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Duke Ellington - The Very Best of Duke Ellington Audio CD

A fair review of the Duke Ellington "The Very Best of Duke Ellington" 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 Duke Ellington reviews here, or go back to the Duke Ellington tabs.

Duke Ellington Band: Duke Ellington
Title: The Very Best of Duke Ellington
Rating:
Release Date: 2000-11-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Take the "A" Train - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 2: Warm Valley - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 3: Cotton Tail - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 4: Jack the Bear - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 5: Concerto for Cootie - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 6: Black and Tan Fantasy - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 7: East St. Louis Toodle-Oo - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 8: Mooche - Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra 9: Mood Indigo - Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra 10: Rockin' In Rhythm - Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra 11: Creole Rhapsody, Pt. 1 - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 12: I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 13: Don't You Know I Care (Or Don't You Care to Know) [Take 2] - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 14: Chelsea Bridge - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 15: Work Song [Take 2] - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 16: Caravan - Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra 17: Perdido - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 18: Isfahan - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 19: Blood Count - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 20: Come Sunday [Vocal Version] - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

One of Music's Mount Rushmore Artist
he had a classy flair for playing and a vibe that matched it. Duek Ellington was my first introduction to Jazz Music and in truth after him and no offense to anyone else,but his standards of Music and overall Composition, arragements and his Band were set so high that you could forever be lost in his groove and never want to come out. "take the A train" was the first cut that got me hooked with him. it's hard to just put all of his best on one disc let alone 5, but this is a strong sampler and a good place to start. he had incredible talent all around him and he made it swing because his music always had that thing.


Sweet Compilation
While the quality of each recording is not perfect, the imprefections add to the ambience associated with listening to the originals on the radio. An excellent variety of Duke Ellington's music which includes both vocals and instrumentals.


Inconsistency at its finest
However, I have some of these same records in my collection, which sound better and cleaner than the transfers here. This CDs recordings span 40 years, and that should account for some of the difference in sound quality. "Warm Valley" is particularly disappointing; there is substantial swish and crackle throughout which could have been minimized very easily. Some of the work is wonderful, some is awful. I would expect better from BMG.


Poor quality of recordings is distracting
" "'A' Train" is without vocals on this disk, which was disappointing for me. I sought out this disk as an intro to Duke Ellington's work and to acquire a recording of "Take the 'A' Train. Guess I'll have to look elsewhere for a vocal rendition of that piece. ("I Got It Bad. . . ", "Don't You Know. . . ", "Come Sunday" all have excellent vocals on this disk)

Also dissapointing is the quality of many of the recordings. Perhaps this is as good as it gets in terms of what survives today. If so, that's a shame. Hiss and scratches are prominent, particularly in "Mood Indigo" and "Creole Rhapsody. " Also, many of the solo instruments seem overdriven (I might even say too loud for their respective mixes), causing distortion in the early songs on the disk -- "Warm Valley", "Jack The Bear", and "Rockin' In Rhythm" in particular. In general, sound quality does improve as you get deeper into the CD and encounter the more recent recordings.

My Duke Ellington knowledge is limited, but if asked if I would recommend this disk as a way of introduction, I would say no. There must be something better out there.


Crackle for ambience, Ellington forever
The recordings on this compilation date from between 1928 and 1966, so the sound quality varies, but it's never annoying. There's some slight crackling on this disc, but it's not bad at all, just enough to add some extra ambience to all those freezing winter evenings spent at home on your couch under the toasty glow of Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra. As for the Duke's music, if you ever get tired of "Take The 'A' Train", "Cotton Tail", or "Isfahan", you're nuts.


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

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