Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges: Back To Back LP (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series)
Verve, 1959
Several times in his career star alto-saxophone soloist Johnny Hodges struck out on his own, only to return each time to Duke Ellington's band. Critic Michael Ullman suggested that the blues classics chosen for this program may have been neutral ground, where Ellington's playing could come to the fore & Hodges' irrepressible sensuality could have free rein. This is one of the very best small-group records Ellington ever made — a perfectly integrated set of music that truly swings the blues.
Presented on Verve/UME’s Acoustic Sounds series which offers definitive audiophile versions of classic jazz recordings. Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QPR. Presented in high-quality Stoughton Printing gatefold tip-on jackets. Series supervised by Chad Kassem CEO of Acoustic Sounds.
Tracklist
Side A
- Wabash Blues
- Basin Street Blues
- Beale Street Blues
Side B
- Weary Blues
- St. Louis Blues
- Loveless Love
- Royal Garden Blues
- Duke Ellington – piano
- Johnny Hodges – alto saxophone
- Harry "Sweets" Edison – trumpet
- Les Spann – guitar
- Al Hall – bass (tracks 1 and 4)
- Sam Jones – bass (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
- Jo Jones – drums
Verve's Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
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