This 1954 concert in Hamilton, Ontario, has been released several times on vinyl, tape, and CD, but this nicely remastered two-disc version is the best-sounding and most complete version. Opening with the traditional Ellington theme "Take the A Train" and closing nearly two hours later with "God Save the Queen" (Canada was still a British colony at the time), this show features one of Ellington's most storied lineups at its peak.
Cootie Williams, Paul Gonsalves, Johnny Hodges, and Cat Anderson all have their moments to shine, as does Ellington himself, but it's the seemingly effortless interplay of the band as a whole that makes the group possibly the best big band in jazz history. An interesting highlight comes on disc two, where the orchestra bows to then-current fashion and plays two delightful mambos, "The Bunny Hop Mambo" and "Isle of Capri Mambo." Ellington's wit and good humor, as always, are infectious.