Audio CD review:
Duke Ellington - Masterpieces by Ellington

Duke Ellington - Masterpieces by Ellington

Band: Duke Ellington Title: Masterpieces by Ellington Rating: Release Date: 2004-02-17 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Mood Indigo - Duke Ellington, Bigard, Barney 2: Sophisticated Lady 3: The Tattooed Bride 4: Solitude 5: Vagabonds 6: Smada 7: Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note

Summation of an era, looking forward The sax section had settled into the form it would have for most of the ensuing two decades (old-timers Hodges and Carney and newcomers Procope, Hamilton and Gonsalves); the trombone section had long-timer Lawrence Brown as well as newcomer Quentin Jackson; and drummer Sonny Greer, who had anchored the rhythm section since the beginning, would retire shortly after these recordings were made. When Ellington went into the studio in 1951 to record the longer tracks on this disc, his orchestra was a bridge between its late-1940's configuration (the 5-man trumpet section) and its mid-1950's personnel. Ellington's orchestra from 1953 on would be a great, swinging and sensitive one, but it would not make the same lush sound that this one did. The arrangements and orchestrations all bear the hallmarks of Ellington's collaboration with Billy Strayhorn in the late 1940's: they are lush, symphonic, impressionistic, and densely (and adventurously) harmonic. "Mood Indigo", in particular, is a 15-minute tone-poem with shifting colors and key relationships as Ellington and Strayhorn bring the melody through a wide variety of guises, from Jackson's wah-wah trombone solo to Shorty Baker's lyrical waltz to orchestral and piano passages which do homage to the influence which Ravel and Stravinsky had on both of them. Great solos abound here and on the other tracks, most notably from Hodges, Brown, Hamilton, Gonsalves, Carney, trumpters Baker and Ray Nance, and (most probably) Billy Strayhorn on piano, especially in "Mood Indigo" "The Tattooed Bride" is the only new piece from the original "Masterpieces by Ellington" LP, and it is a beauty. The others of the original tracks -- "Sophistocated Lady" and "Solitude" -- are not laid out as inventively in their harmonics or structure. Of the group, "Solitude" is perhaps the weakest, but this is a relative term. Ellington would go on to pen many more extended, symphonic works, but none would have quite the multicolored, impressionistic tone-pallate that these do. And Strayhorn's presence would not be as pronounced in those future works as it is here: the orchestration and harmonies in particular bear his mark. These are masterpieces indeed: great works of art by two of our greatest composers/orchestrators, and played by one of the greatest orchestras in Afro-American music. Whether you are considering this disc because you like Ellington, or because you've heard great things about him as a composer and arranger, or whether you stumbled upon this by accident -- buy this CD. If you have an appreciation for good music, you will not be disappointed. Ellington Unleashed I have since become a lover of most jazz forms, including big bands. My first jazz concert was the Duke in 1968. This album is unique. Duke's tonal pallette is varied, exotic and beautiful. The "colors" that he gets on this album are amazing. Listening to these arrangements is like walking through a huge mansion that you've never seen before. Each new room is a surprise, with some new beauty inside. The interesting thing about these lengthy treatments is that he doesn't just repeat a part of a chart and let a new guy solo; each new section stands on its own and is designed to highlight a new soloist. As great as the "concert length" arrangements of the old classics are, the highlight is "The Tatooed Bride". The solo work by Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, and others is sensuous, and the arrangement is as good as it gets. I have other Duke Ellington albums, but this is my favorite. The new LP format really does "unleash" the Duke and inspires him to a new pinnacle. Simply Jazz and Ellington at its Best!! Ellington's mastery over form and content is outstanding and the vocal's are just beautiful. This album represents jazz at a pinnacle. Then of course you have the muscianship, this makes the performances perhaps some of the most wonderful to listen to in all jazz. The sound recording is perfectly clear and if you put on the headphones one can be transported to a time and place when the sound of music was truly something to behold, thus this is Jazz at its finest. Ellington was a genius and this recording displays it. Music to dance to music to relax to and music to be thrilled by! Simply a must for any music lover. . A Music Prophet Ahead Of His Time in 1950 Within are indeed Ellington masterpieces that altered musical history by stretching forth these classics into the totally new longer territory of the 33 1/3 LP taking advantage of the length and modernizing techniques now afforded him in the recording studio. moody,melancholy,laid back with the right energy sustaining the CD as a masterpiece the quality of Duke and his orchestra reworking these classics are timeless as was far ahead of it's time. The shortest of the 4 initial cuts is over 8 minutes and the longest over 15 minutes. . combined with the 3 bonus tracks and lovely packaging this is indeed a great CD that is of historical importance. Solitude,Sophisticated Lady,Mood Indigo in longer orchestrated forms is truly a blessing as is the great music Duke gave us. Pleasant re-issue of 1950 Ellington LP... However, I liked the 11-minute "Tattooed Bride" piece even better than the long treatments of Duke's '30's classic songs, "Mood Indigo", "Sophisticated Lady" and "Solitude. Read the two prior reviews for details, and believe them when the writers say this CD is worth hearing and owning if you are a jazz fan in general or a lover of Duke in particular. " The three short bonus tracks, laid down in the same era, are also lively. Sound quality is excellent throughout. While the players varied slightly for the three minor tracks, Johnny Hodges is here on sax, Russell Procope on sax and clarinet, Paul Gonsalves on sax, and Billy Strayhorn as well as Duke on piano. Sonny Greer is the drummer for the original LP selections, and Louis Bellson for the bonus selections. Great songs, great players, great composer, great conductor, great remastering combine to make this one a winner. You can see a complete list of all Duke Ellington discography, or go back to the Duke Ellington tabs