Search - Duke Ellington :: Ellington Uptown

ELLINGTON CLASSIC

Nikica Gilic | 11/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, this is the beautiful album where Betty Roche sings on Take the A-train, Clark Terry shines on Perdido, the whole band gives a classic re-working of The Mooche, Louis Bellson struts

his stuff on Skin Deep,

and there are some extra tracks and nice suites as well...



Maybe not the most famous Ellington albums (it's from early 1950s, it doesn't have Hodges, there's no diminuendo and crescendo in blue...)it has so many highlights and classics it is actually strange it's not mentioned more often in general evaluation of orchestral jazz, swing, mainstream, Ellington and jazz classics in general...

And, yes, some of the orchestrations show some influence of modernity, as do Gonsalves on tenor and Betty Roche on vocals... But it's a testament of Duke's (and, probably, Strayhorn's) constant search and development, not just a passing sign of times. It is one of those lovely albums that are at the same time essential and good introduction to artist's work."

Almost Paradise...but not quite

jive rhapsodist | NYC, NY United States | 02/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The creativity displayed throughout this disc is awesome - fecund, endless...Whose creativity? Duke's, Strayhorn's and all of the members of the band. But it isn't a masterpiece. So much [..] interruptus - events go to a point where I feel like the thrill that I still get from Black and Tan, The Mooche and all of the other priceless work from 1927-1943 is about to come upon me. But it doesn't happen - not quite. I smile and nod at all the clever beautiful things. My only chills come during the brilliant remake of the Mooche. My greatest sadness comes during the Dance No. 5 of the Liberian Suite where the modality and repetition of of the bass line, the static quality of the whole, looks forward to a whole world of later jazz, and to an important theme in Duke's later work, typified by Ad Lib On Nippon and La Plus Belle Africaine. But some of the gaudy and unneccesary climaxes!...What's that all about and why is there no real language to critique it? What happened to Duke's unerring sense of balance that he took so many pains and so many years to develop? This is one of the greatest Jazz records of its time, but I still say it lacks that certain Je Ne Sais Quoi. P.S. - Later recordings of Tone Parallel of Harlem - with Cootie Williams back in the fold - are stronger and more moving."

CLASSIC BIG BAND JAZZ

COMPUTERJAZZMAN | Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States | 09/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THIS IS JUST ANOTHER OF A STRING OF GREAT DUKE ELLINGTON RELEASES FROM THE 1950'S, WHEN THE LP FORMAT FIRST CAME INTO PLAY. ELLINGTON WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL JAZZ ARTIST AT THAT TIME TO MAKE THAT TRANSITION, AND PART OF THE REASON WAS THAT HIS ALBUMS NOT ONLY HAD GREAT MUSICIANS AND ARRANGEMENTS, BUT THEY ALSO HAD CONTINUITY, WHICH TRANSLATED WELL INTO AN ALBUM. IT WOULD BE POINTLESS TO GO INTO A SONG BY SONG REVIEW OF THIS CD, BECASUE EVERY SONG IS AWESOME, SO JUST SIT BACK, LISTEN, AND ENJOY!"