Track Listing
1. In a Sentimental Mood
2. I Didn't Know About You
3. Every Hour on the Hour
4. Lotus Blossom
5. Ghost of a Chance (With You), (I Don't Stand A)
6. Pretty Woman
7. Lover Man
8. Solitude
9. Wonder of You, The
10. Mood Indigo
11. My Heart Sings, (All of a Sudden)
12. I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
13. Tell Ya What I'm Gonna Do
14. Creole Love Call
15. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
16. You Don't Love Me No More

Personnel includes: Duke Ellington (arranger, piano); Joya Sherrill, Al Hibbler, Ida Cox (vocals); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra.

Tracks recorded in New York, New York and Hollywood, California between 1944 and 1967. Includes liner notes by Joshua Sherman.

Digitally remastered by James Nichols (BMG Studios, New York, New York).

This is part of RCA Victor's Falling In Love With series.

The smoothly seductive, low-key, sophisticated sounds of the multi-faceted Duke Ellington at his most romantic provide an intimate listening experience on this entry in RCA's FALLING IN LOVE series. In a well-chosen set, Ellington favorites like "Mood Indigo" accompany less well-known tunes like "My Heart Sings (All of a Sudden)" and gorgeous melodies like "Solitude" and "Creole Love Call." The mood couldn't be more relaxed, and the music is provided by one of the 20th century's most celebrated jazz composers: the rest is up to you.

In 1955 the great Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performed for the 10,000 seat D. C. Armory, in his hometown of Washington, D. C. As Ellington fans will of course remember, Ellington had an incredible rebirth at the Newport Jazz Festival the next year, after reacquiring alto saxophone star Johnny Hodges and his writing partner, the great Billy Strayhorn. New drummer Sam Woodyard would also prove to be an invaluable part of the new Ellington sound, but as this concert is from 1955, none of these changes had as yet taken place, which is why this performance is so very significant to the Ellington aficionado. In this performance we have the great alto saxophonist Rick Henderson, who was a very capable arranger as well as bebop altoist. Here we get to hear a rare glimpse of his playing and writing on 'All The Things You Are'. He was not featured as the band's lead alto, as Russell Procope had taken over after brief stints in which Willie Smith and then Hilton Jefferson played lead in the band. We also hear from the great drummer Dave Black, for whom Strayhorn composed and arranged 'Gonna Tan Your Hide', and here he is most interestingly heard in his interpretation of 'Tone Parallel to Harlem'. Perdido is used as a swinging vehicle for Clark Terry's prodigious and sassy story telling, along with some sidebar commentary by other brass members Nance, Anderson, and Woodman. 'Just Squeeze Me' features Ray Nance's soulfully swaggerful singing as always. Pay attention to the 'pep section' (brass with plungers) as they squeeze so much juice out of this song it should be a crime! Cat Anderson does his usual Spanish tinged feature on 'La Virgen', full of suspenseful dramatics and prowlery of 'el gato' himself. Duke announces a fully descriptive introduction of the 1946 composition 'Happy Go-Lucky Local' complete with his subliminal shot at ex-Ellingtonian tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, who essentially 'borrowed' the main theme of the tune for his huge hit record 'Night Train'. More great Ray Nance vocals on 'A Train', the very song he recorded his very famous trumpet solo on, but this is the early 50's version of course, complete with an incredible performance by tenor sax giant Paul Gonsalves. The tune called 'John Sanders' Blues' appears to actually be a slight reworking of 'Happy Go-Lucky Local' part 1, again from the 1946 composition, Deep South Suite.

This is a re-release of the Jazzhaus/SWR music bestseller 101703. Upon nearing the age of seventy, Duke Ellington was looked upon as the great historical figure of African American music, honored with academic degrees and appearing on the front pages of renowned magazines. Still, he had to and wanted to perform as much as he could and therefore toured the world with his orchestra, from Japan to North Africa to South America and Eastern Europe. During his travels, he was able to stop off in Stuttgart in March 1967 to present a colorful mixed programme made up of a few tried-and-true pieces and many lesser-known compositions. By Ellington’s standards, it was a modern concert, exuberant in mood and at times mischievous in arrangements, which allowed some shrill coloring. And it also showed that even an ultimately traditional jazz orchestra in the rocky sixties could develop enough charisma to enthrall an audience like that in the Liederhalle. The revolutions were now being made by others, but Duke Ellington remained the brilliant master of the grand musical gesture.