Dick Dale's surf-guitar provided the memorable title theme for Tarantino's 1994 smash, and overall this is a eclectic bunch of terrific songs. Where else are you going to find Chuck Berry, The Statler Brothers, & Kool & the Gang all on one album?
Even though Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins had both been well-known jazzmen since the early 1920s, it wasn't until 1962 - at least 20 years after Duke first suggested it - that these two recorded their only session together.
This album exists as a duality, running the spectrum of human emotions from playful optimism and visceral affirmations of life to heartbreak, loss, fear, and loneliness.