This relaxed session gave three of
Duke Ellington's finest sidemen rare opportunities to record outside of
Ellington's Orchestra: tenor saxophonist
Paul Gonsalves,
Ray Nance (who had left
Ellington a few years earlier) on trumpet, violin and vocal and (for half of this CD) altoist
Norris Turney. The emphasis is on slower material but there are a few romps (such as "Stompy Jones") to give the session a bit of variety. Good swinging performances on mostly familiar tunes. ~ Scott Yanow