Search - Duke Ellington :: Love Songs

Superb way to initiate people to Duke's kind of jazz...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 07/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Look at this as a mellow, non-threatening starter kit for those who want to sample Duke's catalogue. This compilation covers the later stages of his career, 1947-6l, and steals from his Columbia albums. The 14 tunes come from a handful of different albums, and includes five vocals, the best coming from Rosemary
Clooney and Al Hibbler. There's one trio selection, but the rest have close to a full orchestra, and in a few tunes, the key members of Count Basie's band join Duke's top musicians. Overall, the sounds are sensuous and swinging. If someone wanted only the most accessible Ellington in his or her collection, this disc would be a good candidate. However, after listening to this, people who are hip are going to look deeper into the Duke, and that's a great thing. So I give it five stars even though Duke wasn't alive to pick the performances or tunes, and the booklet should have had some narrative about the songs and the soloists, not just a list of the players. This does what it was meant to do by the Columbia Legacy crew--- issue Duke under a single theme, promote his other CD's on the label, satisfy the person who only wants one good Ellington item and earn the company some dough. I recommend it, especially if you don't intend to buy additional CD's by the genius who, along with Louis Armstrong, dominated the 1930-1960 era of American jazz. (By the way, the Armstrong compilation by these same folks under the "Love Songs" heading is also a fine job.)"

The Duke And Some Of His Greatest Love Songs !!

Irvin Goodman | 05/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 14 tracks on this CD will bring back pleasant memories. This treasure covers the 1947 to 1961 time span. It features his historic session with the Count Basie orchestra, and the vocal stylings of Al Hibbler and Rosemary Clooney. Some of his often overlooked gems like "To You,", "Take Love Easy," and "Love - My Everything" are included. You can't help but love this one with its built-in romance."