Customer Reviews

Live at the Whitney

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

 

 

This album was a revelation to me. I had never heard Duke Ellington outside of his performances with his orchestra. This performance, recorded two years before his death in 1974, provides each listener with a closeup of Ellington's compositions, piano style, and grand personal manner. I don't think this could be any more intimate if you were allowed to set around the Duke's home on a Sunday afternoon to listen to him practice. In fact, I rate this album as a four star, rather than a five star, performance due to editing only. I realize this is a record of a specific event at the Whitney Museum, but had the applause lines been edited out, this would have been an absolute treasure, a very private conversation between the man & his listener. The song selection is a mix of familiar Ellington standards and rare compositions never heard in such an exclusive manner, such as "A Mural From Two Perspectives," "Amour, Amour,"and "Le Sucrier Velors." This is the Duke Ellington album for the mature and educated student of his music.

This album is a real treat for jazz fans and especially those who have an affinity for the music of Duke Ellington. This CD captures Duke a year or so before his death, performing as part of a trio at New York City's Whitney Museum of American Art in April, 1972. I think this album is to be cherished because, even among Ellington's huge discography, it is rare to find him playing in a trio setting. (His album "Money Jungle," featuring Max Roach and Charles Mingus, is another one). Of course, Ellington's many big band albums are excellent, but it is really nice to hear him in a more intimate group, where his piano playing is not drowned out by the other instruments.

Even at the age of 70-something, Duke's piano playing is still superb. The disc features several of the most well-known standards from the Ellington catalog, and since he never played his songs the same way twice, if you're like me, you will enjoy hearing them, even if you know the music by heart and have heard other versions before. I enjoy live recordings for their sense of presence and the vibe that comes from the connection between artist and spectator, and the audience here is enthusiastic but never overbearing in their participation. They do sing along a little to "I'm Beginning to See the Light," but it's all in good fun and enjoyable to listen to. It's also great to hear Ellington speaking to the audience and being as charming and as genuinely friendly as always. He was a class artist in every sense, and this album really shows it.

For anyone who loves Ellington this is a must have for your collection. Although nearing the end of his life, Ellington's joie de vivre is exhibited here front and center. I have listened to this recording over a hundred times, but I still marvel at his solo interpretation of "New World a Comin'." Worth the price of admission alone.
Buy this, find a quiet evening when you can listen to the entire CD, weep that you were not there, but rejoice that you can at least hear once more the essence of the magic of Edward Kennedy Ellington.

This is the only time that you get to hear a classic that apparently became Duke Ellington's first song called "Soda Fountain Rag." Stride pianist James P. Johnson was the reason why Duke Ellington wrote the ragtime classic in 1914. However, Ellington plays "Soda Fountain Rag" in a stride style for at least 30 seconds. Had his left hand not bothered him, it would have been played in its entirety. That particular song from Duke Ellington is why I rate it five stars.