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Ellington At Newport 1956
Duke Ellington
Ellington At Newport 1956
Genres: Jazz, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (15) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (14) - Disc #2

When Duke Ellington took his orchestra to the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956, the band was in need of an uplift, some humongous event that would revitalize its image in the wake of bebop, hard bop, and so many more jazz cur...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Duke Ellington
Title: Ellington At Newport 1956
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Original Release Date: 1/1/1956
Re-Release Date: 5/11/1999
Album Type: Original recording remastered, Live
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Styles: Swing Jazz, Orchestral Jazz
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 074646493229

Synopsis

Amazon.com essential recording
When Duke Ellington took his orchestra to the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956, the band was in need of an uplift, some humongous event that would revitalize its image in the wake of bebop, hard bop, and so many more jazz currents. Ellington got the lift he needed when he called "Diminuendo in Blue" with set-closer "Crescendo in Blue" tacked on the end. Tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves got the nod from Ellington to segue from "Diminuendo" to "Crescendo," and he blew doors. With one rousing 27-chorus solo, Gonsalves blew a fever into the crowd and jump-started Ellingtonia for another generation. Trouble with all this is that the living document of the Newport show is almost fully manufactured, recorded in a studio with crowd madness dubbed in. So this two-CD historical correction is an awesome addition to the centennial-era reissues on Columbia (including Anatomy of a Murder, Such Sweet Thunder, First Time: Count Meets the Duke, and Black, Brown and Beige). The producers revisited the Newport gig after four decades because they discovered an extant Voice of America tape--the one whose microphone Gonsalves blew his solo into, and the VOA tape catches the whole Newport set in its organic glory. Alternately tender with layers of brushstroke orchestration and blazing with the band's well-seasoned tightness, this new Newport is one for the generalist and the Ellington completist. It's got the revived original gig as well as the original commercial release. And they make great siblings, illustrative of the live-event charm and the music industry's dogged labors in reinventing it on record. --Andrew Bartlett

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CD Reviews

Historic, but pretty average, recording
Eric C. Sedensky | Madison, AL, US | 01/03/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is indispensable for Ellington fans, big band fans, and serious jazz music aficionados, but I think for the most part, the uneven recording quality and excessive tracks of pretty meaningless introductions, not to mention the riot quelling track, sort of miss the point and, I think, detract from the music. Sure, some of the solos are really hot, and the recording assures that the subtleties and intricacies of what was no doubt an epic performance are not lost, but still, how many times do we need to hear Duke's introduction? For me, the big selling point of this work is the liner notes, which are jam packed with photos, original liners, extensive musician and soloist listings, plus updated liners and session notes. I doubt there is an Ellington fan who wouldn't learn something by reading these notes once through. Long and short, I would say most casual fans can make do with the one CD set which eliminates most of the talking tracks and intros, but serious fans should go ahead and get this one. For pure music, this is not the greatest, but for jazz history and documentation, it is unsurpassed.

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Where are the liner notes?
Benissimo | Rome, Italy | 04/17/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)

"The back cover of the CD mentions new extensive liner notes by Phil Schaap. Where are they? Inside I find only a listing of the track breakpoints and a miniature version of the original liner notes. Nothing by Schaap."