Duke Ellington Quartet – Duke's Big 4

Duke Ellington Quartet – Duke's Big 4

Duke's Big 4 is one of the most rewarding small-group recordings from the final decade of Duke Ellington's career. Recorded in Los Angeles on 8 January 1973 and released on Norman Granz's Pablo Records in 1974, the album strips Ellington's music down to an intimate quartet setting, allowing his distinctive piano style to sit alongside three exceptional musicians: Joe Pass on guitar, Ray Brown on double bass and Louie Bellson on drums.

Rather than the huge orchestral sound associated with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Duke's Big 4 is all about interplay, rhythm and the individual personalities of the musicians. Ellington's percussive piano playing takes centre stage, while Joe Pass provides fluid, harmonically rich guitar lines, Ray Brown anchors the quartet with his deep, swinging bass and Louie Bellson supplies sophisticated, dynamic drumming. The result is an elegant but energetic example of small-group jazz and post-swing mainstream jazz.

The programme opens with the classic “Cottontail”, one of the great pieces associated with the swing era, followed by “The Blues” and Bellson's composition “The Hawk Talks”. Ellington's beautiful ballad “Prelude To A Kiss” provides a more intimate change of pace, demonstrating just how effectively his compositions translate from big-band arrangements to a four-piece setting.

Side Two features a superb run of Ellington favourites, including “Love You Madly”, “Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)” and “Everything But You”. These performances reveal the extraordinary chemistry between Ellington and his fellow musicians, with the stripped-back instrumentation giving plenty of space for subtle exchanges and extended improvisation.

For collectors, Duke's Big 4 is an especially appealing entry in Ellington's later catalogue, bringing together four major figures in jazz under the direction of producer Norman Granz. It also sits within the distinguished Pablo Records catalogue of the 1970s, alongside recordings by Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald and other jazz greats. The album has subsequently received highly regarded audiophile reissues, further underlining the quality of the original recording.

A superb choice for fans of Duke Ellington, Joe Pass, Ray Brown, Louie Bellson, classic swing, piano jazz and sophisticated small-group recordings, Duke's Big 4 offers a fascinating late-career portrait of one of jazz's most important composers and bandleaders.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Cottontail – 4:10
2. The Blues – 5:20
3. The Hawk Talks – 5:04
4. Prelude To A Kiss – 5:35

Side B

1. Love You Madly – 6:32
2. Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me) – 5:58
3. Everything But You – 5:16