Ko-Ko / Conga Brava

by Duke Ellington

Ko-Ko / Conga Brava cover art
  • Type: Single
  • Released: April 1940
  • Label: Victor
  • Country: United States
  • Community rating: 4.11/5 from 3 ratings

Artists on this release: Cootie Williams, Sonny Greer, Rex Stewart, Harry Carney, Wallace Jones, Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown, Barney Bigard, Otto Hardwick, Johnny Hodges, Jimmy Blanton, Fred Guy, Juan Tizol

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Widely regarded as a zenith of big band composition, this fiercely dissonant, minor-key masterpiece operates in stark contrast to the era's typical sweet dance fare. The arrangement features dense, shifting sonic textures driven by the iconic 'jungle' sound of plunger-muted brass and an unrelenting, pulsing bassline. It stands as an architectural triumph that solidified the orchestra's unrivaled mid-century creative peak.

Genres

Descriptors: instrumental, rhythmic

Tracklist

  1. Ko-Ko
  2. Conga Brava

Credits

More from Duke Ellington: full discography