1976 · Album
Three Suites
Recorded 1959, 1971, 1972 · Pablo Records · Award: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band, 1976
Late Ellington, Scattered Brilliance
A collection that reminds you why Ellington mattered, even when not everything lands.
The Ellington Suites arrived in 1976 as a retrospective grab bag — three suites recorded across more than a decade, stitched together on Pablo Records. By that point, Ellington had been leading orchestras and composing for so long that his catalog didn't need defending. What this album does is show him in his later years, still writing for big band, still in command, but without the focused narrative you'd get from a record made all at once.
The most interesting piece here is The Queen's Suite, written with Billy Strayhorn as a gift for Queen Elizabeth II. It's a formal, courtly thing — fitting its occasion but also genuinely lovely in moments. "The Single Petal of a Rose" stands out enough that even AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow singled it out, finding real memorability there. The other material from 1959 and the early 1970s sessions has what you'd expect from Ellington: capable orchestration, skilled arrangements, the sound of a bandleader who knew how to voice an ensemble. But Yanow's assessment rings true — not everything sticks. Some themes disappear into competence rather than staying with you.
This is not a peak-period record, and it's not where you start with Ellington. It's a late-career document, solid enough for listeners already deep in his work who want to see what occupied him in these years. Veteran collectors and completists will find it worthwhile. Everyone else should begin elsewhere — Such Sweet Thunder (1957) or Far East Suite (1966) if you want suites, or any of the great 1940s recordings if you want the orchestra at its fullest. The Ellington Suites has its moments, but they're moments, not a sustained argument for the record's necessity.
Who's playing
Aaron Bellbass
Duke Ellingtonpiano
Harry Carneybaritone saxophone
Paul Gonsalvestenor saxophone
Jimmy Hamiltonclarinet, tenor saxophone
Johnny Hodgesalto saxophone
Russell Procopealto saxophone
Willie Cooktrumpet
Andrew “Fats” Fordtrumpet
Ray Nancetrumpet
Clark Terrytrumpet
Lawrence Browntrombone
Juan Tizolvalve trombone
Booty Woodtrombone
Britt Woodmantrombone
Sam Woodyardmembranophone
Where next?
More by Duke Ellington
All 22 albums →
The musicians on this record
Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues 1959
Johnny Hodges
plays alto saxophone here
plays alto saxophone here
Gettin' Together! 1961
Paul Gonsalves
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
