Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra - Duke Ellington Plays The Blues

Review by Desiree Sousa

Duke Ellington Plays The Blues: A Big Band Love Letter to the Blues Let’s cut to the chase—Duke Ellington Plays The Blues is like a smoky jazz club in album form. Released in 1952 by Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, this record leans hard into its namesake genre while keeping one foot firmly planted in swing territory. It’s not just blues; it’s Ellingtonian blues—rich, layered, and dripping with swagger. The tracklist reads like a who’s who of classic blues standards, but two tracks really stuck their landing for me: “St. Louis Blues” (feat. Marion Cox) and “Drawing Room Blues” (feat. Billy Strayhorn). First up, “St. Louis Blues.” If you’ve ever heard W.C. Handy’s iconic tune before, you know it’s got legs—it can strut, shuffle, or sashay depending on who’s playing it. Ellington takes it straight to church with Marion Cox belting out vocals that feel like they’re rising from some deep well of soul. Her voice cuts through the brass like butter on hot toast, and when the horns kick back in? Whew. You don’t just hear this song—you feel it. Like, grab-your-chest-and-call-your-mama feels. I mean, how does he make sadness sound so damn good? Then there’s “Drawing Room Blues,” which is basically what happens when sophistication meets melancholy over coffee. Billy Strayhorn, Ellington’s right-hand man, adds his magic touch here, turning what could’ve been a straightforward number into something more nuanced. The piano work feels intimate, almost conversational, as if Duke himself is sitting across from you at midnight, pouring out his heart between cigarette drags. This isn’t background music—it demands your attention. What makes this album stand out is how Ellington blends genres without breaking a sweat. Sure, it’s billed as blues, but the big band arrangements give everything a lushness that screams elegance. And let’s not forget Leonard Feather’s liner notes—they’re sharp, witty, and packed with enough insider info to keep nerds like me happy. One oddball inclusion worth mentioning is “Transblucency (A Blue Fog That You Can Almost See Through).” What even is that title? Sounds like something an avant-garde poet would scribble on a napkin after too much absinthe. But hey, leave it to Duke to throw curveballs like that. So yeah, Duke Ellington Plays The Blues isn’t perfect—it’s a little uneven, sure—but perfection’s boring anyway. What it lacks in polish, it makes up for in personality. Listening to this album feels like flipping through an old photo album full of sepia-toned memories. Except instead of dusty pictures, you get swinging rhythms and killer solos. Final thought: If this album were a person, it’d be that cool uncle who shows up late to family gatherings wearing a velvet blazer and telling stories about Paris in the '30s. You never quite know what he’ll say next, but you hang onto every word because damn, it’s entertaining. In conclusion, turn off your phone, pour yourself a drink, and hit play. Just don’t blame me if you start hearing trumpets in your dreams tonight.

Download Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra - Duke Ellington Plays The Blues

Artist: Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra
Album: Duke Ellington Plays The Blues

1952

Rating: 5.0

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Tracks

Track	Duration	Preview
Drawing Room Blues (feat. Billy Strayhorn)	3:37
Frankie and Johnnie	3:4
Royal Garden Blues	3:7
St. Louis Blues
Frankie And Johnnie
Beale St. Blues
Pretty Woman
St. Louis Blues (feat. Marion Cox)	2:58
Pretty Woman (feat. Al Hibbler)	2:43
Beale Street Blues	2:53
Transblucency (A Blue Fog That You Can Almost See Through)	2:58
Memphis Blues	3:1
Drawing Room Blues

Video

Memphis Blues Duke Ellington

FRANKIE AND JOHNNIE Jazz by Duke Ellington 1946

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Catalog Numbers

P 182
LPM 3067

Labels

RCA Victor

Listen online

kuunnella verkossa
écouter en ligne
ouvir online
lytte på nettet
online luisteren
online anhören
lyssna på nätet
escuchar en línea
ascolta in linea

Formats

4 × Shellac
10"
78 RPM
Album
Vinyl
LP
Reissue
Mono
33 ⅓ RPM
Mini-Album

Companies

Role	Company
Pressed By	RCA Records Pressing Plant, Hollywood

Credits

Role	Credit
Liner Notes	Leonard Feather

Notes

Orchestra credits are incomplete, and are based on musicians identified in notes.
Disc 1 - Sides A & B
Disc 2 - Sides C & D
Disc 3 - Sides E & F
Disc 4 - Sides G & H

Barcodes

Matrix / Runout (Disc 1 catalog number): 20-2324
Matrix / Runout (Disc 2 catalog number): 20-2325
Matrix / Runout (Disc 3 catalog number): 20-2326
Matrix / Runout (Disc 4 catalog number): 20-2327
Matrix / Runout (Side A, Label): E2VL-4661
Matrix / Runout (Side A, Runout): E2VL-4661-1S I B1
Matrix / Runout (Side B, Label): E2VL-4662
Matrix / Runout (Side B, Runout): E2VL-4662-1S A1
Matrix / Runout: side a run-out (stamped): E2VL-4661-1S side b run-out (stamped) E2VL-4662-1S
Label Code: side a label: E2VL-4661 side b label: E2VL-4662
Other (Disc 1 catalog number): 20-2324
Other (Disc 2 catalog number): 20-2325
Other (Disc 3 catalog number): 20-2326
Other (Disc 4 catalog number): 20-2327

About Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra

Also credited as "Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra".

Aliases

The Whoopee Makers
The Harlem Footwarmers
The Jungle Band
Jay Wilbur And His Orchestra
Baron Lee And The Blue Rhythm Band
The Chicago Footwarmers
The Georgia Syncopators
Earl Jackson And His Musical Champions
Broadway Bell-Hops
Oriole Dance Orchestra
King Carter And His Royal Orchestra
The Mills Blue Rhythm Band
Joe Turner And His Memphis Men
Bob Green's Dance Orchestra
The Six Jolly Jesters
Dixie Daisies
Dan Ritchie And His Orchestra
The Westerners
The Rangers
Olympic Dance Orchestra
Louisiana Rhythmakers
Harlem Hot Chocolates
Ten Freshmen
Earl Harlan And His Orchestra
Sam Lanin And His Dance Orchestra
Broadway Broadcasters
Billy James' Dance Orchestra
Larry Rich And His Friends
Frank Keyes And His Orchestra
Ten Black Berries
Webster Moore & His High Hatters
Willie Creager & His Orchestra
Miami Society Orchestra
Ben Hammond And His Orchestra
Deauville Dance Orchestra
The Philadelphians
Gothams' Favorites
Irving Mills And His Orchestra
The Tunetinkers
Mills' Ten Blackberries
The University Orchestra
Beale Street Five
Deauville Dance Band
Lenox Orchestra
Frank Brown And His Tooters
Jimmy Bracken's Toe Ticklers
The Blue Ribbon Boys
Blue Rhythm Boys
The New York Syncopators

Members

Richard Williams
Duke Ellington
Clark Terry
Jimmy Johnson
Billy Taylor
Rolf Ericson
Quentin Jackson
Steve Little
Joe Garland
Joe Benjamin
Johnny Coles
Bill Graham
Milt Grayson
Don Byas
Oscar Pettiford
Ben Webster
Jimmy Woode
Johnny Hodges
Billy Strayhorn
Sam Woodyard
Harold Ashby
Russell Procope
Cootie Williams
Lawrence Brown
Wendell Marshall
Bennie Green
Julian Priester
Ivie Anderson
Charlie Barnet
Art Baron
Ernie Royal
Howard McGhee
Bobby Durham
Britt Woodman
Harry Carney
Ray Nance
Aaron Bell
Major Holley
Matthew Gee
Wellman Braud
Juan Tizol
Joe Nanton
Jabbo Smith
Lonnie Johnson
Sonny Greer
Claude Jones
Louis Metcalf
Rex Stewart
Louis Bacon
Henry Edwards
Hilton Jefferson
Otto Hardwick
Freddy Jenkins
Fred Guy
Teddy Bunn
Adelaide Hall
Barney Bigard
Hayes Alvis
Shelton Hemphill
Rudy Jackson
Irving Mills
Sandy Williams
Taft Jordan
Francis Williams
Harold Baker
Cat Anderson
Paul Gonsalves
Al Sears
Kay Davis
Jimmy Hamilton
John Sanders
Willie Cook
John Cook
Red Rodney
Rick Henderson
Dave Black
Billy Taylor Sr.
Dick Vance
Wilbur De Paris
Chauncey Haughton
Wallace Jones
Ted Kelly
Baby Cox
Al Hibbler
Lloyd Oldham
Herb Jeffries
Marshall Royal
Jimmy Grissom
Joya Sherrill
Buster Cooper
Mercer Ellington
Herbie Jones
John Lamb
Tyree Glenn
Al Killian
Chuck Connors
Al Lucas
Jimmy Blanton
Roy Burrowes
Pete Clark
Louis Bellson
Haywood Henry
Eddie Preston
Booty Wood
Norris Turney
Harmonica Charlie
André Paquinet
Bill Berry
Butch Ballard
Nelson Williams
Ozzie Bailey
Rocky White
Vince Prudente
Harold Minerve
Lloyd Michels
Dick Robertson
Arthur Whetsel
Peck Morrison
Rufus Jones
Ed Mullens
Perry Marion
Andres Meringuito
Jeff Castleman
Money Johnson
Wilbur Bascomb Sr.
Malcolm Taylor
Oett \"Sax\" Mallard
Ernie Shepard
Hillard Brown
Andrew Ford
Dud Bascomb
Anita Moore
Paul Gansalves
Barrie Lee Hall, Jr.
Nat Woodard
Paul Kondziela
Charlie Allen
Fred Avendorf
William Anderson
Alvin Raglin
Joe Cornell
Herb Fleming
Roderick Gaskin
Scat Powell
Mitchell Wood
Frankie Marvin
Tricky Sam Nanton
Nat Jones
James Miley
Ray Mitchell
William White
Nate Howard

Interesting fact about Album

Here’s a cool fact: The album *Duke Ellington Plays The Blues* features two different versions of "St. Louis Blues." One version is sung by Marion Cox, and the other is an instrumental take. It’s like getting two perspectives on the same classic tune. Duke Ellington loved to experiment, even with well-known songs, and this album shows off his creativity in spades. Plus, it’s wild to think this record came out in 1952, way before playlists let us compare versions with a click.