My Favorite Ellington Album
5
By NMHouse
I have about 10 Ellington albums including most of his classics and this is, for pure enjoyment, my #1. The suites are all much finer and accomplishments, and he has been more inventive on many other albums, but this album always ends up being played the most. The only complaint I have is that my favorite song "blues in orbit" is to short! If you are even mildly familiar with Duke's work, or if you just like classic swinging jazz, do yourself and your ears a huge favor by picking this album up now. Seriously, stop reading and just buy the album now!
pleasure joy
5
By PolitoQ
ellingtong was of my father fav hes 93 and still listen to his musc also the count b goodman s gets and many more ilearn while listening together w chivas on the rocks in a saturday aftern thanks dad for introd to the jazz
Straightforward, Hard-Swinging Jazz
4
By Buddy Bolden
There's nothing particularly adventurous about this album, which finds Ellington and a somewhat stripped-down version of his orchestra playing straightforward arrangements of what is for the most part rather simple material -- including tunes that were already established classics of the jazz canon ("In a Mellotone," "C-Jam Blues"), as well as lesser-known and more recent compositions. However, the musicians are all in excellent form, playing with great precision in the ensemble passages while nonetheless swinging very hard on the uptempo numbers and managing to invest each piece with a feeling of relaxed spontaneity -- a quality that is often less conspicuous in Ellington's more ambitious works from this period. The individual soloists, particularly the great Johnny Hodges, also turn in some riveting improvisations, and the emphasis on blues and pieces that are informed by a blues sensibility imparts a nice sense of stylistic unity. The result is an album that, while perhaps not quite on par with Ellington's greatest recordings from the early 1940's, and certainly not as formally complex as some of his later works, is extremely rewarding on its own terms.
Desert Island Music
5
By Billy52
So inventive, so fun. Insanely great playing. Genius arrangements. Great rhythm. Never, ever tedious, always melodic. I listened to it straight through on a long solo drive, the miles flew by because this music kept my attention. It really is very special music. Thanks to the other reviewers for getting me to give it a shot. Now it's your turn, you won't be disappointed at all.
Changing my previous review...
4
By Bauerman
I guess I initially gave the album a low review because there's a couple of rerecorded hits. For example, Pie Eye's Blues is orginally from the soundtrack for "Anatomy of a Murder" and, obviously, C Jam Blues is a standard that has been recorded dozens of times by Duke and his men alone. C Jam also crops up in the strangest of places, including the movie "Overboard"! So I guess that's why I gave it a low review before. Judging by the comments I have recieived about this review, I'm changing my rating to 4 stars, because the performances are rock solid, and some of the new stuff, especially Blues in Blueprint, is fantastic. Blues in Blueprint actually was arranged for jazz band and orchestra by Winton Marsalis, and it's this original version that led me to buy this album. The rest of the album is solid too and worth a listen. Smada was an instant favorite. I don't feel that this album is as essential as "Live at Newport" or "Such Sweet Thunder" or "Anatomy of a Murder"... But I don't want to give off the impression that this album is terrible. Because it's not. It's a very good examination of the blues as only Duke Ellington and his men can give - swingin' fun.
Super Cool
5
By MozartFX
This is one of my top 3 Ellington albums. I've got it on vinyl and cd. It's absolute magic. I just wanted to write a quick review to get the rating up to where it belongs. Anyone who thinks this is a three star album just doesn't know jazz. If you're new to jazz this is a great album for a Friday night martini or a Sunday morning cup of coffee. Good Stuff!
