[Update: The 2008 reissue is the same as the previous edition--i.e. the original recording's most memorable moment, Clark Terry's/Puck's vocalized trumpet proclaiming "Oh what fools these mortals be," is omitted, even though the included earlier commentaries by Irving Townsend and Bill Berry both single it out. Instead the purchaser is subjected to Phil Schaap's tedious, all-but-unreadable screed detailing his quest to uncover and preserve every precious detail of the session, including ambient sound! Not even a mention of the unconscionable switcheroo (whatever happened to the original "Up and Down"?). Very discouraging. But give Schaap and company credit for the miraculous restoration (and improvement) of "Ellington at Newport '56." As for "Such Sweet Thunder," keep scouring the auctions for a decent LP version.]There was a time when the producers of records actually knew something about the music itself. The vinyl Columbia albums, for example, frequently included copious musical analysis supplied by George Avakian and other resident producer-critics. As listeners, we may think we know what we like, then realize we tend to like what we know. Reading liner notes, for some reason, often proved a more effective way of learning things about jazz and its creators than pulling books out of the library.The point is that the omission of Clark Terry's celebrated Shakespearean quotation/Puck impersonation from this edition of one of Ellington's recorded treasures is more than an oversight. It's a flagrant disregard for the real listener, an insult to the makers and custodians of this music, and a stunning, shameless display of sheer ignorance. It demonstrates the complete "disconnect" between the product and its exploitive marketers.Music, and especially Ellington's music, represents a considerable challenge to anyone who tries to articulate its non-verbal meanings. By seizing a rare and serendipitous jazz moment, Ellington seemingly insured that "Such Sweet Thunder" would continue to resonate with successive generations of listeners thanks in part to an instrumental statement receptive to precise verbal description. Unfortunately, Duke could not have known about his editors.