The Duke Ellington Quartet – Duke’s Big 4 [Stereo] (Analogue Productions Fantasy Series 45 RPM Edition)

(AAA) — Lacquers cut from the original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray & Steve Hoffman at AcousTech Mastering.

This recording features one of Ellington's finest small groups with guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Louie Bellson. All of these legends were at the peak of their careers for this date and were recorded in stunning fidelity. Ellington easily keeps up with his younger sidemen with strong solos on songs like "Love You Madly," "The Hawk Talks" and "Cotton Tail." This one is very highly recommended.

"Big 4, with Brown, Joe Pass, and Louie Bellson, is the sonic hair-raiser, the quartet right there, trading phrases in the same ambient space." - Fred Kaplan, The Absolute Sound, December 2005 (included in Kaplan's "Best-Sounding Jazz LPs")

(Above description from AcousticSounds.com)