The complete Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges small group albums 'Back to Back' and 'Side by Side' on two CDs. Includes a 12-page comprehensive booklet. 'Back to Back' is fully dedicated to the blues and 'Side by Side' is a continuation of that form and made up of additional tunes from the same session as 'Back to Back'. Added to this is another small group session featuring Hodges with Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Lawrence Brown and Billy Strayhorn. As a bonus, there are nine tracks from other Ellington's sessions recorded during the same period, all of which prominently feature Johnny Hodges and the blues. DUKE ELLINGTON piano JOHNNY HODGES alto sax HARRY 'SWEETS' EDISON trumpet LESS SPAN guitar SAME JONES or AL HALL bass JO JONES drums New York, February 1959. (bonus tracks): JOHNNY HODGES alto sax HARRY 'SWEETS' EDISON trumpet LESS SPAN guitar BEN WEBSTER tenor sax ROY ELDRIDGE trumpet LAURENCE BROWN trombone BILLY STRAYHORN piano WENDELL MARSHALL bass JO JONES drums New York, August 1958.
