Customer Reviews

Ellington Meets Hawkins

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All too often, some jazz that is deliberately quirky, dissonant,and quasi-ugly (if not outright ridiculously annoying) is extolled over jazz that is beautiful, haunting, intricate but melodious. Philip Larkin, modern British Poet and Jazz critic, has touched upon this trend in his critical essays on jazz. Larkin makes a convincing case for how ridiculous this trend can be: gee, this stuff sounds angry, ugly, but if I listen to it twenty times and become inured to it, why then I'm a genius and so is/are the musicians. If you are like me, and don't buy this approach to jazz, you will love this CD. This CD is my favorite; it is beyond 5 stars. No, it is markedly not "awesome," it is beautiful, articulate, mellow, joyful jazz. Ray Nance should be double underlined in the Amazon review above. Why isn't there a retrospective CD of this man's work? Perhaps because the music he made with horn, violin, and voice was simply too "accessible"? My all time favorite version of "Solitude," which is my all-time favorite jazz piece is on this album with Nance playing violin as only Nance can play it. If you thought the writer James Joyce was at his best in his DUBLINERS, and found his ULYSSES to be an egregious, pretentious bit of flim-flam, you will love this CD. I never get tired of hearing the beauty and cooperative interplay among Ellington, Hawkins, and Nance on this underated masterpiece.

Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins have given water to the dry riverbeds of my soul. The songs assembled together on this disc may well be some of the coolest, smoothest music that I have ever heard.

Songs like "Mood Indigo," "Self Portrait"--my favorite song on the disc, and "Solitude." Will slip their way into your heart and change it. This is the musical equivalent of a cool stream. Its current never fails to bear me away through landscapes of imagination. I can see why Thomas Merton sometimes meditated to Ellington...

On the other hand, you have some really spirited, less meditative stuff here too. Tunes like "Limbo Jazz" and "The Jeep Is Jumpin'" show off Duke and Hawk's ability to jam. There is not a weak track on this disc!

Music this wonderful and varied never fails to make me marvel at the creativity of the Lord of the Dance...

As Psalm ninety-six says: "Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy" (v. 11-12).

So it is here. I give this wonderful disc a hearty recommendation. Get a copy today.

If music isn't universally seen as the highest art form, we still find ourselves transported by it. The most elegiaic ballad and the catchiest pop song are able to take us to different worlds, remind us of lovers, stir us up, soothe our souls, wound, heal, and all in the span of a few minutes. And so we find ourselves reaching for image and metaphor to describe, if not explain, just what great music does to us, for us, with us.

And this is great music. All the songs are Ellington compositions, so you're already benefiting from one of the most important American composers of the 20th century. What makes this album so great, though, is the band . . .

This small combo is a band with which Ellington was very comfortable. Hawkins seamlessly weaves in his playing, although he had never before sat in with these gentlemen. The styles of playing differ in texture among these fine players, but the performances fit, rely on each other, ultimately elevate one another, because this handful of artists share a vision stemming from their pure love of music.

These are musicians and composers of such talent that their playing never seems or sounds like solo performances. I think they were all working together on the same painting, or nine separate paintings to be more precise, well eleven actually since we know sadly that there were two lost performances. But painting they were, all together on the same work. And they come up with a masterpiece of skill, soul, heart, and mind.

This is intelligent jazz, but you don't have to think about it to enjoy it. This is soulful music, but not melancholy.

When my daughter's husband, Jules, gave me this album for Christmas I eagerly anticipated hearing and enjoying two musicians I love and respect play together. During my first listenings I wanted to hear more Ellington. I realized after a while that his notes are perfectly placed to accent, accentuate and encourage. He's the consumate leader and fan at the same time.

At times I've listened to this album several times in a row. It sounds different every time, because the playing is so alive it changes within the listener's ears.

I told Jules that this one album could teach me everything there is to know about jazz. Maybe that's a slight over-statetment. Maybe. But only slightly.

The record shines, end to end. From the opening Limbo Jazz (supposedly just a warmup, you can hear Aaron Bell singing to himself in the background), through to the deep well of Solitude, the musicianship and chemistry is all there. (Consider for a moment how many years collective musical experience are on this CD - this was recorded in the early 60s.) Hawk plays as well on this as on anything he ever did - you can almost feel the mutual respect and admiration between him and Duke - and Duke's men support him with sensitivity and aplomb. Hodges in particular contributes wonderful single chorus gems on Wanderlust (a midtempo blues pinned down by Bell and Sam Woodyard) and The Jeep is Jumping, where, after further solos from Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown and Ray Nance, Hawk lays down two chorusses that make the sweat break out. He is at his harmonic and rhythmic best. Sam Woodyard steps up the pace with the snare on the second chorus.

Duke's tribute Self Portrait of the Bean is another gem, Hawk plays two wonderfully understated chorusses, low to high register, and let's the beautiful melody work through his incredible sound, while the rest of the horns wail an accompaniment.

Every track has jewels to be found - listen out for Duke's variations in approach on Wanderlust, as he keeps the simple 12 bar format from sounding repetitive from soloist to soloist. But the cream - for me - is the stellar Solitude. After a dramatic Dukish intro, Ray Nance states the theme in F major on violin. Then they move to Db for Hawk to give his version. It's some version. He adopts a style of rhythm and phrasing that is almost conversational, choosing always melodicism and subtlety over technical or harmonic trickery. This kind of playing can't be faked, or taught in school. A chorus in, Woodyard announces the second chapter with the simplest and most elegant of cymbal hits, then Nance returns to begin adding simple fills. Duke joins in with some bell-like phrases, perfectly judged. Sublime. All the while, Aaron Bell's bass continues, unfailing, like the tramping feet of a pilgrim.

This 1995 edition is the one you want. This essential session has just seen a slip-shod late 2007 reissue, the only difference being the elimination of the bonus track ("Solitude") and a change of labels (from GRP to Verve). Since Verve, GRP, and Impulse (the original label for this 1962 session) are now mere marketing devices by the single corporate monster (Universal) that has subsumed them all, the reasons for a cheap reproduction are transparent. Impulse was dropped because the label is associated with late Coltrane and more experimental, avant garde sounds as engineered by Rudy Van Gelder; GRP next had to be dropped because it's associated with "contemporary smooth jazz," not music as firmly planted in the tradition as Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins. So Verve became the most likely suspect, even though Norman Granz produced little Ellington music and avoided Van Gelder's services as a recording engineer. So much for historical accuracy.

The deletion of bonus tracks is a growing trend among all four of the big companies that control over 80% of the music we hear (Universal, Sony-BMG, EMC, and Warners)--probably because of the profit motive. If listeners have to pay $10-$15 merely to download the files from a complete album, why should they be awarded extra music at a lower price for ordering the expensive-to-make CD at lower margins? (Or take "Sarah Vaughan at Mr. Kelly's." In its most recent reissue, approximately 12 tracks were deleted from the abundant, generous program, enough to comprise a second album--or lots of individual downloads at 99c a pop.)

The upshot? The latest reissue has nothing to do with the music--either its audio quality or new information that has come to light concerning the date--and has everything to do with marketing and greed. In fact, the 2007 reissue doesn't even bother to include an insert with the original liner notes. They're printed illegibly, simply to demonstrate that the original album had them. Better pick up this version before supplies run out.

Duke was the finest jazz composer and bandleader of them all, no question, and Hawkins was the original master of the tenor. Unlike many "meetings of the greats" albums, this one is fluff-free. No one tries to outplay anyone else; it's a team effort of the highest order.

The legends meet here while Duke's finest band was still shining, with Hodges and Nance and company as good as ever, and clearly thrilled to make an album with someone who understands music on the level they do.

Relaxed but swinging, ebullient but elegant, this is a jazz masterpiece that gets better with age.

Mom and Dad, you were right. They sure as hell do not make 'em like this anymore.

I have loved this album for over 15 years. Everytime I play it people ask me who it is, what it is. This is a great disc to listen to, relax to, do work to. Beautiful relaxed musicianship.

I guess this is a true masterpiece... Coleman Hawkins is at the very peak of his powers - harmonically and rhythmically this is equal to everything I've heard him do previously and the sound of his horn is even more rich than usually....

Hawkins is therefore a perfect match for an Ellington ensemble; not a big band, but starring some of the best Ellingtonians, well rehearsed and spontanious as only people who know each other very well can be... And the Duke himself is as witty and virtuoso as ever.

Although the other Ellingtonians also give beautiful contribution to this rich album full of diverse performances, I tend to agree with those who say that Ray Nance, (both on his horn and on his fiddle) really shines allongside the mighty Hawk an the ever-ellegant Duke. Recommended to all serious jazz fans, this album is, I believe, quite accesible to more casual observers of jazz...

I popped this one in my car CD player a couple of months ago. I have a six-disc player that I almost religiously change every week - six CD's out, six in. However, this recording has probably just set the record for the longest tenure in my CD player. The bottom line, I just can't get enough of this one!

Amazing that these two giants of the swing era - the Duke and the Bean (a.k.a. Coleman Hawkins) - only produced this one classic album together back in 62. However, what an extraordinary, exquisite work of art this turned out to be! Then again, does Coleman Hawkins ever really let you down (i.e. "Body and Soul", "The Hawk Flies High", "The Genius of Coleman Hawkins", "Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster", etc... etc...) And of course many people, including myself, consider Mr. Ellington to be the greatest composer and bandleader in the history of jazz. With that being said though, I think it's easy to sometimes make the mistake of assuming that with this combo and Ellington's fantastic sidemen too boot, it just automatically has to be great - right? As most jazz purists will tell you, not everything that glitters is gold. However this one folks, sparkles like an eight carat diamond!

These old masters really show off their chops on this effervescent set of both new and old Ellington compositions. The beautiful ballad "Self-Portrait of the Bean" was actually finished in the studio the day of the recording and it's safe to say that 'the Bean's' intricate, lissome execution more than does justice to the wonderful tribute by Ellington and Strayhorn. "Moon Indigo" is another highlight on this one, and in many ways you would think that Duke custom made this composition with Hawk in mind, for it's a perfect vehicle for the smooth, soft tenor man. I also loved the animated, playful tunes "Limbo Jazz" and "The Ricitic" both of which embrace the zesty flavors of Latin America.

You can't go wrong with this one. Duke's incredible team includes - the great Johnny Hodges (alto sax), Harry Carney (baritone sax & clarinet), Lawrence Brown (trombone), Aaron Bell (bass), Sam Woodward (drums), and last but certainly not least Ray Nance (cornet, violin). The latter is definitely one of the most underated jazz musicians ever! Nance gives a stunning performance on both the violin and cornet and he deserves a lot of credit for the creation of this masterpiece. I just can't say enough about how great he is on this one!

This is what Jazz music is all about. One of my favorite recordings ever!

These two jazz legends, what elese could you ask for other than it come packed full of $100. bills.