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Ellington, Duke: Reprise Studio Recordings
Duke Ellington
Ellington, Duke: Reprise Studio Recordings
Genres: Jazz, Pop
 
This magnificent five-CD collection accomplishes two things: It chronicles Duke Ellington's overlooked recordings for Frank Sinatra's Reprise label, which were produced from 1962 to 1965, and it refutes the ridiculous clai...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Duke Ellington
Title: Ellington, Duke: Reprise Studio Recordings
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rhino/Wea UK
Release Date: 1/13/2008
Album Type: Import
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Style: Swing Jazz
Number of Discs: 5
SwapaCD Credits: 5
UPC: 081227365820

Synopsis

Amazon.com
This magnificent five-CD collection accomplishes two things: It chronicles Duke Ellington's overlooked recordings for Frank Sinatra's Reprise label, which were produced from 1962 to 1965, and it refutes the ridiculous claims made by some critics that Ellington lost his musical creativity in his '60s. Sinatra gave Ellington tremendous creative freedom as the label's A&R man, and the maestro responded with some of the most unique and accessible music of his astonishing 50-year career. To paraphrase a famous saying, this set contains something old, something new, something borrowed, with all things blue. The multifaceted aspects of Ellington genius: his highly individual compositional and arranging style, his percussive and pointillistic piano playing, and his incredible ability to recast world music into the jazz idiom, are well represented on these tracks. With his collaborator Billy Strayhorn sharing those aforementioned duties, the nine studio recordings in this collection range from popular to the experimental. Two of them, "Will the Big Bands Ever Come Back?" and "Recollections of the Big Band Era," feature Ellington performing the music of other bandleaders. Fletcher Henderson's hit "Christopher Columbus" is swung by the dancing solos by trumpeter Ray Nance, tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves and bassist Ernie Shepard. On Count Basie's "One O' Clock Jump," Erskine Hawkin's "Tuxedo Junction," and Cab Calloway's jive-jam "Minnie the Moocher," the work of trombonists Buster Cooper and Lawrence Brown and torrid, muted, and open performances from Cat Anderson and Cootie Williams recast those dance hits in an Ellingtonian fashion. George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" is redone into a magnificent 4/4 tune, and Johnny Hodges's velvet alto sax smoothes out Quincy Jones's "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set." Stan Kenton's "Artistry in Rhythm" is textured by Sam Woodyard's sexy shuffle beat, while Ray Nance's down-home trumpet recalls the Rampart Street revelry of Louis Armstrong's "When It's Sleepy Time Down South." Guy Lombardo's grooving "Auld Lang Syne" and Ellington's own "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" will never go out of style. "Ellington '65" and "Ellington '66" contain pop songs from that rock-dominated era by Henry Mancini, Barbra Streisand, and film composer Dmitri Tiomkin. Nobody else could lay down such deep groove on tunes like "Danke Schoen" and "Blowin' in the Wind" and make them sound as though they were written that way in the first place. Equally impressive are Cootie William's ebullient trumpet lead on the Sinatra standard "Fly Me to the Moon" and the ensemble's take on "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," which transforms the tune into an intricate big-band statement. The other pop-dominated album is "Duke Ellington Plays with the Original Score from Walt Disney's Mary Poppins." Duke's bluesy, Willie Dixon-inspired riff on "A Spoonful of Sugar," the head-bopping waltz of "Chim Chim Cheree," and Jimmy Hamilton's ornithological clarinet flights on "Feed the Birds" are tempoed testimonials to Ellington's ability to elevate any material to fine art. Those "pop" albums aside, the most impressive sides of this collection are Ellington's wide-ranging concept albums. "The Symphonic Ellington" is rare project featuring Duke with classical musicians from European orchestras. Two of Ellington's early extended works are performed. "Night Creature," a three-part composition commissioned for the Symphony of the Air in 1955, is sonically signatured by outstanding performances from Ellington, Nance, and Hodges. The 14-minute "Harlem" reveals Ellington's incredible ability to translate human experience into music. While Ellington's "Non-Violent Integration" is less successful than the other performances, the moving, midtempo, "La Scala, She Too Pretty to Be Blue"--written a couple of hours before it was recorded--represents the best marriage of European and African-American classical forms. On "The Jazz Violin Sessions," a Paris combo date featuring violinist Stephane Grappelli, Svend Asmussen, and Ray Nance, Duke naturalizes that instrument into a distinct American voice. Strayhorn's evocative "Day Dream," Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood," and the finger-popping "Tricky's Licks" are proof of the violins new, down-home citizenship. Anyone who could manipulate time like Ellington would have no problem recording "Concert in the Virgin Islands" before his arrival there for the performance. Nevertheless, it contains some spirited renditions of the Ellington-Strayhorn songbook. The beautiful ballad "Daydream" showcases Paul Gonsalves's heart-tugging, Ben Webster-derived solo. Mercer Ellington's rocking "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and the slinky, "Big Fat Alice's Blues" spotlight Johnny Hodges's spry, articulate alto tones. Tunes like "Island Virgin" and "Virgin Jungle" import West Indian rhythms into stateside swing with ease. The sessions that produced the groundbreaking LP Afro-Bossa are the most incredible tracks in the collection. Two piano trios, "Resume #1" and "Resume #2"--commercially released for the time--are brilliant, syncopated summations of the sessions. A gem among these priceless artistic jewels bestowed to us by genius of Duke Ellington. --Eugene Holley Jr.

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CD Reviews

A difficult decision because of price, yet . . .
james ellis | Boston | 07/18/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you love Ellington this is a no-brainer. It's a splendid collection of the rare and the sublime. However, if you don't know Ellington or are a general listener of music, the price of the set could be a serious problem. One wishes that the discs could be released separately -- it would be great for the many not-so-famous Duke and Strayhorn pieces that are on the discs, and even better for the listener. So what do I recommend? I believe that this set is one of those few times when one should go ahead, clench one's teeth, and spend the money. The other reviewers of this set have done a very good job describing the music, so I'll not repeat what they have said. I will only add that the song "La Scala: She Too Pretty to be Blue" is likely worth the price of the entire set. I know this statement comes across as a bit of an exaggeration, but this piece is one of those pieces of music that one can listen to everyday for months (I'm speaking from experience!)and which can enter into the rhythms of one's life. It truly deserves greater recognition in the Duke canon as well as in popular music. Moreover, it is probably one of the most original uses of strings ever on a record -- even more so than on "I am the Walrus." The Afro-Bossa Suite also makes the steep price of the set worth it. Quirky minatures, these things get on one's mind for days, weeks. Other pieces in the set that are great: the first movement of Night Creature as well as the jazz violin versions of the some of the classic Duke pieces. I hope I've been helpful. I think this is one of those times when the buyer has to consider the value of great art, and enjoyment, over the value of money. There are wonders here."
Essential to your Ellington Collection
Dr. Jazz | Eagle River, AK United States | 01/21/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a jazz fan for almost 20 years. I collect jazz recordings, and have 26 albums of Duke Ellington music alone. With that said, I have only made a drop in the bucket, as he composed over 2000 songs. I am still exploring the body of work produced by the master jazz composer of the last 100 years, and loved what I found here.The material presented on this collection is wonderful: varied moods, textures, and sounds. Originality in the compositions, and striking arrangements of the big band and 60's pop material make for an exciting listen. I have owned this collection for about a month, listen to it frequently, and still feel like it is brand new every time I hear it.My favorite portion of the collection is the Afro-Bossa album. That music made me stop what I was doing and just listen to the extraordinary jazz I was hearing. This is music that grabs your attention and makes you listen. A lot of people consider jazz music "inaccessible" or elevator music. One listen to Afro-Bossa would blow away both those myths. The music evokes scenes and emotions which few other pieces have done for me. The hard-swinging of tunes like Purple Gazelle are irresistible. Same for Harlem. My family, who does not appreciate jazz, even enjoyed listening to the Ellington '65 and '66 recordings of pop tunes. I consider this a treasure, and no collection of any serious Ellington fan would be complete without it. The genius of the Duke and the soul of his men shines through on (almost) every tune. A thoroughly enjoyable set! As a previous reviewer said, grit your teeth and spend the money. You will be grateful you did."
A long forgotten episode in Duke's career
dennis@sbg.at | Salzburg, Austria | 02/18/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the Capitol box Mosaic has made recordings by Duke available again, which have been ignored by many critics. This is the Ellington orchestra at its most playful,particularly the sessions with non-Dukish material show how different Duke's band was. Take the rather humble songs of "Mary Poppins" and listen how they are rendered here.It's a study in close-up revealing some secrets of the famous Ellington sound.Then listen to the symphonic recordings and how Duke makes the non-Syncopians swing!Some of the highlights of the big-band-remembering sessions are Johnny Hodges' solo in "Smoke Rings", the trumpets in "Ciribiribin", the Billy Strayhorn arrangement of "Chant of the Weed" and many others.For me,the best album is "Afro Bossa",which alone would deserve 5 stars. The "Virgin Island Suite" is no masterpiece,but a real discovery for the Ellington-fan, for it's finally available on CD. This collection is the ideal entrance to the worldof Ellingtonia for "foreigners".You can listen to them and simply enjoy, without the pressure that a masterwork of historic dimensions so often burdens on us.By the way,the sound is superior."