Analogue Productions - CAPJ 056 SA - Hybrid SACD Stereo

Mastered by Bernie Grundman - Limited Edition -  Hybrid Plays on All CD Players 

Remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes

The full Analogue Productions reissue treatment is at work on this smashing LP Famed mastering engineer Bernie Grundman handled the remastering from the original analog tapes. .

All of the takes were recorded during after midnight sessions recorded over two nights starting on December 2, 1959 in New York at Columbia Record's studio on East 30th Street. Each night Duke's late dinner arrived at 2 a.m. — a sizzling steak, a pot of coffee with lemons in it, portions of American cheese, and grapefruits. After dinner, and a breather for the band, the sessions finished around dawn in a swinging fashion.

If you're just getting into jazz, this album is highly recommended as a great way to initiate your collection. The sound is incredible, with packaging to match. Another audiophile home run.

Although the slow blues title track was cut in 1958 with a 15-piece orchestra, the majority of the material found herein was recorded the following year with slightly smaller configurations. Melding the feel of a formal studio date with a loose late-night jam session, the light and nuanced Blues In Orbit finds the Duke  with the likes of Ray Nance, Clark Terry andJohnny Hodges among others, on an 11-song set that includes a few numbers by Billy Strayhorn, established classics from the Ellington songbook as well as more recent compositions and a few rarities for good measure.

Duke Ellington is seen by many as one of the frontrunners of Jazz and as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. He was a part of the Harlem Renaissance and many feel that because of him, Jazz gained recognition as a art form. 
 
Many of his instrumental songs have become Jazz standards, and his distinctive style remains a shining beacon in music. Thanks to a stellar performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 there was a renewed interest in his music and his orchestra, and they performed all over the world.
 
Blues In Orbit was mostly recorded during one after-midnight session after they had returned from a run of shows in Europe. It presents a Big Band in full swing; there is true synergy at work here that could only come from a group of musicians that expect – and get – the  best from each other. Free flowing improvisations and straightforward arrangements show a band that is kicking back, relaxing, and doing it nice 'n' easy.
 
Although the slow blues title track was cut in 1958 with a 15-piece orchestra, the majority of the material found herein was recorded the following year with slightly smaller configurations. Melding the feel of a formal studio date with a loose late-night jam session, the light and nuanced Blues In Orbit finds the Duke  with the likes of Ray Nance, Clark Terry andJohnny Hodges among others, on an 11-song set that includes a few numbers by Billy Strayhorn, established classics from the Ellington songbook as well as more recent compositions and a few rarities for good measure. "..IT  captures the essence of a late-night recording date that was as much a loose jam as a formal studio date, balancing the spontaneity of the former and the technical polish of the latter..." 

- Duke Ellington (piano)

- Billy Strayhorn (piano)
- Ray Nance (trumpet)
- Cat Anderson (trumpet)
- Shorty Baker (trumpet)
- Clark Terry (trumpet)
- Britt Woodman (trombone)
- Matthew Gee (trombone)
- Quentin Jackson (trombone)
- John Sanders (valve trombone)
- Booty Wood (trombone)
- Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone)
- Jimmy Hamilton (saxophone)
- Russell Procope (alto saxophone, clarinet)
- Harry Carney (baritone saxophone)
- Paul Gonsavles (tenor saxophone)
- Jimmy Woode (bass)
- Jimmy Johnson (drums)
- Sam Woodyard (drums)

Duke Ellington Blues In Orbit Track Listing:

1.  Three J's Blues
2.  Smada
3.  Pie Eye's Blues
4.  Sweet and Pungent
5.  C Jam Blues
6.  In a Mellow Tone
7.  Blues In Blueprint
8.  The Swingers Get the Blues, Too
9.  The Swinger's Jump
10. Blues In Orbit
11. Villes Ville Is the Place, Man