Producer Norman Granz was an associate of Duke Ellington's for many years, and it is not surprising that his labels have frequently hosted Ellington tributes that bring out the best in the participating world-class musicians. Although Clark Terry is the only participant in the present celebration to have logged significant time as an Ellingtonian, all hands draw sustenance from the unbeatable material here. Of special interest are the tracks on which Zoot Sims plays soprano sax, especially the neglected 'Tonight I Shall Sleep,' and Sarah Vaughan's pair of urbane and intense vocals, accompanied only by the guitar of album-MVP Joe Pass and pianist Mike Wofford. Mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tape, and pressed at Quality Record Pressings for optimal sound quality, this Analogue Productions 180-gram reissue is everything jazz fans expect from an audiophile reissue. Housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket.
