Recorded in 1958 and 1959, Side By Side is a throwback to the small group sessions Duke Ellington recorded with Johnny Hodges and other members of his orchestra in the thirties, but with some significant differences: the absence of Ellington himself on several tracks (with Billy Strayhorn taking over on piano) and the presence of notable non-Ellingtonians such as drummer Jo Jones and trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Harry "Sweets" Edison.