Ellington '66

Duke Ellington | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 29, 2005)
• Original Release Date: March 29, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collectables
• ASIN: B0007QCLC2
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,492 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. RED ROSES FOR A BLUE LADY

2. CHARADE

3. PEOPLE

4. ALL MY LOVING

5. A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP

6. I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND

7. DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES

8. I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU

9. THE GOOD LIFE

10. SATIN DOLL

11. MOON RIVER

12. ELLINGTON ‘66

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars fine collection of Ellington hits from 1966, August 27, 2007

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ellington '66 (Audio CD)

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra enjoyed fame and fortune during a career that spanned several decades; and this CD proves they were still going strong in 1966. The quality of the sound is excellent, too.

The track set begins with "Red Roses For A Blue Lady." The horn starts and when the brass and percussion join in, this number burns so brightly in their competent hands! The band massages this instrumental number as they infuse it with a certain bluesy jazz quality that stuns me with its beauty. Later on the band plays louder and the arrangement gives "Red Roses For A Blue Lady" a much more big band flavor to it. That's class! "Charade" features the piano, horns and percussion very nicely; the tempo is just right for this romantic ballad. "People," a ballad Barbra Streisand made famous, gets the royal treatment by Duke & His Orchestra as they take this lush ballad and use horns, strings, and percussion to make it all sound truly sublime.

"All My Loving" covers this famous tune by The Beatles; and the use of the percussion gives the band's rendition a distinctly Latin flair. The guys in the band truly make "All My Loving" all their own with clever timing, a few new chord changes and a jazzy Latin beat that just couldn't be better! "I Want To Hold Your Hand" lets the band cover another tune by The Beatles; they inject some extra horn into the arrangement to playfully enhance and bolster this classic number. I think you will enjoy Duke's band doing their rendition of "I Want To Hold Your Hand." Awesome!

"Days Of Wine And Roses" sounds fresh and more romantic than ever as Duke and the band play this number with passion and style. The horn carries the bulk of the melody; and this works well for "The Days Of Wine And Roses." "The Good Life" again features the horn and percussion breathing new life into this grand instrumental number; and "Moon River" glistens like gold with the horns, drums and percussion working wonders for this ballad.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The CD track set ends with a number called "Ellington '66;" this jazzy number features a great arrangement for piano, percussion, and horns.

The liner notes give you the original liner notes from the record album release of this recording; and the artwork impresses me. You get the song credits, too.

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra could take any tune and weave straw into gold; but they explore golden hits here and make them even more magical than ever before. Duke and his band were unparalleled; and they deserve to be fondly remembered for ages to come. I highly recommend this CD for fans of Duke Ellington & His Orchestra; and people who enjoy classic jazz instrumental numbers will love this CD!

Enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars For Ellington Fans and not only, May 9, 2007

By 

mr. Y (St.Petersburg) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ellington '66 (Audio CD)

Albums "Ellington 65" & "Ellington 66" were recorded in April, 15, 16 and 27 1964 (Ellington 65), and in May, 19 1964, January, 19 & 21 1965. Both of them
were released on Reprise in 1965 and 1966. Only "Satin Doll" on "Ellington 66" is well known melody played before by this great orchestra, but the rest is a rare
repertory for Ellington. Nearly all of the titles on both albums are well known melodies from musicals, films or simply well-known, good music of well-known composers.
Arrangements are excellent, and the orchestra sounds like it plays melodies written by Duke himself. And the quality of the sound is high too. The CDs are wery good.