Duke Ellington & Count Basie - First Time
Vinyl Rip in 24-Bit/96-kHz | FLAC tracks | no cue | no log | Covers | FS, MU | 840 MB 3% rec
1961 | Genre: Jazz | Label: CBS/Sony | 20AP-1471 | Japanese pressing
Rated 4.5 out of 5 star by AllMusic Guide

At first glance this collaboration should not have worked. The Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras had already been competitors for 25 years but the leaders' mutual admiration (Ellington was one of Basie's main idols) and some brilliant planning made this a very successful and surprisingly uncrowded encounter. On most selections Ellington and Basie both play piano (their interaction with each other is wonderful) and the arrangements allowed the stars from both bands to take turns soloing. "Segue in C" is the highpoint but versions of "Until I Met You," "Battle Royal" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside" are not far behind.

( Scott Yanow - AllMusic Guide )

This is a REAL KEEPER. One of the Blue Note magical "All Star"recordings. From the beginning bars of the recording to the end, this magical journey will knock your socks off.