Studio Sessions 1957 & 1962

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4½ stars and stated "these sets allow one to hear Duke experimenting with his ensemble. Some selections were essentially works-in-progress that would develop within the next few years; others were quickly discarded originals or rearrangements of older tunes".[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

:All compositions by Duke Ellington

1. Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Mercer Ellington) - 3:19
2. "Something Sexual" - 2:16
3. "The Riff" - 2:25
4. "Bluer" - 2:14
5. "Wailing 'Bout" - 2:48
6. "I Cover the Waterfront" (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman) - 3:27
7. "Blues a la Willie Cook" - 4:03
8. "Slow Blues Ensemble" - 3:13
9. "Circle of Fourths" (Ellington, Billy Strayhorn) - 2:12
10. "Perdido" (Juan Tizol) - 3:12
11. "Three Trumps" - 2:46
12. "Deep Blues" (Ellington, McAlpin, Rose) - 3:30
13. "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" (Mercer Ellington) - 6:51
14. "Paris Blues" - 2:49
15. "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" (Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) - 3:15
16. "Circle Blues" - 5:46
17. "Perdido" (Tizol) - 3:15
18. "The Sky Fell Down" - 4:30
19. "Cotton Tail" - 3:04
20. "Passion Flower" (Strayhorn) - 4:22

• Recorded at Universal Studios, Chicago on January 17, 1957 (tracks 3-6), January 29, 1957 (tracks 7-12), February 1957 (tracks 1 & 2), at A&R Studio, New York on March 29, 1962 (tracks 13-16), and at Bell Sound Studios, New York on May 28, 1962 (tracks 17, 18 & 20), and June 6, 1962 (track 19).

• Duke Ellington – piano (tracks 1-12, 14 & 17-20)
• Billy Strayhorn - piano (tracks 13, 15 & 16)
• Ray Nance -cornet (tracks 13-20), trumpet ( (tracks 1, 3, 4, 7, 8 & 11)
• Cat Anderson (track 1 & 17-20), Bill Berry (track 14 & 17-20), Roy Burrowes (track 14 & 17-20), Willie Cook (tracks 1, 3, 4, 7, 8 & 11), Eddie Mullens (track 14), Clark Terry (tracks 1, 3, 4 & 8-11) - trumpet
• Lawrence Brown (track 13-20), Leon Cox (track 14 & 17-20), Quentin Jackson (track 1), Britt Woodman (track 1) - trombone
• John Sanders - valve trombone (track 1)
• Chuck Connors - bass trombone (track 14 & 17-20)
• Jimmy Hamilton - clarinet, tenor saxophone (track 1, 14 & 17-20)
• Russell Procope - alto saxophone, clarinet (track 1, 14 & 17-20)
• Johnny Hodges - alto saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 13-20)
• Paul Gonsalves - tenor saxophone
• Harry Carney - baritone saxophone (track 1 & 13-20)
• Aaron Bell (track 13-20), Jimmy Woode (tracks 1-12)- bass
• Sonny Greer (track 14), Sam Woodyard (tracks 1-13, 15-20) - drums
• Unidentified choir (track 2)