Although many critics think of
Duke Ellington's 1946
Orchestra as a bit less significant than his band of five years earlier, it still ranked with the very best of the period. Eleven of
Ellington's studio recordings of the period (including the two-part renditions of "Overture to a Jam Session" and "Happy Go Lucky Local") are included on this budget CD reissue. Highlights include the exciting "Jam-A-Ditty," a trumpet battle on "Blue Skies" (which was renamed "Trumpets No End" by its arranger
Mary Lou Williams),
Johnny Hodges' lyrical alto on "Sultry Sunset" and "Magenta Haze," and the theme from the last part of "Happy Go Lucky Local," which would later be "borrowed" note-for-note by
Jimmy Forrest to create "Night Train."