Original Ellington Suite [Original recording remastered]

Eric Dolphy, Chico Hamilton | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 1, 2000)
• Original Release Date: August 1, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00004UB9B
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,116 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Throwaway Record" ia rare find and a real gem, August 12, 2000

By 

Robert Middleton (Boulder Creek, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Original Ellington Suite (Audio CD)

This "throwaway recording session" is one of the greatest jazz finds in years and a true gem. In 1959 Chico Hamilton recorded and released "The Ellington Suite" with Buddy Colette, Jim Hall, Fred Katz, Carson Smith and Paul Horn. But very few know that the same suite was recorded some months earlier by quite a different group with Eric Dolphy on saxophone, clarinet and flute, and then never released. The tapes were lost but a close-to-mint vinyl test pressing was found in a used record bin in Brighton England in 1995!! This CD is taken directly from that test pressing. You'd never know it. The sound is wonderful and the music is sublime. Covering several well-known Ellington pieces such as In a Mellotone, In a Sentimental Mood, I'm Just a Lucky So and So, I'm Beginning to See the Light and It Don't Mean a Thing, Chico Hamilton and company swing lightly but convincingly. The highlight, of course being the many wonderful solos by Dolphy. This belongs in the collection of any fan of Dolphy, and of course Chico Hamilton.

This CD might also serve to bring Chico Hamilton to light for those (including me) who have so far not been familiar with his work. Following this purchase I quickly obtained a copy of Reunion (with most of his original quintet featuring the same instrumentation as on the Ellington Suite), Man from Two Worlds featuring Charles Lloyd and Gabor Szabo from 1963 and 1962 sessions and his latest offering from 1999, a hard swinging, Timely. There is no doubt about it, Chico Hamilton may be one of the most underrated band leaders in jazz given that only a small fraction of his recorded output is currently available on CD. I recommend you not only pick up the Ellington Suite but check out everything else that Chico has done before it disappears as well. As Ellington said, "I'm beginning to see the light!"

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sublime tribute to Duke's art;absolutely essential!!!, August 24, 2003

By 

JEAN-MARIE JUIF (BESANCON France) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Original Ellington Suite (Audio CD)

I don't agree with some reviewers who wrote about this session.But,OK,CHico Hamilton's music was too advanced fourty five years ago for some ears (that's why this session was never released),and maybe it's still to advanced for some people.
I'd like to start this way:
- the sound quality isn't awful;it's a very correct one,so maybe some guys have to wash their ears before writing dumb things.
- Nate Gershman,the cello player,isn't a jazz musician and so,was not supposed to play like Red Mitchell or Oscar Pettiford.Chico Hamilton loved to interpolate classical things into jazz themes,and he was not the only one to do that.
- The reason why this session was never released is clearly explained into the booklet if you read it completely.It was no live recording.This was the first recording of Chico's Ellington suite,with Gershman,John Pisano on guitar,Hal Gaylor on bass and Eric Dolphy on clarinet,alto and flute;this was done August 22,1958.But it was never issued because Dolphy's music didn't satisfy Pacific Jazz,and the suite was recorded again with Buddy Collette replacing Dolphy.Please note that the second recording isn't really a suite,but only a succession of themes by Duke.In the first version,each theme is related to the following,forming a real suite.
Dolphy sounds too parkerish in this record ? Well,where do you think he comes from??? Charlie Barnet ??? It's as stupid as reproaching Zoot Sims to sound like Pres,or Pharoah Sanders to sound like Trane,or David Murray to sound like Ayler.
The fact is that this record is one of the best tributes to Duke Ellington ever recorded.Chico Hamilton chose magnificent tunes (I'm particularly pleased he chose "day dream" ,"azure" and "I'm just a lucky so and so").The arrangements are great,and Dolphy's solos,on flute,clarinet and alto,are majestic ones.Here is one of the highlights from the Pacific Jazz collection,even if it was rejected at the time of its recording.A real treasure.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful music., May 2, 2004

By 

D. Zhukov "Dmitry" (Brooklyn,NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Original Ellington Suite (Audio CD)

This is one of the best performances of Duke's music ever recorded. It sounds so modern and non-tiring that it's hard to resist repeated plays. Especially because of Eric Dolphy.
Among many things it is also a reply to those who think Dolphy was a second-tier instrumentalist.
Even though the sound is somewhat below the usual standards, it's a blessing this cd exists at all. It doesn't sound *bad*, sometimes there are vinyl-like background noises, but it's not something to really mind, imo.

Grab it while it's still in print!