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 Ellington At His Best. Mar 12, 2010
Here is the Duke as I remember the band on tour. I grew up hearing jazz in the 1950's and in the 1960's lived in Europe for close to six years. Europe was the place to be and the Duke would be there every summer. We took it for granted - Duke Ellington was one of the bands we all cherished and now we can listen to this wonderful CD and remember just what it was like.
There is a freshness in the playing - a spontaneous feeling of improvisation taking place even as you listen and this reminds me of those days when jazz was being played live everywhere. I have many many Ellington albums and this one gives me that special reminder of just what it was like " to be there " hearing the great man live except this isn't live and that is what makes it so special - it has that extra something that invites me to play it again and again.
One of my all time favourites.
Mr Pilgarlic.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
ELLINGTON CLASSIC Nov 08, 2009
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.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Another perfect music. Jun 10, 2008
Really great Ellington's album. It contains Bellson's original Skin Deep, Ellington's Harlem Suite and two great covers - Mooche - for me the best from late versions of this stuff and Take The A Train - with vocal and long Paul Gonsalves tenor solo in second slower part. This version Ellington plays in almost all concerts. This Cd contains Controversial and Liberian suite too - two very good and unavailable suites. If you love Ellington's music - buy it.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 CLASSIC BIG BAND JAZZ Sep 26, 2007
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!
4 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Almost Paradise...but not quite Feb 15, 2007
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.
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