Take the "A" Train and Other Hits

Performer: Duke Ellington
Producer: Mark Pinkus (Compilation); Patrick Milligan (Compilation)
Distributor: WEA Strategic Marketing

Notes: Liner Note Author: Eric Kayser. The ten tracks included here are simply compiled from the great Duke Ellington Orchestra with Jimmy Blanton and Ben Webster: if you look closely on the insert you will see Webster in the bottom left hand corner. While this disc is taken track for track from a Hindsight release of the same name in 1998, these recordings are from the late '30s and early '40s. All of the cuts are familiar, and these are devastatingly wonderful readings. There is better sound on other comps issued by RCA of the music from that time, but not for this price. ~ Thom Jurek

Duke Ellington's gift for combining blues simplicity, gospel emotion, and sophisticated musical themes reflected a unique style that drew fans from around the world. From the 1920s to the 1970s, he created a huge body of work that ranks among the greatest contributions to American music. As a pianist, composer, and bandleader, Ellington contained multitudes: from solo recordings to orchestral works, from novelty songs to extended suites, from the sacred to the not-so-sacred. As Miles Davis once said, "All musicians should get down on their knees one day to thank Duke Ellington."

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