Walking Happy - alternate take (Reader's Digest Sessions, 1969)
Walking Happy - alternate take (Reader's Digest Sessions, 1969)
This 70-track, three-CD set contains a lot of seldom and never-before-released Ducal selections, from the mid-'60s to the early '70s. The 1965 Tanglewood recordings with the famed conductor Arthur Fiedler feature some rous... more »ing, jazz-and-strings renditions of "Caravan" and "The Mooch," along with a long-lost recording of a Duke radio interview. For those who love Ellington's beautiful but underrated piano playing, there are some spicy tracks from a keyboard jam session with Earl "Fatha" Hines. Some behind-the-scenes sides from a Newport Jazz Festival party are included, and 26 tracks from a previously unreleased Reader's Digest recording with organist Wild Bill Davis are unveiled. Ellington's last major concert from the United Kingdom in 1973, one year before his death, reveals his high level of musicianship till the end. Of course, stars like alto and tenor Johnny Hodges and Paul Gonsalves solo sweetly, and Duke Ellington shows us, once again, why we loved him madly. --Eugene Holley Jr.« less
All Artists:Duke Ellington Title:Live and Rare Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label:RCA Original Release Date: 1/1/2002 Re-Release Date: 6/11/2002 Album Type: Live, Original recording remastered Genres:Jazz, Pop Styles:Swing Jazz, Orchestral Jazz Number of Discs: 3 SwapaCD Credits: 3 UPC:090266395323
Synopsis
Amazon.com
This 70-track, three-CD set contains a lot of seldom and never-before-released Ducal selections, from the mid-'60s to the early '70s. The 1965 Tanglewood recordings with the famed conductor Arthur Fiedler feature some rousing, jazz-and-strings renditions of "Caravan" and "The Mooch," along with a long-lost recording of a Duke radio interview. For those who love Ellington's beautiful but underrated piano playing, there are some spicy tracks from a keyboard jam session with Earl "Fatha" Hines. Some behind-the-scenes sides from a Newport Jazz Festival party are included, and 26 tracks from a previously unreleased Reader's Digest recording with organist Wild Bill Davis are unveiled. Ellington's last major concert from the United Kingdom in 1973, one year before his death, reveals his high level of musicianship till the end. Of course, stars like alto and tenor Johnny Hodges and Paul Gonsalves solo sweetly, and Duke Ellington shows us, once again, why we loved him madly. --Eugene Holley Jr.
If you don't have this CD set you're not missing much
Michael J. Connor | Waltham, MA USA | 06/21/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"It's hard for me to work up much enthusiam for this 3 cd set. The first cd has excerpts from Ellington's two concerts in Eastbourne England on December 1, 1973. Except for a taping at the BBC a few days later, these were concerts were Ellington's last recorded concerts in Europe, and only a few months later he was dead. The band is still functioning, but it's just a shadow of the band it was even just a few years earlier. The Piano Player and Meditation, the two Ellington features are the highlights. The second cd has The Duke at Tanglewood--Ellington's collaboration with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. This is the least successful of Ellington's crossover projects. Instead of performing the material that Ellington wrote with orchestration in mind, say, "Night Creature," we get some of Ellington's popular hits orchestrated for the Pops. Although Fiedler had great respect for Ellington, he found it very difficult to work with him. The producers have added promotional material to the orignial release. This interweaving doesn't add much to the material. The third cd has the songs that Ellington recorded for Reader's Digest in 1969. "The whole set suggests the sound of the band at a sophisticated wedding party..." says the liner notes. That's not much of an endorsement. Of all of Ellington's recordings these interest me the least. Very few of these songs were ever performed by Ellington in public."
For fans and audiophiles.
chris tuttle | New York City | 06/11/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been an avid Ellington afficionado for quite some time, and I must say this collection is the holy grail for any Ellington collector. Aside from the historical significance of these selections, the expert musicianship and previously unavailable bonus material, the remastering is impeccable. I don't believe that any available material by Ellington exists with the sonic excellence of many of these selections. For those who have never heard the Duke live in person, here is the closest you are going to get. For beginners, there are other compilations(eg Sony's centennial 3CD set) that offer a better intro, but for fans of any intensity and audiophiles this is a must own."
Very Disappointing
Ken Schellenberg | Arlington, VA United States | 11/07/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I love Ellington... and I have about 20 CDs of his music. This set is only one which is a disappointment. Disk 1 is the best of the three, and features some interesting stuff.Disk 2 has recorded comments by Ellington. These are a one-sided conversation: the idea is that a local DJ would ask a question, and then run the recording of Ellington answering, simulating a conversation which never actually took place. It's kinda creepy. The 'interviews' are interspersed with music. Ellington's band plays with the Boston Pops, and its by far the worst, most square music Ellington ever recorded.Disc 3 is a bit better, semi-kitschy arrangements of non-Ellington tunes recorded for Reader's Digest. Some interesting stuff, but not as good as Ellington's original tunes."