Duke Ellington discography

This is the discography of Duke Ellington. The majority of these recordings are listed under the year they were recorded, rather than released. Reissues are listed for most of the recordings released before the 1950s, as the original 78s are rare. A full discography up to the 1942 recording ban is available at http://www.ellingtonia.com

Contents

Hit records

Year Single Chart positions
US US
R&B		 UK
1927 "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" 10
1928 "Black and Tan Fantasy" 15
"Creole Love Call" 19
"Doin' the New Low Down" 20
"Diga Diga Doo" 17
"The Mooche" 16
1930 "Three Little Words" 1
"Ring Dem Bells" 17
1931 "Blue Again" 12
"Mood Indigo" 3
"Rockin' In Rhythm" 19
"Creole Rhapsody Parts 1 & 2" 18
"Limehouse Blues" 13
1932 "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" 6
"Creole Rhapsody"(new version) 19
"Rose Room (In Sunny Roseland)" 15
"Moon Over Dixie" 14
"Blue Ramble" 16
1933 "Drop Me Off At Harlem" 17
"Sophisticated Lady" 3
"Stormy Weather" 4
"I'm Satisfied" 11
"In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree" 13
1934 "Daybreak Express" 20
"Cocktails For Two" 1
"Moon Glow" 2
"Solitude" 2
"Saddest Tale" 9
1935 "Merry Go Round" 6
"In a Sentimental Mood" 14
"Accent On Youth" 6
"Cotton" 4
1936 "Isn't Love the Strangest Thing?" 12
"Love Is Like a Cigarette" 8
"Clarinet Lament" 12
"Echoes of Harlem" 19
"Oh Babe! Maybe Someday" 8
"Jazz Lips" 20
"Yearning For Love" 16
1937 "The New East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" 16
"There's a Lull In My Life" 12
"Scattin' At the Kit Kat" 9
"Caravan" 4
"Azure" 13
"All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" 14
1938 "Harmony In Harlem" 15
"If You Were In My Place (What Would You Do?)" 10
"I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" 1
"The Gal From Joe's" 20
"Lambeth Walk" 7
"Prelude To a Kiss" 18
1940 "You, You, Darlin'" 28
"Ko Ko" 25
"At a Dixie Roadside Diner" 27
"Sepia Panorama" 24
1941 "Flamingo" 11
"Take the A Train" 11
"I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" 13
1942 "Hayfoot, Strawfoot" 10
1943 "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" 8 1
"Perdido" 21
"Take the A Train"(re-entry) 19
"Bojangles" 19
"A Slip of the Lip" 19 1
"Sentimental Lady" 19 1
1944 "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me" 10 1
"Main Stem" 23 1
"My Little Brown Book" 4
"Someone" 7
"I Don't Mind" 9
1945 "I'm Beginning To See the Light" 6 4
"Don't You Know I Care" 10
"I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" 4
1946 "Come To Baby, Do" 13
1948 "Don't Be So Mean To Baby" 15
1953 "Satin Doll" 27
"Boo Dah" 30
1954 "Skin Deep" 7

1920s

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Ellington and his band recorded for almost every label (BluDisc, Pathe, Perfect, Victor, Brunswick, Columbia, Okeh, Vocalion, Cameo, Romeo, Lincoln, Banner, Domino, Jewel, and Hit Of The Week). Some labels, such as RCA-Victor, Okeh and Brunswick, have collected Ellington's early recordings into box sets, while material from other labels is scattered. The most comprehensive source for Ellington's early work are the Classics releases, although note that these records omit alternate takes, which may be found in other collections.

1926

1927

1928

1929

1930s

1930

1931

1932

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940s

The early 1940s saw limited output due to the recording ban, but Ellington did make annual visits to Carnegie Hall, listed below. In the January 1943 concert, Ellington introduced his first extended suite, "Black, Brown and Beige." This era also saw the appearance of the "Liberian Suite" and his highly regarded recordings featuring Jimmy Blanton and Ben Webster, "the best Ellington band" according to critic Bob Blumenthal.[1]

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950s

Ellington began the 1950s losing Johnny Hodges, Sonny Greer and Lawrence Brown. The second half of the 1950s, however, feature his famous "comeback" appearance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, with Paul Gonsalves running through 27 choruses of "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue."

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960s

In the 1960s, Ellington made recordings with a number of top stars, including Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and Coleman Hawkins. He also wrote and recorded a number of suites, such as his religious "Sacred Concerts", the "Perfume Suite" and the "Latin American Suite."

1960

1961

The above two were later re-released together in 2001 by Blue Note Records as The Great Summit.

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970s

Ellington remained active to the end of his life, recording three final major suites in the 1970s, the "New Orleans Suite", his "Third Sacred Concert", the "Toga Brava Suite", and "The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse", his most explicit venture into what would be called "world music." His concert at Eastbourne was Ellington's final recording.

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

Compilations

References

  1. ^ The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide, 70.

External links