Duke Ellington teams up here with bassist Ray Brown in a set reminiscent of Duke's work with Jimmy Blanton three decades before. In addition to the four-part "Fragmented Suite for Piano and Bass," the duo plays five standards ( including "Pitter Panther Patter" from the Blanton days and three other Ellington-associated tunes ).

When he died in 1942, 21-year-old Blanton had liberated the string bass from its traditional role as an accompanist. Brown, and another Blanton disciple, Oscar Pettiford, carried forward Blanton's work of developing the bass into a solo instrument.

Their contributions had a great deal to do with bebop's becoming a mature music. More than 30 years after Blanton's death, Brown went into a studio with Ellington to pay homage to his idol. Their duets echo the famous ones of Ellington and Blanton and demonstrate Brown's creativity and virtuosity on the Blanton model.

Cut from existing metal parts mastered by Doug Sax from the original analog master tape and pressed at Quality Record Pressings, this Analogue Productions 180 gram LP is housed in a handsome Stoughton Printing tip-on gatefold jacket.

Tracks

Side A

1. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (5:30)
2. Pitter Panther Patter (3:00)
3. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (3:56)
4. Sophisticated Lady (5:22)
5. See See Rider (3:04)

Side B

1. First Movement (4:47)
2. Second Movement (5:07)
3. Third Movement (3:35)
4. Fourth Movement (4:55)