Masterpieces By Ellington [Extra tracks]

Duke Ellington | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 17, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0001CCY9M
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,615 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant re-issue of 1950 Ellington LP..., August 12, 2004

By 

William E. Adams (Midland, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Masterpieces By Ellington (Audio CD)

Read the two prior reviews for details, and believe them when the writers say this CD is worth hearing and owning if you are a jazz fan in general or a lover of Duke in particular. However, I liked the 11-minute "Tattooed Bride" piece even better than the long treatments of Duke's '30's classic songs, "Mood Indigo", "Sophisticated Lady" and "Solitude." The three short bonus tracks, laid down in the same era, are also lively. Sound quality is excellent throughout. While the players varied slightly for the three minor tracks, Johnny Hodges is here on sax, Russell Procope on sax and clarinet, Paul Gonsalves on sax, and Billy Strayhorn as well as Duke on piano. Sonny Greer is the drummer for the original LP selections, and Louis Bellson for the bonus selections. Great songs, great players, great composer, great conductor, great remastering combine to make this one a winner.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars masterpieces, indeed, June 12, 2004

By 

ADB (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masterpieces By Ellington (Audio CD)

This album gave Ellington and his men their first chance to "stretch out" some old works to the length afforded by the new LP format. Duke revisits three of his classic miniatures from the thirties ("Mood Indigo," "Sophisticated Lady," and "Solitude"), transforming each into a large-scale tone poem (e.g., this complex performance of "Mood Indigo" runs to 15:26). He also introduces an important new classic with "The Tattooed Bride," one his most successful extended pieces. This music can take some time to grow on you, but its textural sophistication, somewhat reminiscent at times of Ravel's orchestrations, rewards limitless re-listening. Yvonne Lanauze's fine, world-weary, somewhat mannered vocals on the first two tracks are used principally to introduce further variations in color. (It just wouldn't really be accurate to view these as "vocal performances.") The recordings no doubt benefit greatly from contributions by band members who would soon leave the fold, including trombonist Lawrence Brown (simply awesome at the end of "Solitude"!), drummer Sonny Greer, and the incomparable alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges. That makes this milestone album both a beginning (new format) and an ending (last appearance, at least for a while, of key band members). Nonetheless, the real stars, as usual, are Ellington and the ensemble, and if one soloist truly stands out, it's virtuoso clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton (esp. on "Tattooed Bride", almost a clarinet concerto of sorts).

This CD reissue includes three shorter pieces recorded in 1951, including the first appearance of the classic "Smada" (a reverse spelling of the last name of DJ Joe Adams) as well as the thrilling "Vagabonds". The sound quality is truly excellent for this period, with vastly more presence than Ellington's classic 40s recordings. This is a must-have for fans of Ellington and of great American music.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great work of a great master, July 2, 2004

By 

Eugene (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masterpieces By Ellington (Audio CD)

This CD contains the best studio performance of "Mood Indigo" ever. I have more than 20 years of jazz listening experience, and I quite familiar with Duke Ellington's works, but i never realized that a big band can play with such a delicacy and absolutely magical musical touch. I purchased the CD yesterday, but I could not move on before I listened to the "Mood Indigo" 3 times. This is 15-minutes performance, but you just do not realize it when you listen to it. It seems like one-minute piece. I would buy the CD if it only had this one tune. The sound is very clear and reach. The 3 following original tracks are excellent too. "Tattooed Bride" starts very promising with wonderful piano-bass-drums intro, but later it becomes a little too sharp and loud, but it may be just my first impression. Bonus tracks are very pleasant, especially first two.