ROSEMARY CLOONEY & DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA - Blue Rose (1956-2008) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Rosemary Clooney may have seemed to be a surprising choice to be featured with Duke Ellington & His Orchestra, but this collaboration is extremely successful in spite of the fact that Clooney was unable to join the band in the studio due to complications of a very difficult pregnancy. The solution was for the band to record the music (after Billy Strayhorn made the first of several trips to Los Angeles to consult with her). The results are stunning and not in the least bit canned, due to the professionalism of all parties involved and a stellar engineering of the separately recorded tracks. Clooney swings throughout "Me and You" and "It Don't Mean a Thing" without excess, her wordless vocal on "Blue Rose," and a captivating "Mood Indigo" are among the many highlights. The sound on this Legacy series reissue is greatly improved over the earlier Mobile Fidelity CD, plus there are two tracks added, the obscure but appealing "If You Were in My Place (What Would You Do?)" and "Just a-Sittin' and a-Rockin'," that were only issued as a single and omitted from the original release. It's a pity that the collaboration of Rosemary Clooney and Duke Ellington was only a one-shot deal, as she easily ranks as one of the greatest vocalists to appear on record with the maestro. by Ken Dryden 
Tracklist:
1    Hey Baby 3:53
Soloist, Baritone Saxophone – Harry Carney
Written-By – D. Ellington
2    Sophisticated Lady 2:57
Written-By – D. Ellington, I. Mills, M. Parish
3    Me And You 2:28
Soloist, Trumpet – Ray Nance
Written-By – D. Ellington
4    Passion Flower 4:33
Soloist, Reeds – Johnny Hodges
Written-By – B. Strayhorn
5    I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart 2:37
Written-By – D. Ellington, H. Nemo, I. Mills, J. Redmond
6    It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) 2:48
Soloist, Reeds – Harry Carney, Johnny Hodges
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Hamilton
Soloist, Trumpet – Clark Terry
Written-By – D. Ellington, I. Mills
7    Grievin' 4:10
Soloist, Reeds – Harry Carney, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves
Soloist, Trumpet – "Cat" Anderson
Written-By – B. Strayhorn, D. Ellington
8    Blue Rose 2:21
Written-By – D. Ellington
9    I'm Checkin' Out, Goombye 3:09
Soloist, Clarinet – Jimmy Hamilton
Soloist, Trumpet – Ray Nance
Written-By – B. Strayhorn, D. Ellington
10    I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 3:07
Written-By – D. Ellington, P.F. Webster
11    Mood Indigo 6:28
Bass Clarinet – Harry Carney
Soloist, Trumpet – Willie Cook
Written-By – A. Bigard, D. Ellington, I. Mills
- Bonus Tracks -
12    If You Were In My Place (What Would You Do?) 3:01
Soloist, Piano – Billy Strayhorn
Soloist, Trumpet – Clark Terry
Written-By – D. Ellington, H. Nemo, I. Mills
13    Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin' 2:40
Soloist, Trumpet – Clark Terry
Written-By – B. Strayhorn, D. Ellington, L. Gaines
Credits:
Arranged By – Billy Strayhorn
Arranged By, Piano – Duke Ellington
Double Bass [Bass] – Jimmy Woode
Drums – Sam Woodyard
Recording Supervisor [Rosemary Clooney Vocals] – Billy Strayhorn
Reeds – Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Russell Procope
Trombone – Britt Woodman, John Sanders, Quentin Jackson
Trumpet – "Cat" Anderson, Clark Terry, Ray Nance, Willie Cook
Vocals – Rosemary Clooney