So, where the previous Duke record I listened to was a collection of his compositions played by another group of players, Ellington ’55 is a legitimate Duke Ellington record, with the Duke himself behind the piano and the men who played with him playing his tunes the way they played them.

And there’s a huge difference between Ellington’s band and anyone else.

The biggest difference is the freedom the players feel in the presence of the Duke to adapt these tunes (a number of them old standards not by Ellington). And towards the end, after the solo sections, after returning to the head of the piece, most of these songs get brash and loud and wild. I first purchased this album in Chicago with a roommate whose idea of good jazz was Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders, and at the end of each track, he would pay attention and be impressed by the feral energy of what is arguably the most important big band in jazz history. This album serves as proof that The Duke was on top of the game even three decades after founding his band.