The eleventh double-CD in this special D.E.T.S. (Duke Ellington Treasury Series) program continues the reissue of all of Ellington.

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The three sessions here were recorded in N.Y.C. in 1945 - 2 live sessions (Apollo Theatre and Zanzibar Club) plus one studio session (Radio City Music Hall). The 143 minutes (44 tunes) of music on this double-CD have never been released before. The repertoire is classic Ellington/Strayhorn material - including one Strayhorn medley and two suites ("Trio in Blue" and "Perfume Suite") - plus several tunes which were never recorded commercially. Recorded at the end of WWII, the purpose of these three programs - besides providing wonderful music - was to promote the sale of U.S. Treasury bonds to help the war effort. A major attribute of this double-CD is the inclusion of several tunes that Ellington never recorded commercially, like "Fickle Fling", "Hollywood Hangover" and "I'd Do It All Over Again". The great musicianship and enthusiasm of Ellington's orchestra includes countless fine solos - especially with Johnny Hodges and Rex Stewart - and features some great vocals by Al Hibbler, Kay Davis and Joya Sherrill.

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Here are more precious wartime broadcasts that Duke made for the U.S. Treasury Department, these dating from October 13 and 20, 1945. You don't have to buy the war bonds, but you will treasure these: Take the 'A' Train; Autumn Serenade; I'll Buy That Dream; Mood Indigo; After All; C-Jam Blues; Perdido; Caravan; If I Loved You; Ko-Ko 51 tracks on 2 CDs!

The Duke Box 2 picks up the story of the great Duke Ellington band in the early 1950s and spans the next 20 years or so of his remarkable output. Spanning the years in which Ellington regularly toured Europe and Scandinavia, The Duke Box 2 offers a rich selection of performances illustrating a tirelessly inventive musical spirit on tour with changing personnel and occasional guest artists. CD3 features never before released live recordings from a 1963 concert in Gröna Lund, Stockholm—a veritable treasure for the committed Ellington fan. The box also includes the well-renowned Jaywalker (CD5) and Piano Player (CD4) albums whose music always deserve a re-visiting. Among other gems are late 1970s recordings from New York, some of the last music Ellington ever put out.

The bonus DVD combines a series of short films of the Ellington band in action and despite the sound being recorded first and the performances showing the band miming, this curiosum offers a fascinating glimpse of The Duke in action, and the audio is of course technically excellent.

REVIEW:

This box set of seven CDs, one DVD and an illustrated booklet celebrates the latter part of Duke Ellington's monumental career. It opens with the so-called "Silver Jubilee" 1952 coast-to-coast broadcasts from Birdland in New York City by NBC.

But the Birdland gig was no simple trip down memory lane. Ever anxious to be seen to be on the cutting edge, Ellington used it to demonstrate the ability of his orchestra to absorb the changes brought about by be-bop. The music suffers somewhat from NBC's desire to emphasize the cultural importance of the occasion, with celebrities in the audience called to the microphone by MC William B. Williams to attest. These include—most interestingly—British critic, pianist and composer Leonard Feather.

Things calm down on CD2 with a pretty typical 1958 concert in Munich featuring Ducal compositions new and old, plus the inevitable "greatest hits" medley.

On CD3 the band is caught on tape while playing a week-long booking at the Gröna Lund amusement park in Stockholm.

The remaining CDs are from the Ellington "stockpile," recordings of self-financed sessions from the Duke's own vaults. No.4 is of particular interest, concentrating as it does on Ellington's mostly unaccompanied piano playing.

CD5 was recorded—by the full orchestra—at the RCA studios in New York in 1966-67. It is memorable for two things: Cootie Williams' playing of "The Shepherd," a magnificent slow blues that Duke later incorporated into his Second Sacred Concert; and for Ellington's musical dialogue with conga drummer Emmanuel Abdul-Rahim.

CD6, from 1970—1972, reveals Ellington nearing the end of his life but still capable of springing surprises. He attempts to come to terms with the "New Thing" via such enigmatic compositions as "Rext" and "Flute" and new, spare arrangements of "Sophisticated Lady" and "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good."

The video on the DVD was filmed at Pathé Studios in New York in 1962. It captures Paul Gonsalves in full flight on "Blow By Blow" and Sam Woodyard doing some astonishing things with his drum kit on "Kind Of Dukish."

It's a lot to digest but Duke Box 2 provides a highly entertaining and well-rounded portrait of one of the few jazzmen truly worthy of the title genius.

-- AllAboutJazz.com (Chris Mosey)

Duke Ellington & Orchestra: Duke Ellington (piano); Ray Nance (vocals, trumpet, violin); Kay Davis, Al Hibbler, Joya Sherrill (vocals); Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick (alto saxophone); Jimmy Hamilton (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Al Sears (tenor saxophone); Rex Stewart, Taft Jordan, Shelton Hemphill, Cat Anderson (trumpet); Joseph Nanton, Lawrence Brown, Claude Jones (trombone); Billy Strayhorn (piano); Fred Guy (guitar); Junior Raglin (bass); Sonny Greeer (drums). Recorded on July 14 & September 21, 1945. During 1945 and 1946, Duke Ellington recorded a number of broadcast transcriptions for use by the U. S. Treasury Department to promote the sale of war bonds. This eighth volume, issued by Storyville, is yet another two-disc set that compiles three different broadcasts. While the sound quality is decent for the soloists and only so-so for the whole band, the occasional rarity like "Let the Zoomers Drool" or "Ultra Violet, " as well as superb renditions of favorites like "C Jam Blues, " "Ko-Ko, " and "Main Stem" will be of interest to Ellington collectors. A surprise inclusion is Ellington's nearly 12-minute tone poem from 1935, "Reminiscing in Tempo, " though it was no favorite of star soloists like Johnny Hodges, who preferred opportunities to blow. But this volume falls a little bit short in value compared to earlier sets in the series, because of inconsistent sound quality and overall programs that are not as interesting as a typical Ellington concert, though at least the long medleys of hits always featured in his later years are not present. - Ken Dryden.

Storyville Records presents Volume 25 in the Duke Ellington Treasury Shows series, the final volume of this collectors’ special broadcast series. In April 1945 to promote the sale of war bonds, the US Treasury Department contacted Duke Ellington to do a series of 55 minute public broadcasts. These sessions would give Ellington a wide choice of material to perform including his older work, new instrumentals and pop tunes, and his extended works as well. And now it is 2018 and we have made the home run: This volume is the final one of this series of 25 albums altogether, with all the known Treasury shows from 1945 to 1953, and new, hitherto mostly unreleased bonus broadcast material from the 1940s. The release begins with the last known Treasury broadcast. It is from the Blue Note in Chicago, recorded in June 1953, and broadcast on August 1st 1953 as part of the series “All Star Parade of Bands,” launched by NBC to promote bond sales. The second half of the release contains broadcasts from April 22nd 1944 and from May 5th 1944 at the Hurricane Club in New York City.

This album contains a series of different radio broadcasts from the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco and the famous Hurricane Restaurant in New York among others. The broadcasts are featured complete with radio speaks and encouragements to buy bonds read by The Duke himself + bonus material and extensive liner notes. The first disc contains a radio broadcast from the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, recorded on August 3, 1946 with bonus tracks from a session at the Lakeside Park, El Patio Ballroom in Denver, July 1945, 1942. The second disc features a broadcast recorded at Meadowbrook, Culver City, California, August 17, 1946. Included are also three bonus tracks from a radio broadcast at the Hurricane Restaurant in New York City, August 21, 1943. This Treasury Shows addition was recorded amid tensions between the Duke and his record company, a large musician’s strike, the surprising deaths of several prominent band members and political events such as rising racial and social tension and World War II, all of which is meticulously explained in the extensive liner notes by Duke Ellington connoisseur and journalist Roger Boyes. The musical gift of the versatile Ellingtonians always prevails, however—as Boyes for example writes: “”Hodges’ solo [on A Flower is a Lovesome Thing] is three-and-a-half minutes of pure melody, and in the unlikely even that you tire of that, Stryhorn’s accompaniment offers a parallel three-and-a-half minutes of great beauty”. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra always deliver on energy, skill and rhythm.

Storyville Records presents: Volume 24 in the Duke Ellington Treasury Shows series, now approaching the end of this collectors’ special broadcast series. In April 1945, to promote the sale of war bonds, the US Treasury Department contacted Duke Ellington to do a series of 55 min public broadcasts. These sessions would give Ellington a wide choice of material to perform including his older work; new instrumentals and pop tunes and his extended works as well. This extended release contains a series of different radio NBC broadcasts from the famous Blue Note club in Chicago, Illinois from the summer of 1953. The album also incudes a bonus recording from April 1944, a MBS broadcast from the Hurricane Restaurant in New York City. The broadcasts are featured complete with radio speaks and encouragements to buy bonds read by The Duke himself, plus bonus material and liner notes.

This is the Duke Ellington Orchestra with all the stars - all volumes in the Treasury series were made during a very strong period for the group!

Wonderful compositions, plus previously unissued bonus tracks, featuring Oscar Pettiford on bass and vocalists Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis, Betty Roche, and Al Hibbler + the Mellotones.

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This album contains a series of different radio broadcasts from The Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles, the El Patio Ballroom in Denver, the Orpheum Theatre in San Diego and the Trianon Ballroom in South Gate, California. The broadcasts are featured complete with radio speaks and encouragements to buy bonds read by The Duke himself + bonus material and extensive liner notes. The first disc contains a radio broadcast from The Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles, July 6m 1946 plus bonus tracks from a CBS Broadcast from Lakeside Park, the El Patio Ballroom in Denver, July 14, 1942. The second disc features a broadcast from the Orpheum Theatre in San Diedo, July 27, 1946, with the bonus tracks being from a radio broadcast in the Trianon Ballroom, South Gate, California dating back to May 2, 1942. As a teaser for the sound found on this volume, Duke Ellington connoisseur Brian Koller, author of the extensive liner notes, writes: “It is no wonder why the Cat Anderson composition Teardrops In The Rain was a band staple for two years. The band really swings, and when it’s time for Anderson’s solo, he shows off high note pyrotechnics that few if any other trumpeters could match. Al Sears unleashes a might tenor sax solo, then the band is briefly reduced to a rhythm trio featuring Pettiford’s bass and the Duke on piano. To close the number, the full orchestra reverses the introductory themes.” Energy like that is found all through the broadcasts!

The Duke Ellington Orchestra at it's best, featuring all the big stars!

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During the year of 1966 Duke Ellington was touring Europe. Duke Ellington’s sacred concerts had many incarnations, more than the three on the commercial records: The First (1965), The Second (1968) and The Third (1973). At concerts Ellington often made changes in the proceedings – left out some numbers, and played others, and altered the succession of numbers played. This was evidenced at Coventry Cathedral on a winter’s Monday, February 21st 1966. The Coventry concert had its centerpiece in “In The Beginning God”, but apart from that it was no ordinary sacred concert: Two numbers, “Come Sunday” and “Tell Me It’s The Truth” would have a vocal on the issued record and in other performances of A Concert of Sacred Music the previous year, but were purely instrumental here – and the two numbers following “In The Beginning God” had no connection to a religious theme. With him on that day in Coventry Cathedral were some highly professional British vocalists, The Cliff Adams Singers and the baritone singer George Webb, giving the performance a special quality, which the band acknowledged by playing on the top of their game. The concert was filmed for TV, and part of it was telecast. Two numbers were regrettably omitted from the TV production, but are on this album, a powerful version of “Light (Montage)” from Black, Brown And Beige, and the above-mentioned “Come Sunday.” The concert also includes a premiere and only performance of a new Ellington composition “Come Easter,” a premiere of another new Ellington piece “West Indian Pancake,” and one of the first performances of a piece which would become an important part of many concerts during the following years, “La Plus Belle Africaine.”

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What we have here is the welcome memento of the Duke Ellington’s 1959 European tour. Berlin’s Sportpalast is not a concert hall and during the cursed Nazi reign often was the site of speeches by Hitler and his fellow criminals, but the hall can perhaps be said to have been purified by sounds of jazz by the time of this concert. The music starts with the Ellington Medley, by then a standard concert opener in varied embodiments. Critics often chided Duke for (in their opinion) overdoing this staple, but in fact it was not only a clever way of dealing with what undoubtedly would have been audience requests for beloved Ducal standards, but also a way of celebrating the continued life of his musical heritage. The concert has been remastered to modern standards, and is a must own for any Ellington fan.

REVIEWS:

Storyville Records has released Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: Berlin 1959, a terrific live album with great sound and luxurious music. Partially released in past years on shabby bootlegs, this album gives us this concert with pristine sound. Don't cherry-pick songs when listening. The only way to enjoy this album is by listening from start to finish. Only then can you absorb the depth of the Ellington band's full spectrum of moods and the Duke's piano. Be aware that tracks 17 to 27 are part of an Ellington medley and aren't full songs. As a result, each song is short.

--AllAboutJazz.com (Marc Myers)

There can never be too many Duke Ellington albums. Heard here is Storyville’s recently released two-CD set titled Berlin 1959, a previously unreleased concert. The Duke Ellington Orchestra was well documented in the late 1950s following their major success at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, and the live concerts that have been released from this period can be a little predictable. Just as with the Louis Armstrong All-Stars, there are some routines that do not differ that much from month to month although they eventually evolved. But, as with Armstrong, there are occasional surprises that make each concert well worth hearing.

Overall, everything works well during this fine concert. There may not have been an excess of surprises, but the results are fun.

--The Syncopated Times (Scott Yanow)

Since its inception in 1964, the Berlin Jazz Fest had been thought of as a festival that, if not avant-garde, welcomed the most progressive and experimental forms of music of a period rich in all types of modernistic trends, from radical free jazz to a multitude of fusions of pop, rock, soul and jazz. But in 1969, as if swimming against the tide of the revolutions that swept the West, the organizers took an audacious stand: it was Duke Ellington’s 70th birthday and not only did they welcome him at the head of his big band for the first time, but part of the program focused on his heritage; as a bonus and birthday gift, Ellington was featured on the publicity poster of the festival’s sixth edition.

The Berlin concert of 8 November 1969 is magnificent testimony to the extraordinary freshness of tone that Ellington’s big band still displayed on stage, when the sheer pleasure of playing took over from the routine of performance. The concert of 2 November 1973, on the stage of the Philharmonie, turned out to be Ellington’s last concert at the Berlin Jazztage.