Duke Ellington discography


This is the discography of Duke Ellington. Most of these recordings are listed by the year they were recorded rather than year released. Reissues are listed for most of the recordings released before the 1950s, as the original 78s are rare. The US chart listing information should be considered tentative because sources like the Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories does not take the cheaper dime-store records into account. During this period, records sold by song title, not by artist, although there are exceptions.

Hit records

1920s

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Ellington and his band recorded for almost every label. 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 that series omits alternate takes, which may be found in other collections.
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939'
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.
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
Ellington began the 1950s losing Sonny Greer, Johnny Hodges, 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
In the 1960s, Ellington made recordings with a number of other star names, 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
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
  • The Stockholm Concert, 1966
  • The Popular Duke Ellington
  • In the Uncommon Market
  • Soul Call
  • Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur
  • The Far East Suite
1967
  • Johnny Come Lately
  • North of the Border in Canada with the Ron Collier Orchestra
  • Live at the Rainbow Grill
  • Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington
  • Live In Italy
  • Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York released as The Private Collection Volume Eight in 1987
  • Berlin '65/Paris '67
  • The Jaywalker
  • The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World
  • ...And His Mother Called Him Bill
  • Francis A. & Edward K.
1968
  • Yale Concert
  • Second Sacred Concert
  • Studio Sessions New York, 1968 released as The Private Collection Volume Nine in 1987
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