1959 · Album
Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues
Recorded 1959 · Not specified in provided Wikipedia text · Produced by Not specified in provided Wikipedia text
Two Masters in the Blues Room
Hodges and Ellington in close quarters, trading bluesy phrases over tight rhythm section work.
The first thing you hear is how close everyone sounds — no distance, no studio sheen. Johnny Hodges' alto saxophone has a warm, slightly breathy quality, and when Duke Ellington plays piano behind him, they're not trading solos so much as having a conversation in the same room. The blues is the skeleton here, but it's the kind of blues that bends and sways rather than marches. Tempos hover in that sweet spot where everything feels unhurried but never slack. The rhythm section locks in tight enough to feel like a heartbeat.
This album sits in an interesting position in both artists' catalogs. Hodges had already spent decades in the Ellington orchestra, so this pairing wasn't new, but recording together under his own name gave the collaboration a different shape. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings rated it 4/4, which tells you it landed well with serious listeners. What you're getting here is two musicians who knew each other's language inside and out, playing material that gave them room to stretch without needing to prove anything.
Back to Back (1959) spawned a follow-up, Side by Side (1959), which mixed tracks from the same sessions with material from a different date that didn't include Ellington. That context matters — it shows this wasn't a one-off moment but part of a larger recording push. If you're coming to either artist fresh, there are better entry points. But if you already know their solo work and want to hear them specifically in dialogue, this one's worth your time.
Who's playing
Al Halldouble bass
Sam Jonesdouble bass
Duke Ellingtonpiano
Les Spannguitar
Johnny Hodgesalto saxophone
Harry “Sweets” Edisontrumpet
Jo Jonesdrums
Where next?
More by Johnny Hodges
All 38 albums →
The musicians on this record
Money Jungle 1962
Duke Ellington
plays piano here
plays piano here
Percussion and Bass 1960
Jo Jones
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
