BLACK, BROWN, AND BEIGE (COLUMBIA RECORDS/1958)
prospero72 | Cox's Creek, Kentucky | 01/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"REVIEW: "BLACK, BROWN, AND BEIGE" made its first premier in 1943, but was received with lukewarm reviews by critics who really didn't know what to make of such an ambitious program that incorporated classical, blues, and gospel music into a supple jazz mix. So Ellington decided to stash it away and would only perform the score in piecemeal over the next fifteen years until he felt that his original conception was suitably perfected (thus eventually releasing it on Columbia Records in 1958). The result is not only a seminal landmark of jazz history, but is quite simply one of the greatest works of art to ever come out of the American experience. It is a monument that has helped to define the internal soul of every black, brown, and beige man, woman, and child living in this country (not just at that time: but for ALL time). The six parts which make up the whole composition can be divided into those three musical catagories of classical ("Part II" and the "Part V" interlude), gospel/blues (Mahalia Jackson's immaculate singing of "Come Sunday" on "Part IV" and "The Lord's Prayer" on "Part VI"), and jazz (the bold, stately "Work Theme" of "Part I" and the harder swing featured on "Part III") with overlapping between them all. The love, humanity, and beauty of Duke's inspiration could only have come from God. And in its own modest way this is as vitally important a record as Coltrane's "A LOVE SUPREME" or Miles Davis' "KIND OF BLUE" or "B**CHES BREW" when it comes to pushing the boundaries of popular music. In other words: if you haven't heard this album (and haven't allowed its glory to wash over your soul like a baptism): then life as you know it is incomplete. The CD reissue is even more impressive: with outtakes of all the tracks, some studio chatter, and a couple of early run-throughs of "Track 360" (a.k.a. "Trains") and "Blues In Orbit" (a.k.a. "Tender"). Magnificent stuff. HARSH LANGUAGE: only 1 instance when Mahalia (arguably) uses Jesus' name as a by-word on the bonus track "Mahalia Swears". VIOLENCE: none. SEXUAL REFERENCES: none. DRUG REFERENCES: none.
HIGHEST BILLBOARD JAZZ ALBUM CHART POSITION: None
HIT SINGLES: None"