Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Jeep's Blues
2. If You Were In My Place
3. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
4. Rendezvous With Rhythm
5. A Lesson In C
6. Swingtime In Honolulu
7. Carnival In Caroline
8. Ol' Man River
9. You Walked Out Of The Picture
10. Pyramid
11. Empty Ballroom Blues
12. Lost In Meditation
13. A Blues Serenade
14. Love In Swingtime
15. Swinging In The Dell
16. Jitterbug's Lullaby
17. Chasin' Chippies
18. Blue Is The Evening
19. Sharpie
20. Swing Pan Alley
21. Prelude To A Kiss
22. There's Something About An Old Love

Disc 2:

1. The Jeep Is Jumpin'
2. Krum Elbow Blues
3. I'm In Another World
4. Hodge Podge
5. Dancing On The Stars
6. Wanderlust
7. Delta Mood
8. The Boys From Harlem
9. Mobile Blues
10. Gal-A-Vanting
11. Like A Ship In The Night
12. Mississippi Dreamboat
13. Swingin' On The Campus
14. Dooji Wooji
15. Beautiful Romance
16. Boudoir Benny
17. Ain't The Gravy Good?
18. She's Gone
19. San Juan Hill
20. I'll Come Back For More
21. Fat Stuff Serenade

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #187116 in Music
• Released on: 1999-03-30
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Best of

From Amazon.com
Ellingtonian small-group sessions were informal, laidback affairs that gave solo space (and leader credits) to his great stars such as Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, and Rex Stewart. It says volumes about Duke Ellington that these "secondary" pursuits, these respites from the demands of the big band, are actually some of the most rewarding examples of small-band swing ever recorded. These two CDs are culled from 1938 and 1939, and form a worthy addendum to Columbia's first volume. The exotic "Wanderlust" (with Hodges on soprano) and the sexy "Jeep's Blues" both debuted here and would become staples of the big band, while obscure Ellington-penned gems like "I'm in Another World," with Hodges at his most sublime, make their only recorded appearance in this set. This setting also allowed for oddball interpretations of age-old standards like "Ol' Man River," played uptempo and with great humor (and goofy new lyrics), starring Cootie Williams's trumpet growl. --Marc Greilsamer