Duke ellington/Count basie....


Hey picked up Dukes' "blues in orbit"...any other recommendations along this line? Also..enjoy Basies' small ensembles on Pablo...any others that come to mind?
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All of the Basie big band recordings on Pablo are great. Especially 88 Bassie Street if you're into vinyl, and its available as a 180g reissue.

There are - I think - three Duke Ellington records also on Pablo. Duke's Big Four is especially well recorded, but the others are good too. Most of the Ellington sessions on Columbia are well recorded. Try Festival Sessions.
Ellington: "And His Mother Called Him Bill", "Far East Suite", "Afro-Bossa", "Piano In The Foreground", "Such Sweet Thunder", "Suite Thursday", "Dance Concerts-California 1958-Volume 6". All are superior to the titles mentioned above. The first four are available on vinyl, albeit expensively. "Piano..." is a trio record.

Basie: "E=MC2" (sometimes known as The Atomic Basie), "Chairman of The Board", "Basie Plays Hefti", "Kansas City Suite". The first two are available on high end vinyl. Again, these are stronger titles than those listed above.

If you don't require modern sound, Ellington's "The Blanton-Webster Band", "Fargo 1940", and "The Complete 1936-1940 Small Group Recordings", along with Basie's "The Complete Decca Recordings", are jazz essentials. The Ellington small group set comes from Mosaic, the invaluable reissue outfit. Good listening!
My 2 favorite Ellington titles (along with Far Easr Suite, mentioned above) are "Intimacy of The Blues" and "Queen's Suite/Ellington & his Small Bands", both on Pablo. Utterly amazing music recorded beautifully on Pablo, as usual.

Good Luck,

Marty
...don't forget Basie as backup band to Frank Sinatra: Live at the Sands! Both at the top of their game w/ a young Quincy Jones conducting - a must have!