Indigos

Duke Ellington | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000026N3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,366 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars When will Sony/Columbia re-visit this gem?, May 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Indigos (Audio CD)

This has to be my all time favorite Ellington record but this CD version has major problems. It was an early CD release, back when the technology was still new and not fully understood. As a result it sounds positively dreadful. It sounds like the band is stuck in a old metal garbage can. And I wish it didn't, because the only copies of this I have on LP are a bit on the noisy side. But what can you expect- I think everyone who owned this album play it a lot. Now if Sony will only re-issue this from the original tapes, in the original song order (duh!), without all the ticks and pops but with that marvelous tone and clarity on the LP. They could charge me $50, maybe even $100. So 5+ Stars for the music, 1 Star for the sound and I'll average it to 2 Stars.

Also Sony should re-issue it with both versions on one CD. When the album was recorded it was done twice- one version for stereo and then again in mono. The LP's are clearly two different performances. Having them back to back on a CD would allow for some interesting comparisons of how this great band approached the material and solos.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A celebration of soloists, June 22, 2000

By 

Robert C. Topper (Richardson, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indigos (Audio CD)

Some years ago, maybe fiftenn or twenty, I bought a cassette tape which had several Ellington cuts on it. The only information it had about the recordings was that they had been on the Columbia label, absolutely nothing else. I was particularly intrigued by the version of "Solitude", and I often wondered when it was done. Other Ellington cuts on that tape included "Mood Indigo" and "Prelude to a Kiss". Listening to the sidemen didn't help in determining the recordig time, as I could recognize Harry Carney (now that pinned the date down, didn't it?) and Johnny Hodges, but that's about all. Finally with the help of Charlie the Collector of KAAM radio, we located this album, with this CD version adding some cuts not on the original LP.

What atracted me then as now to "Solitude" is the concert-style arrangement, with Ellington playing most of it solo out of time, then joined by the rhythm section with the full band coming in only towards the end. In fact, each track on this album features soloists, rather than being ensemble pieces: Ellington on "Solitude", "Night and Day" and "All the Things You Are"; Paul Gonsalves on "Where or When"; Shorty Baker on "Mood Indigo" and "Willow Weep for Me"; Johnny Hodges on "Prelude to a Kiss"; Jimmy Hamilton on "Tenderly"; Harry Carney and Ray Nance (on trumpet) on "Dancing in the Dark"; and Ray Nance (on violin) and Ozzie Bailey (vocal) on "Autumn Leaves". All are excellent, with my only criticism being that on "All the Things You Are", when the rhythm section joins and Ellington has to play in time, his arpeggios seem rushed and choppy. It's as if he were trying to do too much in the allotted time and still stay on the beat. Don't expect to dance to this album. Just sit back with a good Merlot, listen and enjoy.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interpreting Color as Sound, January 9, 2000

By 

Todd "Book lover" (Abington, Panama) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Indigos (Audio CD)

Duke Ellington's compositional style has been referred to as painting with sound. That is to say, his melodies and orchestrations tend to evoke images of blending color to the listener. I have loved this recording since I was about 9 years old listening to my father's LP version. To my mind, this recording is not only intrinsically beautiful, but also one of the best examples of Ellington's painting with sound available. A BIG added plus is the much longer version of Autumn Leaves on the CD version. It was a haunting arrangement on the LP. This longer version with its extended violin solo is one of the most unique recordings in all of jazz.