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Duke Ellington - Far East Suite Audio CD

A fair review of the Duke Ellington "Far East Suite" 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: Far East Suite
Rating:
Release Date: 2003-10-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Tourist Point of View 2: Bluebird of Delhi (Mynah) 3: Isfahan 4: Depk 5: Mount Harissa 6: Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues) 7: Agra 8: Amad 9: Ad Lib on Nippon 10: Tourist Point of View [Alternate Take][#][*] 11: Amad [Alternate Take][#][*] 12: Bluebird of Delhi (Mynah) [Alternate Take][*] 13: Bluebird of Delhi (Mynah) [Alternate Take][#][*] 14: Isfahan [Alternate Take][*] 15: Depk [Alternate Take][#][*] 16: Mount Harissa [Alternate Take][#][*]

Anorher Jazz 101 must

So it is with The Far East Suite, and for those who are not familiar with Ellington's many Suites, a good starting point. What is the litmus test of good art? It should hold up well-or very well-over time, and one goes back,again and again, to read, or view, or listen, discovering something new each time.
The band was in excellent form, and the songs are ageless. The Strayhorn/Ellington collaborative art form was at its apex.
Time is given to let the musicians stretch, and Hodges even tosses in some blues honking-but everyone is at the top of their game; Gonsalves, Hamilton, Carney, and the unsung hero of the LP, Rufus Jones, who made it swing like mad with outstanding drumming.
By the way, one can now see versions of "Isfahan" and "Agra" on YouTube,allowing another insight to the players; Hodges, as usual, never showing a hint of emotion, Carney with his circular breathing. Amazing players and amazing songs. Mt Harissa, Amad,Blue Pepper. . None got much airtime, if at all, but highlights the depth of composition and colour.
One small piece of trivia. Isfahan, (which is pure poetry, and cannot be improved upon) was written by Strayhorn years before the band ever went to the Far East; it was originally called "Elf. "
If you don't yet have this, get it, Should be part of everyone's collection of Ellingtonia.
.


West meets East
i was determined to get the cd and i did on amz. heard the number amad two weeks ago on internet radioio and life just hasn't been the same. com and received it several days ago.

why am i sensing a kind of ellingtonian/kentonian flavor here? in some of the numbers, i can just hear (maybe imagining) the big brass arrangements of the kenton style, you know those way out big volume brass sounds kenton evoked so much in his arrangements . no, i'm not implying that anything is amiss, but maybe its just those cultural things that genius big band masters are imbued with via the american experience; no one can deny the cross pollination of musical influences. anyway, this is pure ellington/strayhorn/musicians collaboration at its finest. yet, i just have to wonder about the cultural influences of the places where the band played that is supposed to have influenced this music. to me,it is noticeable that there is just not that much eastern sound/flavor here. in light of the great deal of knowledge and experience we enjoy from eastern music today, i find it quite hard to identify in these compositions the timeless qualities that characterize that part of the world; i think we are presented the impressions of the composers more from what they may have seen, in brief experiences considering the time constraints, rather than what they may have heard or experienced musically at the various localities they visited. there is a very telling remark by jimmy hamilton that the band was so much preoccupied by official commitments rather than interacting with the indigenous peoples. look, let me summarize it thus-harlem went east for a quick minute and brought back some very cool impressionistic souvenirs to deck out an american masters' rendition of "west met east".

please, don't misunderstand me, i love the piece and consider it a great work of american musical art.

reggie/chicago .


Jonny Quest jazz
They both try to invoke a sense of adventure and exoticism inspired by far off, and mysterious lands. There's something about this album, especially the opening track that always reminds me of the theme to the old Jonny Quest cartoon. Granted, comparing Duke Ellington's version to an old cartoon theme is perhaps a bit trite. This is after all one of the finest composers the world has ever seen. And the material here is clear evidence of his right to that stature. There is a subtlety and sexuality that underpins that feeling of adventure and exoticism, especially in a track like Isfahan. But there's also a playful side to this album in a song like Bluebird of Delhi which always conjures the image of a camel conversing with a fliting bird or the hard kick of Blue Pepper. In short this is Duke being Duke in all his greatness, having a whole lot of fun doing it, and expressing it in every note.


Ellington & Strayhorn at their very best
The album has been with me for all this time, and every new cd edition seems to improve on the last. The Far East Suite I first heard on Dutch radio, back in '67 or '68. This edition caps them all. The sound quality has never been that good. To my ears, it matches the impeccable Japanese LP pressing made 25 or so years ago. This is classical music: it gets better over time, and it was already fantastic when it came out. Just listen to Isfahan, Agra and Ad Lib on Nippon, and you'll understand what made this big band the very best that ever existed. Hats off to RCA for this new and great reissue.


Spicy and Fun
" I could listen to that piece all day. Particularly "Ad Lib on Nippon. It's delightfully dynamic and hedonistic.
It's a travesty that the Duke didn't win the Pulitzer for music.


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