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The Great Summit: The Complete Sessions

Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit: The Complete Sessions Audio CD

A fair review of the Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington "The Great Summit: The Complete Sessions" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington reviews here, or go back to the Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington tabs.

Band: Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington
Title: The Great Summit: The Complete Sessions
Rating:

Release Date: 2000-08-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Duke's Place [#] 2: I'm Just a Lucky So and So [#] 3: Cotton Tail [#] 4: Mood Indigo [#] 5: Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me [#] 6: Beautiful American [#] 7: Black and Tan Fantasy [#] 8: Drop Me off in Harlem [#] 9: Mooche [#] 10: In a Mellow Tone [#] 11: It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) [#] 12: Solitude [#] 13: Don't Get Around Much Anymore [#] 14: I'm Beginning to See the Light [#] 15: Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me) [#] 16: I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) [#] 17: Azalea [#] 18: In a Mellow Tone [Warm-up/Take One-Complete Take#] 19: I'm Beginning to See the Light [Take 1-False Start/Take 4-2 False Sta] 20: Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me [Take 1-Rehearsal, Working Out Arrang] 21: Don't Get Around Much Anymore [Take 2-Breakdown/Take 3-Breakdown/Take] 22: Duke's Place [Take 5/Luckey Roberts Intro/Complete Take][#] 23: Drop Me off in Harlem [Take 2-Complete Take][#] 24: I'm Just a Lucky So and So [Conversation/Take 1-False Start/Take 2-Com] 25: Azalea [#Take 8-Discussion, False Start/Take 9-False Start] 26: Black and Tan Fantasy [Take 3-False Start/Conversation Leading to Take] 27: Band Discussion on Cottontail [#] - Louis Armstrong

Essential
The two greatest jazz masters unite along with Young,Bigard, Herbert and Barcelona, who are also wonderful. I can't image why these two CDs are rarely listed under essential to a well rounded jazz collection. With Ellington's compositions & piano playing and Armstrong's strong voice & trumpet performance, both hold the listener spellbound. Plus, we get to listen in on the false starts and the conversations between takes!.

Surreal - Transcends Music
Listened to Azalea 66 times in a row when I first heard this lp. A gift from the heavens.
First review above by Jean-Marie from France hits the nail right on the head. Good job.

One of the most indispensable jazz records.Buy it !!!!!!
There is some of the most talented,incredible,outstanding music here. Don't miss it,this two CD set is one of the most indispensable purchase you have to do. This is the first real encounter between these two absolute giants,Louis and Duke,and also the last one,and jazz listeners had to wait until 1961 to hear this. Even if they met frequently since the thirties,they never really recorded together,and this time will be the last one (except for the soundtrack of the movie,"Paris blues"). Before,they recorded a couple of tunes together ("Snafu"),but this is the ONLY album commited by these kings. Ellington was in a very rich period for five or six years (in fact,since Sam Woodyard took the drums chair;Sam's coming into Duke's band gave to this very somptuous orchestra the little something it needed). At the same time,Armstrong's career,after he recorded some inestimable albums in the fifties ("Satch plays Fats","plays W. C. Handy","the Good Book","a musical autobiography","Porgy and Bess"),Satch's career was going down slow,allways playing the same repertoire,and losing some of his greatest musicians. In fact,I think this is Louis Armstrong's testament,his last great record. No,this is not a great record;it's a terrific,outstanding,amazing moment of music,some of the greatest he ever blowed. My father owned this album,and I'm used to listen to it for more than 25 years.
The challenge was to make Duke Ellington meet Armstrong's band (Barcelonna,Kyle,Shaw,Young and Bigard,who spend many years in Duke's band,a long time before). The result is majestuous. Armstrong has allways been addicted to Duke's music,even if he rarely played his songs;and Duke has a rare opportunity to shine as a piano player (and he surely could !!!).
The first CD is made of master takes;it is almost impossible to make a choice between these 17 tunes. Louis' imperial talent shines from the first second to the last one. He plays with supreme majesty all through these tunes,and his voice may be at its highest level. "I got it bad" is an indescriptible masterpiece;Louis plays some very simple phrases,and sings like nobody did;Duke's piano counterpoints are the essence of piano playing. "Azalea" simply is one of the most magnificent tunes ever recorded,but we'll talk about it later. "I'm just a lucky so and so" has some down home blues playing by Duke,and an infectious vocal part by Satch. Etc,etc. Each and every tune is at the same highest level. 17 tunes,17 masterpieces;two LPs,or one CD,one of the ten records you HAVE to own. My only regret is that Duke couldn't go to the studio with is drummer,Sam Woodyard,who simply was one of the greatest drummers in the history of jazz.
The second CD includes tracks recorded during the rehearseals. And this is very interesting. It's terrific to hear how these guys could play a tune together. But the most interesting tune here is "Azalea". Just as Monk's unbelievable work on "'round midnight",issued on the CD version of "Thelonious himself":a study in progress. Duke wrote this piece in the late fourties,recorded it twice,and was never pleased with the result,because he wrote it with Armstrong in mind;now was the opportunity to have Louis playing this incredibly beautiful tune,and singing these improbable verses. And after a couple of false starts,and some vocal troubles,Louis manages to make this tune his own,and gave an immortal masterpiece. I mean,this is not a good tune,or a great one;this is one of the greatest masterpieces I ever heard in jazz. The version opf "black and tan fantasy" is magnificent,too,and here,Louis was confronted to Bubber Miley's version,recorded more than thirty years before,and which will never be surpassed. But Louis makes this tune his own,one more time,he doesn't use a plunger like Bubber did,and gives us a new conception of the tune. And what a majestic one !!!
This (or these,because they originally were issued on two separate Lps) record is an absolute must in every jazz lover's discotheque. It's one of the records I listen to very often (and I have some 6000 records at home);something unreal,some magical minutes in the musical career of two of the greatest kings of jazz,Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.

Couldn't live without this one
Duke's elegant playing and arrangements stand out and Armstong's blowing is as strong and direct as ever. The styles of these two masters blend remarkably well on this collection of Ellington tunes performed with a combo of Ellington's rhythm section and Louis' Allstars. Somehow it all adds up beautifully. Every track offers something unique. The masters seem to energize each as well as the other featured musicians. Anyone interested in Jazz who doesn't already own this should not hesitate.

It simply doesn�t get any better than this.
What makes the two CD version so fascinating is the second "out-take" CD, which allows one to be in the studio with them and gain a unique insight into two genius composer/performers at work. This recording is a must for all music lovers. Not only into their creative process (one of the numbers was made up on the spot) but also how they included some of the best instrumentalists of the day (Trummy Young, Barney Bigard and Mort Herbert) into that process. If you didn't know much about jazz before (which I didn't) this one will get you hooked!.

You can see a complete list of all Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington discography, or go back to the Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.