Piano in the Background

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars and stated "designed to showcase a series of new arrangements for the Ellington Orchestra, it also offers the composer and bandleader as a pianist leading the band... In all, this and the two discs that were reissued as companions to this one, Piano in the Foreground and Blues in Orbit, mark a highly creative and productive time in Ellington's long career".^[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

:All compositions by Duke Ellington except as indicated

1. "Happy Go Lucky Local" - 3:02
2. "What Am I Here For" (Duke Ellington, Frankie Laine) - 4:08
3. "Medley: Kinda Dukish/Rockin' in Rhythm" (Ellington, Harry Carney, Irving Mills) - 5:52
4. "Perdido" (Juan Tizol) - 6:49
5. "I'm Beginning to See the Light" (Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges, Harry James) - 2:06
6. "Midriff" (Billy Strayhorn) - 4:29
7. "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (Ellington, Mills) - 4:33
8. "Main Stem" - 4:15
9. "Take the "A" Train" (Strayhorn) - 5:33
10. "Lullaby of Birdland" (George Shearing) - 5:23 Bonus track on CD reissue
11. "The Wailer" (Gerald Wilson) - 4:25 Bonus track on CD reissue
12. "Dreamy Sort of Thing" (Strayhorn) - 3:56 Bonus track on CD reissue
13. "Lullaby of Birdland" [alternate take] (Shearing) - 5:27 Bonus track on CD reissue
14. "Harlem Air Shaft" - 4:03 Bonus track on CD reissue

• Recorded at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles on May 31, 1960 (tracks 4 & 5), June 2, 1960 (track 7), June 20, 1960 (tracks 3, 10, 12 & 13), June 22 (track 8), June 28, 1960 (tracks 6 & 9), June 29, 1960 (track 2) & June 30, 1960 (tracks 1 & 11) and March 3, 1961 (track 14)

• Duke Ellington – piano
• Ray Nance, Willie Cook, Andres Meringuito, Eddy Mullins, Gerald Wilson - trumpet
• Lawrence Brown, Britt Woodman, Booty Wood - trombone
• Juan Tizol - valve trombone
• Jimmy Hamilton - clarinet, tenor saxophone
• Johnny Hodges - alto saxophone
• Russell Procope - alto saxophone, clarinet
• Paul Gonsalves - tenor saxophone
• Harry Carney - baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
• Aaron Bell - bass
• Sam Woodyard - drums
• Gerald Wilson - arrangement, Perdido
• W. A. Mathieu, as Bill Mathieu - arrangement, I'm Beginning to See the Light, It Don't Mean a Thing