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4.0 out of 5 stars
The Duke Live In Concert, March 1, 2002
As a musician, arranger, composer and bandleader, Edward "Duke" Ellington is one of the giants of 20th Century American music. This 6-CD set, released to coincide with Ellington's 100th birthday, is a collection of live concert dates that celebrates Ellington's genius.
Disc-1: Taken from two full orchestra London concerts, one in 1963, the other in 1964. Soloists include Cootie Williams (trumpet), Buster Cooper (trombone) and Paul Gonsalves (reeds). Vocalists are Milt Grayson and Ernie Shepard. While "Take the 'A' Train" and "Mood Indigo" may be the more familiar numbers, the 15-minute "Harlem" is one of the disc's standout tracks. Running time 66:54
Disc-2: From a 1964 New York piano recital with only a bass and drums rhythm section. [Note: "Carolina Shout" features Willie "The Lion" Smith on piano, and "Tonk" and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" features Billy Strayhorn on piano. (The latter composed by Duke's son Mercer.)] Running time 46:21
Disc-3&4: Taken from separate Chicago concerts in 1946 featuring a full orchestra. Disc 3 features two songs as part of a tribute to W.C. Handy, "Beale Street Blues" and "Memphis Blues." Also, tracks 15-18 feature Django Reinhardt on guitar. Disc 4 includes two excerpts from Ellington's 50-minute major work "Black, Brown & Beige"--the spiritual "Come Sunday" and the upbeat "Work Song." In addition a six-minute version of "Frankie and Johnny" gives Ellington plenty of room to improvise making this track one of the highlights. Running time 71:30 / 69:33
Disc-5&6: The final two discs represent two sets from a 1948 Cornell University concert featuring a full band. One of the more recent numbers featured on Disc 5 is "The Tattooed Bride," a song that was premiered just the month before this concert. In introducing this nearly 12-minute number, Ellington refers to it as "our most ambitious work of the season." Among the crowd pleasers on Disc 6 is an 8-minute medley of some of Ellington's most popular numbers, including "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "In a Sentimental Mood" and "It Don't Mean a Thing." Running time 75:05 / 57:18
This may not be the most representative collection of Ellington's career for the neophyte fan (that nod goes to the 3-disc "Highlights from the Duke Ellington Centennial Edition (1927-1973), but there is much to enjoy here for fans of big band jazz. RECOMMENDED
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