Duke Ellington Discography - 1940s

1940s

The early 1940s saw limited output due to the recording ban, but Ellington did make annual visits to Carnegie Hall, listed below. In the January 1943 concert, Ellington introduced his first extended suite, "Black, Brown and Beige." This era also saw the appearance of the "Liberian Suite" and his highly regarded recordings featuring Jimmy Blanton and Ben Webster, "the best Ellington band" according to critic Bob Blumenthal.

1940

  • On the Air
  • Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live (Vintage Jazz Classics)
  • The Duke in Boston (Jazz Unlimited)
  • The British Connection: 1933-1940 (Jazz Unlimited)
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1939-40 (Classics)
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1940 (2 volumes) (Classics)

1941

  • Take the ‘A’ Train (Vintage Jazz Classics)
  • The Great Ellington Units (Bluebird)
  • "1941 Classics - Live in Hollywood" (Alamac)
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1940-41 (Classics)
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1941 (Classics)

1942

  • Hollywood Swing & Jazz (1937–1942) (Rhino)
  • Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band (1939–1942)

1943

  • The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943 (Prestige - released 1977)
  • Black, Brown and Beige (RCA)
  • The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1943 (Storyville)
  • Live at the Hurricane (Storyville)

1944

  • The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1944 (Prestige - released 1977)
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1942-44 (Classics)

1945

  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1944-45 (Classics)
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1945 (2 volumes) (Classics)
  • The Treasury Shows 1943-1945 (13 double LPs) (D.E.T.S.)
  • Duke's Joint (1943–1945) (Buddha)
  • The Duke Ellington World Broadcasting Series (Circle)

1946

  • The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1946 (Prestige - released 1977)
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1945-46 (Classics)
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1946 (2 volumes) (Classics)
  • The Great Chicago Concerts (Music Masters)
  • Happy Go Lucky Local (Musicraft)

1947

  • The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947 (Prestige - released 1977)
  • Daybreak Express
  • Live at the Hollywood Bowl
  • Duke Ellington Vol. 4: April 30, 1947
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1946-47 (Classics)
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1947 (2 volumes) (Classics)
  • Duke Ellington at Ciro's (Dems)
  • Liberian Suite (Columbia)

1948

  • Live at Click Restaurant Philadelphia Vol. 1
  • Live at Click Restaurant Philadelphia Vol. 2
  • Carnegie Hall 30 November 1948
  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1947-48 (Classics)
  • Cornell University (Music Masters)

1949

  • The Chronological Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1948-49 (Classics)
  • Duke Ellington at the Hollywood Empire (Storyville)

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