A Better Deal Than You Might Expect!
Birdman | Minnetonka, MN USA | 09/13/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Licensed by Mercer Ellington and recorded during a seres of birthday celebrations in the far West, the album boasts stellar performances and sound quality easily comparable to Victor and Columbia recordings from the same period. My only complaint is that the bottom of the sound sometimes gets lost in all the mid-range, but that's only a minor complaint. Brief but authoritative notes by Stanley Dance help place these performances in the context of Ellington's later career. All the favorites are here, fom A-Train to Satin Doll, but so are less-recorded jewels performed by some of the Ellington greats, including Paul Gonsalves, Clark Trry, Rick Henderson and others. The performances surpass those the Duke recorded on the Cote D'Azur, and are easily competitive with landmark recordings at Newport and other venues. If the LaserLight label causes hesitation, hesitate no more. This is a terrific deal. I will be exploring more LaserLight rarities in the future."