The original and the alt take chug along with Jimmy Woode's bass driving the ensemble. "Pie Eye's Blues" gives Nance plenty of room to swagger his big-toned yaya trumpet, preceding a rough ride with Gonsalves. Hodges' best "oh gee" intro pours honey all over "Smada." Once the chorus kicks in, the gloves come off and he wails. Jimmy Hamilton blows the soulful intro to "Three J's Blues," then after a peppery arrangement returns to a rawer sound. His instantly recognizable voice playfully darts in and out of up-tempo arrangements, always sweeping sweetly up a scale, always drenched in blues. Hodges caresses and finesses his way through ballads, reinventing the language of heartache. With band still riding high after the '56 Newport triumph and fresh off the road from Europe, they recorded a jukebox full of 45 single-sized tracks that bear riveting performances by several classic Ellingtonians including Jimmy Hamilton, Ray Nance, Clark Terry, Britt Woodman, Harry Carney, and Billy Strayhorn playing piano on two cuts. Teo Macero's first Ellington recordings resurface in the latest version of the master's popular '58-'59 sessions issued as Blues In Orbit.
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