Duke Ellington - The Ellington Suites

180-gram vinyl

Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape

Pressed at Quality Record Pressings

Housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket

"...The Ellington Suites evokes the grand sonority of two of my favorites from Duke Ellington: Masterpieces by Ellington (1951) and Ellington Indigos (1958). The Queen's Suite (1959), recorded at RCA Studios in New York, is especiallly fine, akin to hearing a forest awaken with creatures welcoming the dawn, the players weaving the tapestry of Ellington's masterful arrangements. ... On The Queen's Suite, the instruments are exceptionally clear, from rich brass and reeds and resonant bass drum to ringing cymbal bells and Duke's piano, which darts throughout the music like a sprite." — "Revinylized!" Ken Micallef, Stereophile, October 2025

The three Ellington Suites in this release were recorded at different times along Ellington's legendary and prolific arc: "The Queen's Suite" in February and April 1959 (written for and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II, but not widely released until 1970); "The Goutelas Suite" in April 1971; and "The Uwis Suite" in October 1972.

"Ellington would record his orchestra at his own expense, and then stockpile the recordings," says Nick Phillips, Vice President, Catalog and Jazz A&R at Concord and producer of the Original Jazz Classics Remasters series. "These were recordings that were later sold to Norman Granz, who had the good sense in the '70s to collect these then-unreleased suites on one album."

Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings for superior sound quality, and housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on single pocket jacket.

 

 

Side 1 The Queen's Suite

1. Sunset And The Mocking Bird

2. Lightning Bugs And Frogs

3. Le Sucrier Velour

4. Northern Lights

5. The Single Petal Of A Rose

6. Apes And Peacocks

Side 2 The Goutelas Suite:

1. Fanfare

2. Goutelas

3. Get-with-Itness

4. Something

5. Having At It

6. Fanfare

The Uwis Suite:

7. Uwis

8. Klop

9. Loco Madi

Customer Reviews (5.00 Stars) 1 person(s) rated this product.

A special record posted on 09/22/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Colson The Queen's Suite in particular is really something. Musically, this is just a wonderful album. Sonically, WOW! The pressing is silent, which is normal for these QRP-pressed Pablos. They seem to choose albums with lots of quiet sections just to show off or something, it's that quiet. The mastering is also excellent; Lutthans is great at what he does. Just a wonderful record all around. I'll cherish this one forever.

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