Duke Jordan was on the front lines of the bebop revolution as the pianist in Charlie Parker's quintet and later recorded his sole Blue Note album, Flight To Jordan, in 1960 - an exemplar hard bop date featuring Dizzy Reece (trumpet), Stanley Turrentine (sax), Reggie Workman (bass), and Art Taylor (drums). This stereo Blue Note Tone Poet Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

This collection compiles, for the first time on a single disc issue, all the master takes of the instrumental recordings in which Duke Ellington participated for Mercer Records between 1950 and 1951. Made under the names of other band members - for contractual reasons, these sides feature the likes of Johnny Hodges, Oscar Pettiford, Max Roach, Billy Strayhorn, Louie Bellson, Juan Tizol and Willie Smith. These sides remain among the most unusual and fascinating in Duke's extensive catalogue. Unfortunately, the masters for these recordings were destroyed in a fire in the 1950's. For this issue they have been transferred and restored from the best possible surviving sources and remastered to the best quality possible.

Here is a time capsule into the world of a musical titan who, after four decades at the helm of jazz innovation, was still striding through new artistic terrain with ease. Picture Duke Ellington-sharp as ever in a tailored suit, leading his octet through the glittering New York night atop Rockefeller Center. It's August of '67, and in the Rainbow Room, with it's cocktail-clinking ambiance, Duke and his select ensemble of veterans are reinventing the jazz vocabulary with every note.

In the late summer of 1947, the Hollywood Bowl set the stage for a night that would resonate through jazz history. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, already legendary, performed under the stars in an electrifying display of jazz innovation and mastery. By this time, Ellington was much more than a celebrated composer and bandleader; he had emerged as a visionary force, weaving together musical forms to reshape jazz and extend it's reach. This album immortalizes that unforgettable night, capturing Ellington's orchestra at a moment when jazz was evolving into a sophisticated art form with Ellington at the helm.

In the summer of 1947, Duke Ellington and his orchestra took the stage at the Hollywood Bowl, delivering a performance that embodied the genius and evolution of one of jazz's greatest innovators. By this point, Ellington was more than a composer and bandleader-he was a visionary, reshaping jazz and solidifying his legacy as one of America's most influential musicians. This album captures that electrifying night, showcasing Ellington's big band during a pivotal moment of transformation in jazz.

Walking nearly 6000 miles, a Marine Veteran confronts unprocessed traumas from war. A hopeful story of resilience and courage meant to inspire all audiences. 810047235521 GSVS22013DVD 41649138 15.78 18.99 .26 GRAVITAS VENTURES DIGITAL VIDEO DISC MOVIE DOCUMENTARY 05/11/2021 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/72/4375372-3362564.jpg 77 1 N MISS ANGELA MISS ANGELA An authentic new voice has been revealed. If you've never heard of Angela Alvarez that's because the 93 year old Cuban-American has just had her lifetime's work of songs discovered. Fellow Cuban-American and refugee, actor ANDY GARCIA narrates (and plays in her band!) the momentous and inspiring story of Angela's flight from Cuba in the 1960's and subsequent 'ordinary' life as wife, mother and working woman who hid her childhood ambition to be a singer and songwriter. Only when her Grandson, Carlos Alvarez, now a successful composer in Hollywood, asked about the 'traditional' Cuban folk songs she had been singing to generations of the family, did he unearth a catalogue of original songs, charting her traumatic life. Now with the music recorded by world renowned Cuban musicians from the Buena Vista Social Club and Grammy award winners, 91 year old Angela Alvarez is ready to start her career. 810047235606 GSVS22021DVD 41649152 15.78 18.99 .26 GRAVITAS VENTURES DIGITAL VIDEO DISC MOVIE DOCUMENTARY 05/18/2021 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/77/4375377-3362569.jpg 73 1 N ESCAPE FROM EXTINCTION ESCAPE FROM EXTINCTION Rare footage of endangered animals and interviews with the world's leading animal welfare specialists and conservation scientists working to protect animals from all seven of Earth's continents, and it's mighty oceans, lakes, and rivers. 810047235866 GSVS22027DVD 41747711 15.78 18.99 .26 GRAVITAS VENTURES DIGITAL VIDEO DISC MOVIE DOCUMENTARY 06/08/2021 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/07/3978607-3115700.jpg 31 1 N CHRISTMAS DANCE CHRISTMAS DANCE 810047236146 GSVS22070DVD 42046196 15.78 18.99 .26 GRAVITAS VENTURES DIGITAL VIDEO DISC MOVIE CHRISTMAS / CHANUKKAH 09/21/2021 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/97/4012097-3128159.jpg 2 1 N SIMPLE PLAN SIMPLE PLAN This intense tale tells of brothers Hank (Bill Paxton) and Jacob Mitchell (Billy Bob Thornton) who, along with friend Lou (Brent Briscoe), find a gym bag stuffed with $4.4 million in a crashed plane. What should be done with the money-and how it makes the three men begin to turn on one another-is the focus of Sam Raimi's atmospheric, tragic thriller of greed, American style. Bridget Fonda co-stars; Scott B. Smith adapted his novel for the screen. 121 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio; Subtitles: English (SDH); audio commentary; featurettes; behind-the-scenes footage; theatrical trailer. 760137164388 ARWR615UHD 44663827 30.49 49.95 .24 ARROW VIDEO ULTRA HD MOVIE DRAMA 11/19/2024 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/53/4375553-3265247.jpg 41 1 N ULTRAMAN TRIGGER: COMP SERIES / ULTRAMAN TRIGGER ULTRAMAN TRIGGER: COMP SERIES / ULTRAMAN TRIGGER 30 million years ago, the world was engulfed in terrifying darkness. But that darkness was sealed deep in space by the Giant of Light. His power spent, the Giant of Light sleeps in a red star... Time passes. The Terrestrial Peaceable Union (TPU) hurries to gather the expert team GUTS-Select, while Kengo Manaka lives peacefully on now-colonized Mars as a botanist. However, his peaceful life suddenly comes to an end one fateful day. The darkness that the ancient civilization sealed away breathes once more! As a monster bears down on the Martian settlement, Kengo's fate leads him to a chance encounter. A chance encounter with none-other than the sleeping Giant of Light. How will Kengo's meeting with the Giant of Light influence his destiny and the destiny of Earth? The Giant of Light is reborn after an eternity. His name: Ultraman Trigger! 683904636485 TSBU63648BR 44664244 33.29 59.98 .38 TSUBURAYA BLU-RAY MOVIE HORROR / SCI-FI / FANTASY 05/06/2025 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/30/4375630-3377875.jpg 500 4 N TOTSUKA,OSAMU GOD BLESS THE MACHINE DANCOUGA BGM BGM collections of 'God Bless The Machine Dancouga' are reissued in vinyl format. This work is Requiem For Victims, featuring the theme song(s), insert song(s), and background music. Music was produced by Osamu Totsuka and Takeshi Ike. 4547366650129 GTKX312.1 44665173 41.25 48.98 .52 GREAT TRACKS VINYL LP POP SOUNDTRACKS & FILM SCORES ANIME / JAPANIMATION 07/26/2024 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/55/4375655-3289614.jpg 2 1 N HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS / VARIOUS HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS / VARIOUS Holly Jolly Christmas' is a compilation full of nostalgic classic Christmas songs. From Johnny Mathis's 'Sleigh Ride', Patty Page's 'Boogie Woogie Santa Claus', Frank Sinatra's performance of 'Silent Night' to Louis Armstrong's 'Zat You, Santa Claus?'. 'Jingle Bell Rock' is an American popular Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. The final track of the album is for Ella Fitzgerald with 'What Are You Doin'New Years Eve'. This album is a delightful addition to any Christmas music collection. Holly Jolly Christmas! Side A 01. Johnny Mathis - Sleigh Ride 02. Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock 03. Patty Page - Boogie Woogie Santa Claus 04. Harry Belafonte - The Son Of Mary (Greensleeves) 05. Ray Conniff & The Ray Conniff Singers - White Christmas 06. The Andrews Sisters - Christmas Candles 07. Frank Sinatra - Silent Night 08. Molly Bee - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Side B 01. Johnny Cash - Little Drummer Boy 02. Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree 03. Nat King Cole - The Happiest Christmas Tree 04. Brook Benton - This Time Of The Year 05. Eartha Kitt - Nuttin' For Christmas 06. Louis Armstrong - 'Zat You, Santa Claus?' 07. Connie Francis - I'll Be Home For Christmas 08. Faron Young - I'm Gonna Tell Santa Claus On You 09. Ella Fitzgerald - What Are You Doing New Years Eve? 8719039006625 VNYP90153X.1 44665890 18.49 22.98 .59 VINYL PASSION VINYL LP POP CHRISTMAS / CHANUKKAH V/A COMPILATIONS 11/15/2024 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/70/4375770-3265261.jpg 10 1 N HITCHCOCKS PRO-NAZI FILM HITCHCOCKS PRO-NAZI FILM During WWII in the US, cinema was used as a propaganda vehicle. Many great filmmakers were involved, including master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. After making several films advocating for the American entry into the war, Hitchcock launched a new propaganda project: Lifeboat. He asked John Steinbeck to write the story. What if, instead of providing anti-Nazi propaganda, the film actually defended the thesis that the German people were superior to the Allies and the union of democracies? 850029824862 DKPC127DVD 44666286 13.88 24.99 .18 DARK STAR PICTURES DIGITAL VIDEO DISC MOVIE DOCUMENTARY 10/15/2024 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/31/4375831-3266531.jpg 3 1 N PEARSON,DUKE WAHOO! (BLUE NOTE CLASSIC VINYL SERIES) Duke Pearson -Wahoo! (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)" (180g Heavy) Duke Pearson's great 1964 album Wahoo! Was a perfect encapsulation of his talents as a pianist, composer and bandleader. Writing for a sextet featuring Donald Byrd (trumpet), James Spaulding (alto sax), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Mickey Roker (drums), Pearson presents evocative originals including "Amanda," "Bedouin" and "ESP." This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series stereo edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. Capitol Music Group; Blue Note; Jazz; Catalog.

ELLINGTON, DUKE / NEW ORLEANS SUITE (QUADIO) Blu-ray audio edition. Quadraphonic sound, or 4. 0 surround sound, utilizes four audio channels connected to four speakers positioned at the corners of a listening space. The multi-tracked audio is mixed dimensional, immersing the listener in an expansive soundscape. Duke Ellington was commissioned to create the NEW ORLEANS SUITE for the 1970 New Orleans Jazz Festival, marking his final recording with saxophonist Johnny Hodges. The record is regarded as one of Ellington's greatest works, incorporating Creole influences. He won the 1970 GRAMMY® Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band and received a nomination for Best Instrumental Composition.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket. Duke Pearson's 1967 album The Right Touch is perhaps the finest of his career and a showcase for the breadth of his talents as a pianist, composer, and arranger. Six memorable originals are performed by a dynamic 8-piece band including Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax) and James Spaulding (alto sax). Blue Note Tone Poet Series is remastered from the original analog tapes.

First, Love You Madly is a profile of Duke Ellington that features interviews and such timeless selections as "Rockin' in Rhythm," "In My Solitude," "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," and more. Then, A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral includes unforgettable renditions of "In the Beginning, God," "The Lord's Prayer," "Come Sunday," and other songs of praise. 116 min. Total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Region Free

Duke Ellington Presents, recorded for Bethlehem in 1956, is unusual in that it consists mainly of standards. On it, Duke Ellington and key soloists work wonders on such chestnuts as "My Funny Valentine," "Summertime," "Laura," and the Rosetta Stone of be-bop, "I Can't Get Started," plus a few choice Ellington originals. Duke Ellington Presents is an accessible entry point for newcomers, as well as an overlooked gem for Duke fans. Remastered 96 kHz/24 bit audio pressed on 180 gram vinyl LP at Precision Record Pressing in Canada.

Three CD set. First-of-it's-kind anthology of the Elektra and Warner Brothers recordings by the multi- talented award-winning musician, producer, songwriter and vocalist George Duke, spanning his 15 years from 1985-2000. A 45-track, 3CD set of musical gems, drawing from George's three Elektra albums, Thief In The Night, George Duke and Night After Night and his six Warner Brothers albums, Snapshot, The Muir Woods Suite, Illusions, Is Love Enough?, After Hours and Cool. Plus a non-album b-side, 'Guilty (Part 2)' making it's worldwide CD debut. This set includes handpicked cuts that reflect George Duke's multi-faceted mastery in Jazz, Funk, Soul and Pop and includes five US R&B charted singles and confirms his place as a staple artist in the world of Smooth Jazz. This sumptuous collection, created by SoulMusic. Com founder David Nathan with invaluable project support from renowned US music journalist A Scott Galloway, features extensive notes by acclaimed UK writer Charles Waring with 2022 quotes from musicians Paul Jackson Jr, Byron Miller and Everette Harp who all worked with George for many years.

Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death over a career spanning more than half a century. Jazz Violin Session was recorded in 1963 but was not released until 1976 on the Atla

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Blue Note Tone Poet Series release. In 1962 Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach recorded Money Jungle, one of the most celebrated jazz trio albums of all time. Generational and stylistic differences between the three created fearless music. The album features some of Ellington's indelible compositions including "Caravan," "Solitude," and a stunning version of "Le Fleurs Africaines (African Flower)."

The Washingtonians is essentially known as the original name of Duke Ellington's band, before they migrated to New York City in 1923. The group actually evolved from a band that was led by banjoist Elmer Snowden, which included Ellington's Washington D.C. crew of saxophonist Otto Hardwick and trumpeter Arthur Whetsol. Before moving to New York, the band would often be booked in D.C. and in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The way the stories go, Snowden was ripping off the band members and took work with the Broadway Jones Band, and Ellington became the leader. Even when Snowden returned later that year, Duke remained in charge, and the band was forever to be his. The band earned a residence at the Hollywood Club (later the Kentucky Club), from 1923 until 1927. However, once the band moved to the Cotton Club in 1927, the name "Washingtonians" was dropped and seldom used again. On this album, we present the totality of the recordings by Duke Ellington during his "Washingtonian" period.

Duke Ellington was of course known as a bandleader and one of the greatest of all American composers, but as a pianist, he was equally as great and influential, yet often overlooked. Here for the first time on CD and digital release, we present Ellington at his refined best, in the mid 1960s. This recording was made at Columbia University in New York City, and for the most part it's pure solo piano by Duke. He gives us several of his jewels, such as Fleurette Africaine (Little African Flower), Melancholia, as well as a previously unrecorded solo version Bird of Paradise, which dates back to 1935. Of course as usual, there is the standard medley of Ellington "hits" where he is joined by bassist Ernie Shepard, and drummer Sam Woodyard for a trio setting. This 1964 Solo Piano concert reaffirms what a wonderful experience it is to hear "The Piano Player" live, doing his thing.

During the mid 1960s, Duke Ellington was constantly recording his own musical ideas and projects with the hope and intent that a label would pick them up, as albums, and then commercially release them. However in some cases the projects were never fully completed in terms of an album's length of work, or were just never accepted by the labels and were otherwise left in Ellington's vault of recorded masters, as well as unmixed sessions. In this release, we explore some such works; parts of an Ellington album that was planned as a feature for trumpeter Ray Nance, a few miscellaneous studio versions of important songs he was playing out on the road, as well as a very obscure small group led by his son Mercer Ellington, featuring a very young Chick Corea on piano. The sessions range from 1962 to 1966, and they contain a whole lot of important music that Ellington fans need to hear.

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.

Duke Ellington and his Orchestra recorded multiple albums worth of material for this World Broadcasting Series between 1943 and 1945. The songs on this compilation include the best of two volumes which were originally released by Circle Records in 1985. All of the material was recorded on November 8 and 9 of 1943. The album was remastered and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany.

Following it's international debut at Yale University in 1977, Mercer Ellington and the Duke Ellington Orchestra along with the Polish National Philharmonic, presented Duke Ellington's final extended piece, "Les Trois Rois Noirs" (The Three Black Kings) at the Polish Jazz Festival "Jazz Jamboree". This recording was released as a collectors item only in 1981, but has never seen light of day since. Here in 2017, we finally are able to present this truly incredible work, orchestrated by Luther Henderson, under the direct instruction of The Maestro himself, on his hospital bed in 1974 in New York City, where unfortunately Ellington would soon pass away from Cancer. Thanks to Henderson and Ellington's son Mercer, we now have these "concerto grosso" arrangements for Jazz Big Band and Symphony Orchestra. The piece itself is incredibly powerful and spiritual, based on Elington's vision of HIS Three Black Kings: The Black King of the Magi, King Solomon, and a man he admired and met personally, Dr. Martin Luther King., Jr. Some strong members of the later Ellington band remained in the band here, such as Barrie Lee Hall, Rocky White, Harold Minerve, and other posthumous Ellingtonians such as James Bolden, J.J. Wiggins, and David Young. It should be mentioned that this recording also includes a truly definitive version of Ellington's only Piano Concerto, "New World A-Coming", featuring guest soloist Adam Makowicz, the Polish Jazz Star who does an expressive and thorough interpretation, definitely up to par with Ellington himself. Finally, we get to hear the full blown orchestration of the Alvin Ailey Ballet piece The River, composed by Ellington in it's entirely, again with the assistance of Luther Henderson, orchestration, based on Ellington's own Big Band "demo" versions he recorded himself for Ailey's choreographic use. This rare rendition is a super-charged soulfully exciting journey through a man's life, perhaps autobiographical for Duke, taking us from the genesis of birth to old age and back again. However it is the complete and purely Ellingtonian official version of Three Black Kings that will kick your heart and soul into high gear, as you finally will get to hear Ellington's final vision the way he indeed wanted it heard

Duke Ellington - LIVE IN POLAND 1971 - The year is 1971 and the great Maestro Duke Ellington led his world famous orchestra on it's final European tour. To collectors and expert listeners alike this performance is a rare document of his final band which includes a few remaining veterans and a healthy sprinkling of young blood who would keep the Ellington flame lit for some time after Duke's passing, as members of the Ellington Orchestra led by his son Mercer, who is playing trumpet in the band on this recording as well. Johnny Hodges was now deceased. Norris Turney had aptly taken over his lead alto sax chair and added a powerful new twist. Cootie Williams was still pumping out those fat notes. Malcolm "Big Luv" Taylor shines with his own brand of "Things Ain's" showing himself to already become a master of the "plunger style" of Tricky Sam Nanton, while Booty Wood was still in tow. Vocalist Nell Brookshire was more a Soul singer than jazz, and brought Duke a quasi-Aretha Franklin vibe to "Everybody Wants to Know". At long last, we finally get another take of Harold "Geezil" Minerve bringing forth the "rock" blues "Addi", an amazing Ellington piece of exotica, which showcases his sinewy avant-garde-mixed-with-bop lines. Johnny Coles evokes Miles Davis in his prime with "Good", another wild Ellington take on the blues. Stalwart Harry Carney is majestic as always. This rare concert in Warsaw, Poland shows yet another glimpse of the "Rugged Jungle" band at it's most dark and mysterious. Acoustic Bass - Joe Benjamin, Alto Saxophone - Harold Minerve, Norris Turney, Russell Procope, Baritone Saxophone - Harry Carney, Bass Trombone - Chuck Connors, Drums - Rufus Jones, Piano, Lead Guitar - Duke Ellington, Tenor Saxophone - Harold Ashby, Paul Gonsalves, Trombone - Booty Wood, Jimmy Cheatham, Malcom Taylor, Trumpet - Cootie Williams, Eddie Preston, Johnny Coles, Mercer Ellington, Money Johnson, Vocals - Nell Brookshire

Toward the end of his career, Duke Ellington found himself filling up his calendar when home in New York City, with a residence at the famous Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Plaza. This afforded fans to hear a scaled-down version of his Big Band in the form of an Octet. On this album we present a rare stereo recording of Duke's Rainbow Room Octet as they were captured playing live in New York at the famous Rainbow Room, during the summer of 1967. This is the second of only perhaps two issued live recordings of this rare instrumentation, (the other was featured in a previous release entitled Contrapuntal Riposte, SQU 216) featuring some of Ellington's great sidemen, such as Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson, and Harry Carney. Listen closely as Duke has fun bantering with his band and the fans as well, in this very intimate setting, as he performs for this Rainbow Room radio broadcast, and you will experience some of the most swingingly warm moments ever captured on an Ellington recording.

1969 marked Duke Ellington's 70th year, and in honor of the occasion, Jazz Impresario George Wein sent Ellington and his band out on a European tour, a 70th birthday tour, so to speak. In a brief concert series entitled "Newport to Paris", for the first time on record we have the chance to hear Duke and the band performing live in Paris, and the Salle Pleyel in November, 1969. On this night we hear Duke and his orchestra in rare form, presenting a few of such newly written compositions, featuring luminaries like Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Russell Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson and more.

1969 marked Duke Ellington's 70th year, and in honor of the occasion, Jazz Impresario George Wein sent Ellington and his band out on a European tour, a 70th birthday tour, so to speak. In a brief concert series entitled "Newport to Paris", for the first time on record we have the chance to hear Duke and the band performing live in Paris, and the Salle Pleyel in November, 1969. On this night we hear Duke and his orchestra in rare form, presenting a few of such newly written compositions, featuring luminaries like Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Russell Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson and more.