Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit (The Master Takes) (1961)@flac

As hard as it might be to fathom, a full-scale union of two of the greatest artists in the jazz pantheon came about only once. On two days in April of 1961 Pops and Duke got together to record the seventeen numbers assembled here.
While is might have been appealing to have put Armstrong in front of the full Ellington assemblage, it was decided to go with a small “swingtet”, as it were, with trombonist Trummy Young and clarinet Barney Bigard added to Ellington’s piano trio.
All of the tunes come from the Ellington book, with Armstrong fitting into the scene without a bit of strain. He cuts loose with more than a fair share of rousing trumpet spots, while vocalizing on some numbers in his own inimitable style.
Familiar cuts abound, although a spontaneous composition came about at the session titled “The Beautiful American” and Duke would also pull out the exotic “Azalea,” a number claimed to have been penned for Pops many years earlier. (allaboutjazz.com)

01. Duke's Place [5:03]
02. I'm Just A Lucky So And So [3:09]
03. Cottontail [3:42]
04. Mood Indigo [3:57]
05. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me [2:38]
06. The Beautiful American [3:08]
07. Black And Tan Fantasy [3:59]
08. Drop Me Off In Harlem [3:49]
09. The Mooche [3:38]
10. In A Mellow Tone [3:48]
11. It Don't Mean A Thing {If It Ain't Got That Swing} [3:58]
12. Solitude [4:55]
13. Don't Get Around Much Anymore [3:31]
14. I'm Beginning To See The Light [3:37]
15. Just Squeeze Me [3:58]
16. I Got It Bad {And That Ain't Good} [5:31]
17. Azalea [5:02]
Vocals – Louis Armstrong
Piano – Duke Ellington
Trombone – Trummy Young
Clarinet – Barney Bigard
Bass – Mort Herbert
Drums – Danny Barcelona

Producer – Bob Thiele
Engineer – Ray Hall
Reissue Producer – Michael Cuscuna
Remastered By, Remix – Ron McMaster
Liner Notes – Dan Morgenstern

Recorded April 3 & 4, 1961

Tracks 1-10 originally released on Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - Recording Together For The First Time
Tracks 11-17 originally released on Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Reunion
Label: Roulette Jazz
Released: 2000
Catalogue: 7243 5 24547 2 3
Codec: Flac
Compression Level: 8
Quality: High
CD-rip by alekow (EAC and Flac)
Covers Included (600dpi)