Customer Reviews

Complete Legendary Fargo Concert

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I know there is a box set at double the price but this 2 cd set on Definitive Records/Spain ia a knockout..great sound and licensed.. AMG loves this version as well.

The music is crucial for Ellington lovers..there are liner notes and it is nicely packaged and a bargain.

I am curious to see the longbox edition with booklet but have a feeling same tapes were used for this edition.Top ranking as far as sound and value.

America's greatest jazz musician performing his own music on his favorite instrument--his orchestra--and not just any edition of Duke's band but arguably his best, especially with the presence of bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor sax great, Ben Webster. What more could you ask for? An inspired performance? The band is tight and spirited thoughout this five-hour engagement. Faithful audio reproduction? The fidelity is miraculously close to being state of the art for a 1940 recording made on marginal equipment by hobbyists, Blanton's bass coming through with greater clarity than do the bass frequencies on some of the studio recordings Charlie Parker would make ten years later.

So why is this recording being all but ignored, even in jazz circles where news of a new on-location Coltrane or Monk discovery or the appearance of another Bird-Diz acetate manages to make waves even in the mainstream press? Unfortunately, as well known as Duke's popular songs are, his genius as a composer-orchestrator-band leader is poorly understood (despite the valiant efforts of Wynton Marsalis over the past two decades to educate the public).

Count this among Duke's 3-4 most important recordings, an absolutely essential pick-up for any Ellington fan or student of the evolution of this art form. Blanton's work on bass is a genuine revelation; Webster's solos on "Cottontail" and "Stardust" rival Coleman Hawkins' best work at the time; the horns of Johnny Hodges, Rex Stewart, and Harry Carney are heard to optimal effect; compositions like "Ko-Ko and "Harlem Air Shaft" are miniature masterpieces, microcosms of Ellington's cutting-edge genius that invite attentive and repeated listening to be fully grasped and appreciated.

Admittedly, there are a few trade-offs: the vocals of Ivy Anderson and Herb Jeffries are practically too faint to count; some of the numbers are incomplete or interrupted while the hobbyist-engineers quickly change acetate discs. On the other hand, the listener has a sense both of being on stage with the band, hearing Duke call off tunes, and of experiencing a continuous five-set performance by the band--a remarkable feat for a recording made in 1940.

Although an elaborate 60th anniversary edition of this concert is available on Storyville records, this Spanish import at half the price is professionally mastered and well documented. If you're new to Ellington, you might choose to pass up either recording for the time being. Start out with "Ellington at Newport," "Ellington Uptown," "Blue Rose," "Such Sweet Thunder" and 'The Nutcracker Suite." But don't dare end the relationship without spending a couple of fruitful hours with the Duke in Fargo, North Dakota.

It is wonderful to think that this was the popular music people listened to almost 70 years ago. Here we have the Duke Ellington Orchestra at its peak. Ray Nance had just joined the band and immediately made his presence felt on trumpet and violin. Jimmie Blanton was the first great bassist and Ellington uses him to great advantage. All the Ellington stars shine here including Lawrence Brown, Barney Bigard, Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges and Harry Carney to name a few. Of course, the sound is only fair but the greatness of the band comes through. A must for Ellington fans and recommended for all.

As a bass enthusiast I'll be honest: To me, this album is worth it for Jimmy Blanton's extended solo on "Sepia Panorama" alone. Blanton's timeless voice on the bass still sounds fresh today. NOBODY else was playing the bass like that in 1940.

But there's also an entire treasure chest's worth of gems on this recording and you can spend months enjoying/processing all the material. We should be grateful that those 2 amateurs went to the effort to record this, because they captured the greatest big-band of all time in its prime so posterity could experience the type of musical talent that just doesn't exist anymore.

I often say jazz sounds best when it's live and the musicians don't know they're being recorded for an album release (at the time this was never intended to be released to the public). It certainly rings true here.

Those not used to pre-Bebop jazz might think that some of the music sounds "dated" or as one friend told me "sounds like Betty Boop" music. But those who can get over that stuff and appreciate the musical genius on this record will be rewarded.

This edition of the 1940 Fargo concert starts with a good, very bluesy version of "The Mooche". Duke Ellington and his band alternate between up-tempo swingers like "Pussy Willow" and ballads, sometimes with swing-era singing like "There Shall Be No Night". The 2-CD set loads the first CD with good songs, both classics like "Caravan" and lesser-known songs like "Harlem Air Shaft". The sound is serviceable, for the most part. All in all, the first CD is an enjoyable listen, even for someone who prefers bebop up to present-day styles of jazz over swing. The second CD is more of the same, just not as good. The sound is in some parts muddier, and the songs, as a whole, aren't as strong. Plus, there are more song fragments, like the 31-second "God Bless America" or the 20-second "Chaser". I'd give the first disc 4 stars, and the second one 3, for a total of 3.5 for the set. There are other versions of this concert out there, they may have different sound or different track lists.