Duke Ellington was one of the most important and influential figures in the entire history of jazz, as pianist, bandleader, composer and innovator, his career spanning half century as the genre evolved from the early days of electric recording. However, while critics and commentators focus on his over-arching significance as a giant of the jazz, it’s easy to forget that he was a genius at composing songs for the three-minute 78rpm single.
During the first three decades of his career, before rock ‘n’ roll changed the pop landscape irrevocably, he had more than 70 records that were credited as chart hits and this 4CD set includes all those 77 recordings which are listed in recognised sources as hits. Alongside them, a further 20 or so numbers appear which are now regarded as significant compositions that became standards, or were hits for other artists.
It features his celebrated No.1s Three Little Words, Cocktails For Two, I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart, and the Billboard R&B No.1s Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, Sentimental Lady, Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me and Main Stem. Also included are classics like Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady, Solitude, Caravan, Take The ‘A’ Train and I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good.
In 1966 he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and three years was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1999, he was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Award for music.
This comprehensive overview showcases his most successful output during the primary era of his career, and stands as a great showcase for the artistry which made the Duke such a celebrated artist.
