your favorite 3 Duke Ellington albums?


I need to explore his catalog deeper....not his best but your favorites to listen to.

My favorite 3 so far are:

Ellington meets Coleman Hawkins
First Time The Count Meets The Duke
Side by Side
mswobo
I own and enjoy the Grusin disc (along with the companion homage to Bernstein), but are you serious!?  The OP's asking for recs on the BEST Duke Ellington recordings and you think the Grusin beats out work by the Duke himself!?  If yr not being sarcastic, I'd strongly recommend putting down the Grusin and start listening to the Duke, yr in for a treat!;)
Definitely First Time The Count Meets The Duke, Newport to Paris and  Such Sweet Thunder.