Duke Ellington

I recently discovered Dave Grusin's "Homage to Duke" through a local audiophile. Excellent and fresh interpretations of Ellington and Strayhorn classics. Outstanding quality recording, too.

I liked his Duke Ellington's greatest hits from Sony Music Entertainment 1997. It has a very good sound quality. This disc is part of a series of 6 different bands from that era. Sound quality has been digitally remastered and they a decent job of it. I found it in my local library.

Blue--I live on the Hill. If you ever want to go out in your neck of the woods, or to Ellington's on Eighth in my hood where you can hear Duke's music, please let me know.

P.S.--I humbly recommend Duke/Louis Armstrong's The Complete Sessions (also on DAD), if you like Satchmo as much as I do.

Ditto on "Money Jungle" on blue note label.
I have the Duke Ellington/Louis Armstrong collaboration (now I forget the title) released as 2LP set long out of print on Mobile Fidelity Sound labs label. I think Classic Records has released the set as two separate LPs. Another one I like is Duke Ellington with John Coltrane (sorry forgot the title on that one two) on Impulse label.
Yeah really great master player, kind of zen like in his quest for economy of notes and a search for perfect melodic relationships. When I was young I thought this was old foggey music but now I think he was a genius.

This is a huge body of work. For me the older stuff can be hard to listen to - I just have a lot of trouble getting past the noise and artifacts of the recording process.

Here are a few more to consider.

Duke Ellington Meets Count Basie - two bands playing as one

The Great Summit - Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington - fab

Side by Side - Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges

Back to Back - Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges

both these are small ensembles with Hodges on horn and Ellington clearly featured on piano

Francis A & Edward K - Old Blue Eyes and the Duke who cares for him as carefully as he does Ella and Rosemary Clooney - course you gotta like Sinatra to like this one

Live In Swing City: Swinging With The Duke - Wynton Marsalis and group out of Lincoln Center