Duke Ellington recorded for so many labels and went through so many stylistic phases, any attempt to boil down his "essence" will inevitably come up short. So it goes with this two-disc collection. While containing a wealth of gems from Columbia's huge Duke catalog, as well as some early efforts for Brunswick, it does not represent such defining works as the late-'30s/early-'40s songs gathered on RCA's Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band and The Far East Suite, Prestige's Carnegie Hall Concerts, January 1943, Blue Note's supertrio album Money Jungle, and Fantasy's The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse. That said, this 37-song set offers a great ride through the ages, powered by such classics as "Black and Tan Fantasy," "Creole Love Call," "Caravan," "Mood Indigo," "Cotton Tail" and "Come Sunday" featuring such immortal soloists as Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart and the never-to-be-underrated Ellington. Even after all this time, the transcendent genius of "Ko-Ko" still manages to spin you around the room in delight. --Lloyd Sachs
