Customer Reviews

The Far East Suite Special Mix

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Probably the most treasured of my Ellington recordings, this is the weapon I throw on when converting ears more accustomed to fifties and sixties era jazz artists. Although fronting a big band (or THE big band), the genius of Ellington and Strayhorn's arrangements sound completely modern. Soloists stand out on every track, from Hodges sublime sax showcase on 'Isfahan" to Ellington's under-rated piano on "Ad Lib on Nippon." Every listening uncovers something new and when you're talking about a highlight of Ellington's catalog, you're talking about a highlight of the history of recorded music. Essential; children should have this cd slipped into their cradles in every hospital in the world.

One of the most moving, emotionally complex recorded works ever. This album makes me weepy and glad. A truly essential Ellington album.

Oscar Peterson tells a story about Duke Ellington. At the end of an JATP performance Ellington and Peterson were on stage. The piano had not yet been packed away so Ellington asked Peterson to play something. Peterson sat down and played a song, and after he finished he turned to Ellington and asked something like "don't you know this song? You wrote it." (It was Ellington's "Lady of the Lavender Mist.") Ellington shrugged and replied that he wasn't interested in what he wrote before. He was only interested in what he was going to write next.

Though "The Far East Suite" was recorded between December 19, and December 21, 1966 it was assembled from songs written by Strayhorn and Ellington between 1963 and 1966.
ELF (a Strayhorn song) was first recorded on July 18, 1963 which was before the State Department tour in the autumn of 1963. See The Private Collection Volume 4 for that version. It was retitled Isfahan after the State Department tour in the autumn of 1963. At first it was not considered part of the Impressions of the Far East, as it was performed seperately from those four other pieces during the winter and spring of 1964. After the recordings on this disk Ellington performed just once more in concert on January 30, 1968.

Impressions of the Far East debuted on February 15, 1964. There are four song in this first impression, Amad, Agra, Bluebird of Delhi, and Depk. (Agra and Bluebird of Delhi are Strayhorn compositions) These songs were performed as a unit in this order through out the spring of 1964, and they were recorded in the studio on March 17 and 19, 1965, but as far as I can tell those recordings remain unissued.
The two versions of Amad here on this CD are the last two Ellington performed. Agra was not performed again. Same for Depk. After these two versions of Bluebird of Delhi on this disk, the song was performed only three more times.

Blue Pepper was recorded on December 21, 1966, and that's it. Ellington put it up on the shelf, never to perform it again.
Mount Harissa debuted on November 29, 1966 and was performed by Ellington during the spring of 1967. There is a live version on "The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World." It's a great feature for Paul Gonsalves.
Tourist Point of View exists in two versions that were recorded on December 19, 1966, and that's it. Ellington put it up on the shelf, and never performed it again. Too bad--it's a great feature for Paul Gonsalves.
Ad Lib on Nippon has four parts, Part 1 (a slow piano solo) , Igoo (up tempo piano followed by the band), Part 3 (a different slow piano solo) and Tokyo. The first three parts feature Ellington and the fourth part features Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet. It was first performed in June 1964 in Japan and was a frequent feature of Ellington's concerts in 1964 and 1965. It was first recorded in the studio in March 1965 (See Private Collection Volume 10 for that version) while Ellington was under contract to Reprise. The one on this CD is his last performance. It also went up on the shelf.

For me, the fact that Ellington DID NOT perform these songs much in concert after they were recorded in December 1966 is the strangest part. Maybe I written too much about the performance histories of these songs. Still even with all Ellington had done before, and even with these songs, he wasn't satisfied. He moved on. He was interested in something else, something new. That's the real greatness of Duke Ellington.

Nielsen's Jazz Records Volume 6, and van de Leur's Something To Live For were consulted for this review.

There have actually been a few moments when I failed fully to adore Duke Ellington, but this ain't one of them. In fact, this is included in my list for initiating the neophyte to the joys of jazz. As I note on that list, it's hard to imagine Johnny Hodges sounding any better, and he, as usual, steals the show for me, particularly on "Isfahan." Before I started to listen to it, I thought I would be hearing Duke trying to sound like a Japanese or an Indian--imagine my delight when I realized that in remaining true to his own idiom, he brought to life the rhythms, textures, and motifs of his unusually acute sensitivities to the regions he visited on his state department tour that inspired this work.
As always, the dynamic range of his impressions, represented by the extremes of Isfahan and Amad, tells the story. He hits everything in between, dextrously, artfully, and passionately.
Almost impossible not to like this album.

The irrepressible Duke went abroad to cities ancient and exotic, listened intently, absorbed, then returned to write this unbelievably gorgeous music with his composing partner Billy Strayhorn. A reflection of their collective genius, the suite brings together two worlds. It blends the mysticism of the East with the ebullient bluster of America, the sound of the casbah with the energy of the ballroom. The result is a stunner. In less expert hands, the marriage of such disparate musical traditions would probably sound corny - not here.

A bank of horns and clattering cymbals announce the smooth ride of "Tourist Point of View" while sax man Johnny Hodges lends "Isfahan" doses of charm. Later a moment of pure magic occurs in "Depk": a comped out folk tune borrowed from abroad suddenly gives way to a big band blast that seems to declare, "Now here's our thing!" You can't keep Ellingtonia pent up for too long. It's got to sing out. After a beautiful piano interlude in "Ad Lib on Nippon", the band rushes in and sweeps the floor. One minute you're enchanted by The Duke's delicacy and the next he instructs his favorite instrument, his beloved band, to swing like crazy. Ellington could do it all. He could create every mood, tap every emotion. Composed fairly late in his career, "The Far East Suite" gives ample evidence of his prodigous talent and unwavering creative energy.

Although less well-known than Ellington's Blanton-Webster Band, Newport or the New Orleans Suite, the Far East Suite now stands as a masterwork of awesome compositional scope and tonal depth. Three years after an extended tour of South Asia and the Middle East, Ellington and Strayhorn composed their final extended work together (Strayhorn was to die five months later). The maturity, skill and inspiration of the band elevates these compositions into realms rarely charted.

Jimmy Hamilton's performance on "Bluebird of Delhi (Mynah)" is of an exquisite tenderness, and is matched only by the sublime, hypnotic alto saxophone of the great Johnny Hodges on the following piece, "Isfahan".

Ellington's piano majestically introduces the stunning "Mount Harissa", punctuated at first with an airy lightness by Rufus Jones' drums and cymbals and later with urgent rolls, gradually building up to an undulating tenor solo from Paul Gonsalves over an orchestral backdrop of overwhelming power.

The "Special Mix" refers to Orrin Keepnew's digital reissue eliminating the distortions of the original analogue recording, with four alternate takes.

This is a highly recommended album - it shows clearly that even in the mid-1960s, when the cutting-edge of jazz was supposedly the avant-garde movement, the Duke Ellington band of the time was still the best in the business.

If you're searching for the real treat with Duke, just try the "Far east suite" - it contains all the fascinating elements of Ellington's music at once - swing, looseness and complexity. By the way- one of Lawrence Brown's best solos on "Agra"

I'm a Generation X'er who has recently discovered the Master. Of course I had heard song's like Satin Doll and It Don't Mean A Thing or I'm Beginning to See the Light, but when I heard Blue Pepper, I didn't even know it was Duke Ellington. That song is awesome. Hearing that song prompted me to buy The Far East Suite and then I bought I Got it Bad and That Ain't Good and now I have a copy of just about all his songs. But Blue Pepper is my favorite. I know my review may not be as articulate as some of the others, but any young people 18-30 who don't know about The Duke, listen to Blue Pepper and you will be hooked.

This "programe" is a wonderful introduction to Ellington's modernist music, as opposed to his 30s and 40s swing. In the case of "Far East Suite", both Ellington and Strayhorn take a decidedly Eastern and exotic path to achieve musical perfection. The execution of this "Orientalist's dream" is a tour de force. As always, Ellington stretches the abilities of his band to sublime artistic heights. The members of the orchestra are in top form. The CD is "beyond category"- a crowning achievement in both Ellington's and Strayhorn's long and fruitful careers. It is a crime against nature that this release is no longer available!

What most surprised me about this beautiful collection was how original and inventive Ellington remained after 40 years of making music.

The opening 'Tourist Point Of View' despite it's exotic and seemingly strange overtones moves along effortlessly. The alternate version has even greater inventive bass playing by John Lamb than the original. 'Bluebird of Delhi' has some beautiful orchestration while the alternate version featured here goes in for greater intensity. In 'Isfahan' we can hear a little of how Ellington's mind brought together dispirate elements in his composing, it's foreign flavour subtly masked by a big-band waltz. The wonderful rolling melody 'Depk' is interspersed with some magical piano playing by Ellington. 'Mount Harissa' features strong bongo-style drumming while 'Blue Pepper' takes a cue from 'Isfahan' in it's ability to sound strange and familiar in one setting. 'Agra' proves to be the most exotic sounding piece on the album, Harry Carney's saxophone lilting its way round the Taj Mahal. 'Amad' footstomps its way into harmonic complexity before Ellington's most personal piece on the album 'Ad Lip On Nippon' highlights again his effortless piano playing. It'a also Jimmy Hamilton's finest performance of these sessions.

This is easily one of Ellington's best and most original collection of compositions and the remastered sound gives it a sophisticated colour that is impossible not to appreciate.