessions include Ellington classics such as Ko-Ko, Take The ‘A’ Train, Perdido and Harlem Air-Shaft, masterfully arranged by the Duke himself and his right-hand man Billy Strayhorn. The set prominently features several Swing Era giants at their very peak: Cootie Williams and Ray Nance on trumpets; cornettist Rex Stewart; trombone players Joe Nanton and Lawrence Brown; Barney Bigard on clarinet; Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster and Harry Carney on saxophones, plus the brilliant young doublebass prodigy Jimmy Blanton. It’s a milestone in jazz history and makes essential listening.

Patrick Frémeaux