Search - Duke Ellington :: Live at the Whitney

A closer, more personal glimse of the Duke you'll never find

Dijaldi | Seattle, WA USA | 05/09/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album was a revelation to me. I had never heard Duke Ellington outside of his performances with his orchestra. This performance, recorded two years before his death in 1974, provides each listener with a closeup of Ellington's compositions, piano style, and grand personal manner. I don't think this could be any more intimate if you were allowed to set around the Duke's home on a Sunday afternoon to listen to him practice. In fact, I rate this album as a four star, rather than a five star, performance due to editing only. I realize this is a record of a specific event at the Whitney Museum, but had the applause lines been edited out, this would have been an absolute treasure, a very private conversation between the man & his listener. The song selection is a mix of familiar Ellington standards and rare compositions never heard in such an exclusive manner, such as "A Mural From Two Perspectives," "Amour, Amour,"and "Le Sucrier Velors." This is the Duke Ellington album for the mature and educated student of his music."

Sound quality is lacking, but an essential Ellington recordi

Jerry | St. Louis, MO | 12/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For anyone who loves Ellington this is a must have for your collection. Although nearing the end of his life, Ellington's joie de vivre is exhibited here front and center. I have listened to this recording over a hundred times, but I still marvel at his solo interpretation of "New World a Comin'." Worth the price of admission alone.

Buy this, find a quiet evening when you can listen to the entire CD, weep that you were not there, but rejoice that you can at least hear once more the essence of the magic of Edward Kennedy Ellington."