The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World


The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World is a 1967 live album featuring Duke Ellington and his orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, T-Bone Walker, Coleman Hawkins, Clark Terry and Zoot Sims. It was released in 1975.
Billy Strayhorn's "Blood Count" was debuted at the Carnegie Hall concert featured on the album. It was Strayhorn's last composition; he died a few months after the piece was recorded.
The album marked the last recorded collaboration between Fitzgerald and Ellington and his orchestra.
The album contains the last recordings of Coleman Hawkins. During the opening of "Sweet Georgia Brown", Hawkins can be heard to say "I guess I've gotta go through with it". Then someone replies "That's right".

Reception

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow noted: "In addition to having a somewhat immodest title, this three-CD set was not actually one single concert but two...the music on the reissue is often quite special...Maybe this really was 'the Greatest Jazz Concert' after all".

Track listing

Disc One
  1. "Smedley" – 4:16
  2. "Some Day My Prince Will Come" – 4:59
  3. "Daytrain" – 5:53
  4. "Now's the Time" – 8:26
  5. "Memories of You" – 2:22
  6. "Misty" – 2:45
  7. "I Can't Get Started" – 2:26
  8. "Wee Dot" – 9:49
  9. "Moonglow" – 3:29
  10. "Sweet Georgia Brown" – 4:28
  11. "C Jam Blues" – 6:12
  12. "Woman, You Must Be Crazy" – 9:08
  13. "Stormy Monday" – 6:40
Disc Two
  1. "Swamp Goo" – 4:54
  2. "Girdle Hurdle" – 2:51
  3. "The Shepherd" – 6:33
  4. "Rue Bleue" – 2:44
  5. "Salome" – 3:34
  6. "A Chromatic Love Affair" – 3:58
  7. "Mount Harissa" – 6:39
  8. "Blood Count" – 3:50
  9. "Rockin' in Rhythm" – 3:40
  10. "Very Tenor" – 7:51
  11. "Onions " – 2:55
  12. "Take the 'A' Train" – 5:29
Disc Three
  1. "Satin Doll" – 5:25
  2. "Tootie for Cootie" – 6:45
  3. "Up Jump" – 3:38
  4. "Prelude to a Kiss" – 4:39
  5. "Mood Indigo"/"I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" / – 6:08
  6. "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" – 4:31
  7. "Don't Be That Way" – 4:09
  8. "You've Changed" – 4:12
  9. "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" – 4:38
  10. "On the Sunny Side of the Street" – 2:14
  11. "It's Only a Paper Moon" – 2:31
  12. "Day Dream" – 4:49
  13. "If I Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight)" – 3:18
  14. "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" – 3:50
  15. "Cotton Tail" – 5:29
Disc One
Disc Two
Disc Three
  • Tracks 1–6: Duke Ellington and his orchestra
  • Tracks 7–10: Ella Fitzgerald with the Duke Ellington orchestra
  • Tracks 11–14: Ella Fitzgerald with the Jimmy Jones trio
  • Track 15: Ella Fitzgerald with the Jimmy Jones trio and Duke Ellington orchestra

Personnel

Oscar Peterson trio
Jimmy Jones trio
Duke Ellington Orchestra