Duke Ellington, The Duke's Big Four (1973)

One of Duke Ellington's finest small group sessions from his final decade was this frequently exciting quartet date with guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Louie Bellson. Ellington's percussive style always sounded modern and he comes up with consistently strong solos on such numbers as "Love You Madly," "The Hawk Talks" and especially "Cotton Tail," easily keeping up with his younger sidemen. Highly recommended.(Scott Yanow)




Tracks

1 Cotton Tail 4:17
2 The Blues 5:28
3 The Hawk Talks 5:10
4 Prelude to a Kiss 5:43
5 Love You Madly 6:38
6 Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me) 6:07
7 Everything But You 5:1



Personnel

Duke Ellington – piano
Joe Pass - guitar
Ray Brown - bass
Louie Bellson - drums