COMPOSERS: Duke Ellington
LABELS: Columbia Legacy
PERFORMER: Duke Ellington
CATALOGUE NO: 512915 2
Blues in Orbit was mainly recorded in 1959 and is certainly more bluesy than not, although often it’s more a matter of mood than structure. ‘Smada’ stands out among the original tracks and the album as a whole certainly merits a place in your collection, but its status as a neglected masterpiece is perhaps debatable and the string of alternate takes and oddments that have been tacked on to it are for completists only.