Personnel includes: Duke Ellington, Count Basie (piano); Ray Nance (vocals, trumpet, violin); Jimmy Rushing (vocals); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Paul Gonsalves, Ben Webster, Buddy Tate (tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (baritone saxophone); Harry "Sweets" Edison, Taft Jordan, Emmett Berry, Cat Anderson, "Cootie" Williams (trumpet); Rex Stewart (cornet); "Tricky Sam" Nanton, George Matthews, Lawrence Brown, Ted Donnelly, Dicky Wells (trombone); Jimmy Hamilton, Barney Bigard (clarinet); Oscar Pettiford (bass).

Includes liner notes by Loren Schoenberg.

Digitally remastered by Jay Newland (1997, BMG, New York, New York).

This is part of RCA Victor's Battle Of The Bands series.

Personnel: Count Basie (piano); Ray Nance (vocals, violin, trumpet); Jimmy Rushing (vocals); Jimmy Hamilton, Barney Bigard (clarinet); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Paul Gonsalves, Ben Webster, Buddy Tate (tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (baritone saxophone); Rex Stewart (trumpet, cornet); Cootie Williams, Emmett Berry, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson (trumpet); Dicky Wells, Ted Donnelly, Lawrence Brown , George Matthews (trombone).

Liner Note Author: Loren Schoenberg.

Recording information: Chicago, IL (03/15/1940-12/12/1947); Hollywood, CA (03/15/1940-12/12/1947); New York, NY (03/15/1940-12/12/1947).

Photographer: Corbis Bettman.

This is not a real Battle of the Bands--an early century concert staple where two popular orchestras would try to outperform one another in front of a live audience--but rather a collection of studio tracks recorded between 1940 and 1947 alternating performances by Ellington and Basie. BATTLE OF THE BANDS nonetheless showcases what are possibly the two finest big bands ever at their respective peaks.

Ellington was in the long run most likely a better composer than Basie, but the songs chosen here focus on the blues, Basie's lifelong specialty. Both bands have exceptional soloists, including Ellington's Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster and Cootie Williams and Basie's Jimmy Rushing, Paul Gonsalves and Harry Edison, all of whom do exceptional work on some of their classic tunes, including Basie's "Swingin' the Blues" and "St. Louis Boogie" and Ellington's "C Jam Blues" and the definitive "Take the A Train." In the end, the battle is a draw.