
Duke Ellington’s legacy in jazz derives in large part from his longevity and, by extension, his creative abilities to shape his orchestra. Ellington’s presence on the piano is subtle in many of the compositions selected for this assignment, but as a composer Ellington excelled at creating rich and complex pieces that showcased the individual abilities of band members. Ellington crafted the framework in which a soloist could freely improvise, in addition to writing tightly orchestrated pieces and phrases that called on the particular style of band members to highlight musical ideas. In doing this, he also emphasized the tone of the orchestra more generally, creating coherent and original sounds to fit each piece. Ellington’s mastery of the individual players’ sound, as well as how they fit together in a growing ensemble, enabled him to write some of the most innovative and brilliant pieces in jazz history.
The Grove Music dictionary, in discussing Ellington’s sound and innovation, mentions Creole Love Call in reference to using voice “as a jazz instrument” throughout his career.  This is an early example of Ellington’s use of voice to add texture and color without the hindrance of lyrics. Creole Love Call also demonstrates Ellington’s ability to compliment the style of his soloists, something that is evident throughout his career. This slow, deliberate twelve bar blues piece contains six choruses, as follows:
Chorus 1: Call and response between voice and reeds, where the voice begins smooth and melodic, then transitions to a rougher sound towards the end.
Chorus 2: Muted trumpet solo that elaborates on the basic melody and emphasizes several extended blue notes.
Chorus 3: Sweeping clarinet solo in a high register, backed by a subtle syncopated piano phrase.
Chorus 4: Full band echoes the first chorus with a call and response by the brass and reed sections.
Chorus 5: The climactic chorus of the piece, as the reeds now begin the call and response in a high register, backed by syncopated stop time from the brass and rhythm sections.
Chorus 6: A return to the structure of the first chorus, with call and response between voice and reeds. In this chorus the voice takes on the sound of the “growl” technique, soloing as an instrument.
Tag: Brief tag featuring a vocal run and a dissonant novelty ending by a trombone.
Ellington’s use of voice to add a dimension of tone color to this piece is one example of a stylistic trait that permeates his work. 
In Hot and Bothered, recorded a year later, Ellington combines his skill at tight orchestration with his ear for tone color. A call and response phrase between “Bubber” Miley on muted trumpet and Baby Cox’s scat singing uses the vocal elements of Miley’s playing and instrumental aspects of Cox’s voice to create a rich and complementary sound. It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) extends these ideas, as Ellington uses Joe “Tricky Sam” Nanton, a mainstay in Ellington’s orchestra, to great effect in introducing the melody on muted trombone. 