Take the "A" Train recorded an intentionally inept interpretation of the song under the pseudonym Darlene Edwards. In 1999, National Public Radio included this song in the "NPR 100", in which NPR's music editors sought to compile the one hundred most important American musical works of the 20th century. Take the "A" Train "Take the 'A' Train" is a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn that was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington orchestra. The use of the Strayhorn composition as the signature tune was made necessary by a ruling in 1940 by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). When ASCAP
Essence of Ellington Essence of Ellington Essence of Ellington (subtitled Live in Milano) is a double live album by bassist and composer William Parker's Orchestra, which was recorded in Italy in 2012 and released on the Centering label. AllMusic awarded the album 4 stars. The All About Jazz review noted "Parker has delivered a unique take on the Ellington repertoire which pulls off the trick of being both stridently modern and affectionately reverent". JazzTimes noted "You know that an orchestra organized by William Parker to pay tribute to Duke Ellington is going to result in something sprawling and stupendous, and Essence of Ellington