Remastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog tapes

Recorded on an Ampex 200, using 3M-111 magnetic tape running at 15 inches per second

Gatefold old-school "tip-on" on jacket by Stoughton Printing

Plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings!

"...while the 33 was a startler, the new (45 RPM) version — spread out on two LPs, to accommodate the wider grooves — will leave you breathless. There's more sparkle to Ellington's piano, more wood in Wendell Marshall's bass, more breath and reed and romance in Johnny Hodges' alto sax, more force in Jimmy Hamilton's hard-blown clarinet. Each player in the horn sections sounds more distinct; I hear more of Duke's playing, underneath those sections, too. And soloists — palpable enough in 33 1/3 RPM — are holographic at 45. In short, the 45 lets us hear more of the music, more of the detail, more of the human presence; it transports us more completely back in time." — Fred Kaplan, Stereophile.com, June 17, 2017

Duke was joined for this album by a virtuoso supporting cast: Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn (piano). Russell Procope, Paul Gonzalves, Johnny Hodges, Jimmy Hamilton (saxophone). Nelson Williams, Andrew Ford, Harold Baker, Ray Nance, William Anderson (trumpet). Quentin Jackson, Lawrence Brown, Tyree Glenn (trombone). Mercer Ellington (horn). Sonny Greer (drums). Wendell Marshall (bass). Yvonne Lanauze (vocals).