Crucial Track for July 13, 2025

"Black and Tan Fantasy (Live)" by Duke Ellington

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My first real encounter with Duke Ellington was a Musical Heritage Society CD I pilfered from my moms' collection. It was a bunch of his stuff, but conducted by Mercer Ellington. I had just bought my first CD player, had three CDs to my name, and was not in a place to be picky, and so I listened to that CD a lot. Black & Tan was one of my favorites, and I was even more impressed years late when I finally heard this much better rendition.