Born in Cannes, France, on April 10, 1930 (he is 88 years old at this writing), pianist, composer and arranger Claude Bolling is an internationally acclaimed musician, who recorded dozens of highly successful albums and has written music for over one hundred films. Bolling is also noted for a series of "crossover" collaborations with classical musicians. His Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio with Jean-Pierre Rampal, a mix of Baroque elegance with modern swing, has been a top seller for many years. Bolling has also worked with, and performed tributes to many others, including Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Stphane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt, and Oscar Peterson. <p>Presented here in its entirety is one of those tribute albums: Claude Bolling Plays Duke Ellington (Fontana 826.598-QY), recorded in a trio format in 1959. British drummer Arnie Wise would become a regular member of the Bill Evans Trio from 1965 to 1967. A 1956 complete trio session, originally released divided into two different EPs - Claude Bolling joue Georges Brassens et Sidney Bechet (Vogue EPL7127) and Claude Bolling joue Gilbert Bcaud et Boris Vian (Vogue EPL7128) - has been added as a bonus.