VA • Jazz On Film...Film Noir

 

 

Music from the following films.

 

  

Duke Ellington & John Coltrane • Duke Ellington & John Coltrane

 

 

Review
by Matt Collar  
The classic 1962 album Duke Ellington & John Coltrane showcased the rising jazz saxophone innovator performing alongside the long-established piano institution. While the pairing might have portended a dynamic clash of the musical generations, instead we got a casual, respectful, and musically generous meeting of like-minded souls. Similarly, while one might have assumed that Ellington would use his sidemen, instead producer Bob Thiele (who also produced similar albums for Ellington including pairings with Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins) chose to bring in Coltrane's own outfit for the proceedings. Consequently, the duo is backed here at various times by bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, as well as alternates bassist Aaron Bell and drummer Sam Woodyard. The most surprising aspect of the Ellington/Coltrane date is how well suited Coltrane and his group are at playing what largely ends up being Ellington's own material. While he was certainly in the nascency of his more avant-garde period in 1962, Coltrane had a deep understanding of traditional jazz vocabulary, having played in a swing band in the Navy in the 1940s and studied the style of artists like Hawkins and Ben Webster while coming up in Philadelphia. Similarly, though an icon of the big-band era by the 1960s, Ellington had been on the upswing of a career resurgence ever since his dynamic performance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, later released as Ellington at Newport. His meeting with Coltrane was emblematic of his renewed creativity and was one of several albums he recorded in his latter life with theretofore unexpected artists, not the least of which his other 1962 date, Money Jungle with bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach. Here, Ellington and Coltrane play a handful of well-known Ellington book numbers, including a supremely lyrical "In a Sentimental Mood" and a soulful, half-lidded version of Billy Strayhorn's "My Little Brown Book." Ellington even supplied the brisk original "Take the Coltrane," allowing plenty of room for Coltrane to let loose with knotty, angular lines.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/duke-ellington-john-coltrane-mw0000416142

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Reseña
por Matt Collar  
El clásico álbum de 1962 Duke Ellington & John Coltrane mostró al innovador saxofonista de jazz actuando junto a la institución pianística de toda la vida. Mientras que el emparejamiento podría haber presagiado un choque dinámico de las generaciones musicales, en su lugar obtuvimos un encuentro casual, respetuoso y musicalmente generoso de almas afines. Del mismo modo, aunque uno podría haber asumido que Ellington utilizaría a sus acompañantes, en su lugar el productor Bob Thiele (que también produjo álbumes similares para Ellington, incluyendo parejas con Louis Armstrong y Coleman Hawkins) eligió traer el propio equipo de Coltrane para los procedimientos. En consecuencia, el dúo está respaldado aquí en varios momentos por el bajista Jimmy Garrison y el baterista Elvin Jones, así como por el bajista Aaron Bell y el baterista Sam Woodyard, que se alternan. El aspecto más sorprendente de la fecha de Ellington/Coltrane es lo bien que Coltrane y su grupo se adaptan a tocar lo que en gran parte acaba siendo material propio de Ellington. Aunque ciertamente estaba en la incipiencia de su periodo más vanguardista en 1962, Coltrane tenía un profundo conocimiento del vocabulario tradicional del jazz, ya que había tocado en una banda de swing en la Marina en los años 40 y había estudiado el estilo de artistas como Hawkins y Ben Webster mientras crecía en Filadelfia. Del mismo modo, aunque en la década de 1960 era un icono de la era de las big bands, Ellington había estado en la cima de un resurgimiento de su carrera desde su dinámica actuación en el Festival de Jazz de Newport de 1956, que posteriormente se publicó como Ellington at Newport. Su encuentro con Coltrane fue emblemático de su renovada creatividad y fue uno de los varios álbumes que grabó en su última vida con artistas hasta entonces inesperados, entre los que destaca su otra cita de 1962, Money Jungle, con el bajista Charles Mingus y el batería Max Roach. Aquí, Ellington y Coltrane tocan un puñado de conocidos números del libro de Ellington, incluyendo un "In a Sentimental Mood" supremamente lírico y una conmovedora versión a medias de "My Little Brown Book" de Billy Strayhorn. Ellington incluso aportó el enérgico original "Take the Coltrane", dejando mucho espacio para que Coltrane se soltara con líneas angulosas y nudosas.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/duke-ellington-john-coltrane-mw0000416142

Duke Ellington • At The Hollywood Empire

 

 

This is the first-time release of live radio broadcasts with the Duke Ellington Orchestra from the Hollywood Empire club in Los Angeles in 1949. This 71-minute/17-tune CD was recorded during a transitional period in Ellington's career, when the swing big bands were dying out and bebop was on the rise, and several of the tunes reflect the new bebop trend. Almost half of the compositions performed on this CD were never again performed by Duke Ellington. On this CD the Ellington Orchestra features Billy Strayhorn, Al Hibbler, Ben Webster, Ray Nance, Harry Carney and Johnny Hodges. As is usually the case with Duke Ellington, this CD deserves repeated listening in order to solve the "mystery" of Ellington's wonderful, complex musical ideas.

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Esta es la primera vez que se publica una emisión de radio en directo con la Duke Ellington Orchestra desde el club Hollywood Empire de Los Ángeles en 1949. Este CD de 71 minutos y 17 melodías se grabó durante un período de transición en la carrera de Ellington, cuando las grandes bandas de swing estaban desapareciendo y el bebop estaba en auge, y varias de las melodías reflejan la nueva tendencia del bebop. Casi la mitad de las composiciones interpretadas en este CD no volvieron a ser interpretadas por Duke Ellington. En este CD la Orquesta de Ellington cuenta con Billy Strayhorn, Al Hibbler, Ben Webster, Ray Nance, Harry Carney y Johnny Hodges. Como suele ocurrir con Duke Ellington, este CD merece ser escuchado repetidamente para resolver el "misterio" de las maravillosas y complejas ideas musicales de Ellington.

www.storyvillerecords.com ...

VA • Saga Jazz Jazz & Latin Songs [Argentina, Brasil, Cuba, Mexico]

     

Louis Armstrong, Harry James, Django Reinhardt, Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, George Shearing, Charlie Shavers, Oscar Aleman, Charlie Parker, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Ahmad Jamal, Sarah Vaughan …

Duke Ellington • Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session

 

Review by Thom Jurek

This small group session was recorded in 1963 for Atlantic, and originally issued in 1976, two years after Duke Ellington's death. It showcases a small group that features string players in the front line. Ray Nance, the Duke's own violinist, is here as is the legendary Stephane Grappelli and violist Svend Asmussen. The rest of the players include tenor man Paul Gonsalves, drummer Sam Woodyard, bassist Ernie Shepard, alto saxist Russell Procope, and trombonist Buster Cooper. Ellington plays piano no all but two tunes where Billy Strayhorn replaced him. The program is a collection of Ellington and Strayhorn standards from "Blues in C" and "Take the 'A' Train," to "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Cotton Tail," and the wonderful "Limbo Jazz." The soloist and group interplay are gentle, swinging, and utterly and completely graceful and elegant. There is a lighthearted tenderness in this set that borders on sentimentality without ever going there. And the feeling is loose, relaxed, and full of warmth throughout.

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Reseña de Thom Jurek

Esta sesión de grupo pequeño fue grabada en 1963 para Atlantic, y originalmente publicada en 1976, dos años después de la muerte de Duke Ellington. Muestra un pequeño grupo que presenta a los jugadores de cuerda en la primera línea. Ray Nance, el violinista del propio Duque, está aquí al igual que el legendario Stéphane Grappelli y el violista Svend Asmussen. El resto de los músicos incluyen al tenor Paul Gonsalves, el baterista Sam Woodyard, el bajista Ernie Shepard, el saxofonista alto Russell Procope, y el trombonista Buster Cooper. Ellington toca el piano no todos, pero dos temas donde Billy Strayhorn lo reemplazó. El programa es una colección de estándares de Ellington y Strayhorn desde "Blues en Do" y "Take the 'A' Train", hasta "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "Cotton Tail" y el maravilloso "Limbo Jazz". La interacción entre el solista y el grupo es suave, oscilante, y completamente elegante y elegante. Hay una ternura desenfadada en este conjunto que roza el sentimentalismo sin llegar nunca a eso. Y la sensación es suelta, relajada y llena de calidez en todo momento.

Duke Ellington • Mary Poppins

 

Duke Ellington • Anatomy of a Murder

 

Review from JAZZIZ Magazine (by Larry Nai):
The Ellington orchestra sounded exquisite in the early summer sessions that produced this soundtrack. With a burnished sonic brilliance reminiscent of the glorious 1940 Blanton/Webster edition of the band, and soloists like Johnny Hodges and Paul Gonsalves, Ellington's tightly woven soundtrack took on a life independent of its original context. In doing so, it became one of Duke's most satisfying albums.
https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Murder-Soundtrack-Motion-Picture/dp/B00000IMYH

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Reseña de JAZZIZ Magazine (por Larry Nai):
La orquesta de Ellington sonó exquisita en las sesiones de principios de verano que produjeron esta banda sonora. Con un brillo sónico bruñido que recuerda a la gloriosa edición Blanton/Webster de 1940 de la banda, y solistas como Johnny Hodges y Paul Gonsalves, la banda sonora tejida apretadamente por Ellington cobró vida independiente de su contexto original. Al hacerlo, se convirtió en uno de los álbumes más satisfactorios de Duke.
https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Murder-Soundtrack-Motion-Picture/dp/B00000IMYH

Atlantic Jazz • Mainstream

 

 

Johnny Hodges,Charlie Byrd,Conte Candoli,Art Farmer,Duke Ellington,Kenny Clarke,Victor Feldman,Paul Gonsalves,Richie Kamuca,Ray Charles,Kenny Burrell,Percy Heath,Urbie Green ...

Conversations in Jazz: The Ralph J. Gleason Interviews

 

During his nearly forty years as a music journalist, Ralph J. Gleason recorded many in-depth interviews with some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. These informal sessions, conducted mostly in Gleason’s Berkeley, California, home, have never been transcribed and published in full until now.
 
This remarkable volume, a must-read for any jazz fan, serious musician, or musicologist, reveals fascinating, little-known details about these gifted artists, their lives, their personas, and, of course, their music. Bill Evans discusses his battle with severe depression, while John Coltrane talks about McCoy Tyner's integral role in shaping the sound of the Coltrane quartet, praising the pianist enthusiastically. Included also are interviews with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Jon Hendricks, and the immortal Duke Ellington, plus seven more of the most notable names in twentieth-century jazz.

 

Ralph J. Gleason (Author),  

Toby Gleason (Editor),  

Ted Gioia (Foreword)   

 

Duke Ellington's America

 

Few American artists in any medium have enjoyed the international and lasting cultural impact of Duke Ellington. From jazz standards such as “Mood Indigo” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” to his longer, more orchestral suites, to his leadership of the stellar big band he toured and performed with for decades after most big bands folded, Ellington represented a singular, pathbreaking force in music over the course of a half-century. At the same time, as one of the most prominent black public figures in history, Ellington demonstrated leadership on questions of civil rights, equality, and America’s role in the world.

With Duke Ellington’s America, Harvey G. Cohen paints a vivid picture of Ellington’s life and times, taking him from his youth in the black middle class enclave of Washington, D.C., to the heights of worldwide acclaim. Mining extensive archives, many never before available, plus new interviews with Ellington’s friends, family, band members, and business associates, Cohen illuminates his constantly evolving approach to composition, performance, and the music business—as well as issues of race, equality and religion. Ellington’s own voice, meanwhile, animates the book throughout, giving Duke Ellington’s America an intimacy and immediacy unmatched by any previous account.

By far the most thorough and nuanced portrait yet of this towering figure, Duke Ellington’s America highlights Ellington’s importance as a figure in American history as well as in American music.

 

Harvey G. Cohen (Autor)  

 

Duke Ellington • Such Sweet Thunder

 

The Cambridge Companion to Duke Ellington

 

 

Duke Ellington is widely held to be the greatest jazz composer and one of the most significant cultural icons of the twentieth century. This comprehensive and accessible Companion is the first collection of essays to survey, in depth, Ellington's career, music, and place in popular culture. An international cast of authors includes renowned scholars, critics, composers, and jazz musicians. Organized in three parts, the Companion first sets Ellington's life and work in context, providing new information about his formative years, method of composing, interactions with other musicians, and activities abroad; its second part gives a complete artistic biography of Ellington; and the final section is a series of specific musical studies, including chapters on Ellington and song-writing, the jazz piano, descriptive music, and the blues. Featuring a chronology of the composer's life and major recordings, this book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Ellington's enduring artistic legacy.

 

Duke Ellington • Uppsala 1971

 

In Duke Ellingtons tape collection (The Stockpile) were several tapes with concert recordings of the bands performances on tour. One can only guess whether these tapes were required by Duke for some purpose, or were given to him (or his son Mercer) on the initiative of the concert arrangers. At any rate it was a great delight to find a tape box marked Ellington Uppsala 9-11-71 in the collection, containing a tape with a concert at the university town of Uppsala, Sweden on Nov. 9th 1971. The second of two concerts in Uppsala that day. Uppsala is a very old and very beautiful town with a cathedral founded in the 13th century, and a university. The concert in Uppsala, the second on this Tuesday evening, started with The C Jam Blues as it was usual at that time. C Jam Blues had sort of replaced Take The A Train as the bands signature tune. Norris Turney is heard on the clarinet over the band at the beginning, and Cootie Williams, Paul Gonsalves, Booty Wood, and Russell Procope follow. The centerpiece of the concert was the bands performance of A Tone Parallel to Harlem or HARLEM as it was also called. To end the evening properly and bring the audience in a more relaxed mood before leaving the concert hall Ellington chose to finish the concert alone at the piano, just accompanied by Joe Benjamin on the bass, playing his own arrangement of Billy Strayhorns lovely tune Lotus Blossom. As evident from the performance at the Uppsala concert, the band could live up to the challenges, and it was received everywhere with enthusiasm and love.


storyvillerecords.com ...

Duke Ellington • In Coventry

 

Duke Ellington started to present his music in cathedrals in the nineteen sixties. It is easy to see why the cathedral was chosen. Coventry Cathedral has a special place in English history. The original cathedral was very badly damaged in the second world war as was the whole of Coventry. After rebuilding, the cathedral was consecrated on 25 May 1962, and Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, composed for the occasion, was premiered in the new cathedral on 30 May.  The ruins of the original cathedral were preserved at the side of the new church. The interior of the new building is dominated by Graham Sutherland’s tapestry ‘Christ in Glory’.

Ellington’s first sacred concert was introduced in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco in1965.  The second sacred concert (1968) was played in New York   The third was presented in London at Westminster Abbey in 1973 only months before Ellington’s death. Where the Coventry version fits into this scheme is an open question. It has one number that is completely new and was never repeated and other numbers were changed quite markedly.

Ellington said at the time: ‘One may be accustomed to speaking to people. But suddenly to attempt to speak, sing and play directly to God -- that puts one in an entirely new and different position! . . . You can jive with secular music, but you can't jive with the Almighty.’

Undoubtedly, Ellington was sincere in these concerts, and in his religious beliefs.  The gap between the sacred and the profane is thin in Ellington’s world.  There are pieces played that were not particularly sacred. ‘West Indian Pancake’ at that time was a feature for Paul Gonsalves and he plays it with energy and that unique foggy tone. La Plus Belle Africaine’, played at the end of the concert, is quite simply one of the great compositions of Ellington's later years.  It was premiered just three weeks earlier, and it reaches back into African roots and looks forward into a kind of world music. The piece, at one and the same time, is sparse, rich, simple, restrained and yet fierce.

The concert starts with ‘New World A ‘Comin’’ which Ellington composed in the 1940s.  It is a meditative piece played just by Ellington.  ‘Come Sunday’ is a non-vocal version which features Johnny Hodges and Cootie Williams.  Cat Anderson is featured on ‘Light,’ a piece that was also taken from ‘Black Brown and Beige’.

‘Come Easter’ is a slow piece;  it was composed for this occasion and never played again. There are short solos by Jimmy Hamilton Harry Carney and Paul Gonsalves. Tell Me It's The Truth’ is largely a feature for the band with solos by Johnny Hodges and Lawrence Brown.

‘In The Beginning God’ is the longest piece in the concert it features the majestic baritone of Harry Carney and the singers.

At this time the Ellington band was particularly strong and the recording shows off the power and subtlety.  The magnificent saxophone section is particularly well represented.

Once again Bjarne Busk at Storyville Records has to be thanked for unearthing this unique slice of Ellingtonia.
https://www.jazzviews.net/duke-ellington---in-coventry-1966.html

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Duke Ellington empezó a presentar su música en catedrales en los años sesenta. Es fácil entender por qué se eligió la catedral. La catedral de Coventry ocupa un lugar especial en la historia de Inglaterra. La catedral original resultó muy dañada en la segunda guerra mundial, al igual que todo Coventry. Tras su reconstrucción, la catedral fue consagrada el 25 de mayo de 1962, y el 30 de mayo se estrenó en la nueva catedral el Réquiem de Guerra de Benjamin Britten, compuesto para la ocasión.  Las ruinas de la catedral original se conservaron al lado de la nueva iglesia. El interior del nuevo edificio está dominado por el tapiz de Graham Sutherland "Cristo en la Gloria".

El primer concierto sacro de Ellington se presentó en la catedral Grace de San Francisco en1965.  El segundo concierto sacro (1968) se interpretó en Nueva York El tercero se presentó en Londres, en la Abadía de Westminster, en 1973, sólo unos meses antes de la muerte de Ellington. Dónde encaja la versión de Coventry en este esquema es una cuestión abierta. Tiene un número que es completamente nuevo y que nunca se repitió, y otros números se cambiaron de forma bastante marcada.

Ellington dijo en su momento: "Uno puede estar acostumbrado a hablar con la gente. Pero, de repente, intentar hablar, cantar y tocar directamente a Dios... ¡eso le coloca a uno en una posición totalmente nueva y diferente! . . . Se puede bailar con la música secular, pero no se puede bailar con el Todopoderoso".

Sin duda, Ellington era sincero en estos conciertos y en sus creencias religiosas.  La brecha entre lo sagrado y lo profano es delgada en el mundo de Ellington.  Hay piezas interpretadas que no eran especialmente sagradas. 'West Indian Pancake', en aquella época, era una característica de Paul Gonsalves y la interpreta con energía y ese tono nebuloso único. La Plus Belle Africaine', interpretada al final del concierto, es simplemente una de las grandes composiciones de los últimos años de Ellington.  Estrenada apenas tres semanas antes, se remonta a las raíces africanas y mira hacia adelante, hacia una especie de música del mundo. La pieza, al mismo tiempo, es escasa, rica, sencilla, contenida y a la vez feroz.

El concierto comienza con "New World A 'Comin'", que Ellington compuso en la década de 1940.  Es una pieza meditativa interpretada sólo por Ellington.  Come Sunday' es una versión no vocal en la que participan Johnny Hodges y Cootie Williams.  Cat Anderson aparece en 'Light', una pieza que también fue tomada de 'Black Brown and Beige'.

Come Easter' es una pieza lenta; fue compuesta para esta ocasión y nunca se volvió a tocar. Hay breves solos de Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney y Paul Gonsalves. Tell Me It's The Truth' es en gran parte una característica de la banda con solos de Johnny Hodges y Lawrence Brown.

In The Beginning God' es la pieza más larga del concierto y cuenta con el majestuoso barítono de Harry Carney y los cantantes.

En esta época, la banda de Ellington era especialmente fuerte y la grabación muestra su potencia y sutileza.  La magnífica sección de saxofones está especialmente bien representada.

Una vez más, hay que dar las gracias a Bjarne Busk de Storyville Records por haber desenterrado este trozo único de Ellingtonia.
https://www.jazzviews.net/duke-ellington---in-coventry-1966.html

storyvillerecords.com ...

Duke Ellington • Live At Carnegie Hall Dec, 11, 1943

 

The Duke Ellington Orchestra which performed the eagerly-awaited Second Carnegie Hall Concert on Dec. 11, 1943, was a band which consisted both of famous old alumni and exciting new talent like clarinetest Jimmy Hamilton, bassist Alvin Raglin and vocalist Al Hibbler. Because of the recording ban during World War II, doing live concerts became vital to maintain both the band’s popularity and some form of income. Add to this the fact that Carnegie Hall was the most prestigious venue of them all, and its easy to understand why the Ellington Orchestra was determined to play its best that evening, performing old standards and Ellington favorites. Among the many high points from this marvelous concert, are excerpts from “Black, Brown and Beige”, Al Hibbler’s vocal rendition of “Do Nothing ‘Til You Hear From Me”, Rex Stewart’s showpiece “Trumpet In Spades” and, above all, the first performance ever of “New World A-Coming”.
https://www.propermusic.com/1038341-live-at-carnegie-hall-dec-11-1943.html

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La Orquesta de Duke Ellington, que interpretó el esperado Segundo Concierto del Carnegie Hall el 11 de diciembre de 1943, estaba formada por antiguos alumnos famosos y nuevos talentos como el clarinetista Jimmy Hamilton, el bajista Alvin Raglin y el vocalista Al Hibbler. Debido a la prohibición de grabar durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, los conciertos en directo se convirtieron en algo vital para mantener la popularidad de la banda y alguna forma de ingresos. Si a esto le añadimos que el Carnegie Hall era el lugar más prestigioso de todos, es fácil entender por qué la Orquesta de Ellington estaba decidida a tocar lo mejor posible esa noche, interpretando viejos estándares y los favoritos de Ellington. Entre los muchos puntos álgidos de este maravilloso concierto, se encuentran extractos de "Black, Brown and Beige", la interpretación vocal de Al Hibbler de "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me", el espectáculo de Rex Stewart "Trumpet In Spades" y, sobre todo, la primera interpretación de "New World A-Coming".
https://www.propermusic.com/1038341-live-at-carnegie-hall-dec-11-1943.html

Duke Ellington • The Duke At Fargo 1940

 

Editorial Review:
 In 1940, some young fans with a recorder captured one of Duke's best bands on a typical road engagement in North Dakota, and the two-and-a-half hour souvenir they took home is justly prized. Even allowing for some cropped intros or endings, and occasional off-mike vocals by Ivie Anderson and Herb Jeffries, this is great Ellington and one of the great live jazz records. The Duke at Fargo, 1940: Special 60th Anniversary Edition really captures the rough-and-tumble of a swing-era dance date: current pop hits mingle with Ducal classics; on one segment you hear a radio announcer introducing tunes for a local broadcast; by the last set, the band sounds happily smashed. In 1940, Ellington was at his peak as composer, his charts rich with intersecting section parts, vectoring instrumental voices, and brashly intricate harmonies. His great soloists include tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, bassist Jimmy Blanton, and new arrival Ray Nance on trumpet, violin, and vocals. The thin cardboard tall-box is dowdy and underwhelming, but what's inside is what counts.
Kevin Whitehead


Review
by Steve Leggett  
This two-disc set is a true historical treasure. An amateur recording of a Duke Ellington dance engagement at the Crystal Ballroom in Fargo, North Dakota made by two dedicated fans, one a high-school senior at the time, and the other a college student, coupled with a remote radio broadcast complete with a KVOX announcer, it makes a fascinating document of an era long gone. Ellington's famed orchestra at the time consisted of Rex Stewart, Wallace Jones, Ray Nance, Sam Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Fred Guy, Jimmy Blanton, Sonny Greer, and vocalists Ivie Anderson and Herb Jeffries, and having played the night before in Winnipeg, Canada and traveling by train, they still delivered a fine set. This is not a professional recording, however, with occasional missed openings and several ongoing microphone adjustments throughout, but that adds to the immediacy and intimacy of it all, really, and as an archival document of one of jazz's greatest bands in full dress at a typical gig, this set is simply a blessing to have and to hear.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-duke-at-fargo-1940-special-60th-anniversary-edition-mw0000678707

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Reseña editorial:
 En 1940, unos jóvenes aficionados con una grabadora capturaron a una de las mejores bandas de Duke en un típico compromiso de carretera en Dakota del Norte, y el recuerdo de dos horas y media que se llevaron a casa es justamente apreciado. Incluso teniendo en cuenta algunas intros o finales recortados, y las ocasionales voces fuera de micrófono de Ivie Anderson y Herb Jeffries, este es un gran Ellington y uno de los grandes discos de jazz en directo. El Duque en Fargo, 1940: Special 60th Anniversary Edition capta realmente la aspereza de una cita de baile de la época del swing: los éxitos pop actuales se mezclan con los clásicos de Ducal; en un segmento se oye a un locutor de radio presentando melodías para una emisión local; en el último set, la banda suena felizmente destrozada. En 1940, Ellington estaba en su apogeo como compositor, con sus gráficos llenos de partes de sección que se entrecruzan, voces instrumentales vectoriales y armonías descaradamente intrincadas. Sus grandes solistas incluyen al saxofonista tenor Ben Webster, al bajista Jimmy Blanton y al recién llegado Ray Nance en la trompeta, el violín y la voz. La delgada caja de cartón es poco elegante y decepcionante, pero lo que hay dentro es lo que cuenta.
Kevin Whitehead


Reseña
por Steve Leggett  
Este conjunto de dos discos es un verdadero tesoro histórico. Una grabación amateur de un baile de Duke Ellington en el Crystal Ballroom de Fargo, Dakota del Norte, realizada por dos dedicados fans, uno de ellos en su último año de instituto y el otro estudiante universitario, junto con una emisión de radio a distancia con un locutor de la KVOX, constituye un fascinante documento de una época ya desaparecida. La famosa orquesta de Ellington estaba formada por Rex Stewart, Wallace Jones, Ray Nance, Sam Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Fred Guy, Jimmy Blanton, Sonny Greer y los cantantes Ivie Anderson y Herb Jeffries, y tras haber tocado la noche anterior en Winnipeg, Canadá, y haber viajado en tren, ofrecieron un buen espectáculo. Sin embargo, no se trata de una grabación profesional, ya que se pierden ocasionalmente las aperturas y se realizan varios ajustes de micrófono, pero eso contribuye a la inmediatez e intimidad de todo ello, y como documento de archivo de una de las mejores bandas de jazz en plena actuación, este conjunto es simplemente una bendición para tener y escuchar.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-duke-at-fargo-1940-special-60th-anniversary-edition-mw0000678707


storyvillerecords.com ...

Duke Ellington • Masterpieces By Ellington

 

Review by Bruce Eder
Amazingly, it took Columbia Records until the very end of 1950, two years into the LP era and the transition from disc to magnetic tape recording, to get Duke Ellington and His Orchestra into the studio to cut a long-playing record. For the first time in his recording career, Ellington was able to forego the three-minutes-and-change restrictions in running time of the 78 rpm disc -- he and the band rose to the occasion with extended (11-minute-plus) "uncut concert arrangements" of "Mood Indigo," "Sophisticated Lady," and "Solitude," augmented with one splendid newer work, "The Tattooed Bride." And it's taken 15 years into the CD boom before Masterpieces By Ellington has been given the treatment that it deserves. Sony Music of Japan reissued this classic recording in 1998, remastered using the company's 20-bit-based Super Bit Mapping digital system, and results are astonishing -- the band sounds like it's in the same room with the listener, and that goes double for the piano and the soloists (including singer Yvonne Lanauze) on "Mood Indigo." Even in this august company, "The Tattooed Bride" is a swinging virtuoso piece that, as everyone present must have known, couldn't possibly have been captured in this manner in any era before this session -- this was also one of the last sessions to feature the classic Ellington lineup with Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, and Sonny Greer, before their exodus altered the band's sound, and so it's a doubly precious piece (as is the whole album), among the last written specifically for this lineup. And it now all sounds at least ten years newer than its actual date of recording, packaged in a CD-size recreation of the original '50s jacket design. A U.S. release hasn't been announced, but it's worth the $20 list as an import.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/masterpieces-by-ellington-mw0000325927

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Reseña de Bruce Eder
Sorprendentemente, Columbia Records tardó hasta finales de 1950, dos años en la era del LP y la transición del disco a la cinta magnética, en llevar a Duke Ellington y su orquesta al estudio para grabar un disco de larga duración. Por primera vez en su carrera discográfica, Ellington pudo renunciar a las restricciones de tres minutos y pico en la duración del disco de 78 rpm; él y la orquesta estuvieron a la altura de las circunstancias con extensos «arreglos de concierto sin cortes» (más de 11 minutos) de «Mood Indigo», «Sophisticated Lady» y «Solitude», aumentados con una espléndida obra nueva, «The Tattooed Bride». Y han tenido que pasar 15 años desde el boom de los CD para que Masterpieces By Ellington reciba el tratamiento que se merece. Sony Music de Japón reeditó esta grabación clásica en 1998, remasterizada con el sistema digital Super Bit Mapping de 20 bits de la compañía, y los resultados son asombrosos: la banda suena como si estuviera en la misma habitación que el oyente, y lo mismo ocurre con el piano y los solistas (incluida la cantante Yvonne Lanauze) en «Mood Indigo». Incluso en esta augusta compañía, «The Tattooed Bride» es una virtuosa pieza de swing que, como todos los presentes debían saber, no podría haber sido capturada de esta manera en ninguna época anterior a esta sesión - esta fue también una de las últimas sesiones que contó con la formación clásica de Ellington con Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown y Sonny Greer, antes de que su éxodo alterara el sonido de la banda, y por lo tanto es una pieza doblemente preciosa (como lo es todo el álbum), entre las últimas escritas específicamente para esta formación. Y ahora todo suena por lo menos diez años más reciente que su fecha real de grabación, empaquetado en una recreación en tamaño CD del diseño original de la carátula de los 50. Aún no se ha anunciado su lanzamiento en EE.UU., pero vale la pena pagar los 20 dólares que cuesta su importación.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/masterpieces-by-ellington-mw0000325927


 

Duke Ellington • Blues in Orbit

Jazz Makers Vanguards of Sound

 

Jazz Makers gathers together short biographies of more than 50 of jazz's greatest stars, from its early beginnings to the present. The stories of these innovative instrumentalists, bandleaders, and composers reveal the fascinating history of jazz in six parts:
* The Pioneers, including Scott Joplin, Louis Armstrong, and Bessie Smith
* Swing Bands and Soloists, with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday
* The Piano Giants, featuring Fats Waller, Art Tatum, and Mary Lou Williams
* Birth of Bebop, including Dizzy Gillepsie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis
* Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, and Fusion, with John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Stan Getz
* A Century of Jazz, featuring Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, and other contemporary greats.

VA • Big Band Jazzː Verve 50

Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Harry James, Sarah Vaughan, Quincy Jones, Woody Herman, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Dizzy Gillespie ...