Piano In The Background

Duke Ellington | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 11, 2011)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Columbia/Legacy
• ASIN: B0002J58P6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,004 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #27 in Music > Jazz > Orchestral Jazz

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Forget the misleading title: though Duke Ellington is heard with his orchestra on these reissued 1960 recordings--not with a trio, as on the exceptional companion release Piano in the Foreground (1961)--he is still very much the table-setter, the driving force, the pilot, the master framer on keyboard. Recorded in Los Angeles, Piano in the Background consists of remakes of Ducal classics including "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," "I'm Beginning to See the Light" (both arranged by Gerald Wilson), and "Perdido" (arranged by Bill Mathieu). If there were occasions when that format resulted in mortal performances, the band is in upbeat form here, delighting in fresh charts that remake the songs via tantalizing introductions, offbeat rhythms and accents, and bold off-center harmonies. Bonus cuts include two lively versions of George Shearing's "Lullaby of Broadway," the Billy Strayhorn ballad "Dreamy Sort of Thing" (featuring the composer on piano and alto Johnny Hodges), and Wilson's bluesy "The Wailer." There's also a previously unissued 1961 version of "Harlem Air Shaft." --Lloyd Sachs

Product Description

Piano In The Background by Duke Ellington

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars His Dukeness, April 24, 2011

By 

Nikica Gilic - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piano In The Background (Audio CD)

I'm writing about 2004 edition of this CD, with 5 bonus tracks - Lullaby of birdland, The Wailer (with Gerald Wilson on trumpet), Dreamy sort of thing, Lullaby of Birdland (alternate take) and Harlem Air Shaft; other editions may have less or no bonus tracks at all; without these tracks you still get 9 tracks of GLORIOUS SWING...

This is a great Ellington CD for someone who wants to meet the Duke's music for the first time, with strong solos, equally strong ensembles and the song selection that includes some of the "greatest hits" of the repertoire, as well as some general jazz standards (although it has some more rare numbers...).

The titles of the tracks are:

1. Happy Go Lucky Local, 2. What Am I Here For, 3. Medley: Kinda Dukkish/Rockin' in Rhythm, 4. Perdido, 5. I'm Beginning to See the Light, 6. Mid-riff, 7. It Don't Mean a Thing, 8. Main Stem, 9. Take the "A" Train /+ the bonus tracks I listed in the beginning/.

The names of players speak for themselves:

Ray Nance, Fats Ford, Willie Cook, Eddie Mullens, Gerald Wilson - tp; Britt Woodman, Juan Tizol, Booty Wood, Lawrence Brown, Mathew Gee- tb; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney - reeds; Duke, Billy Strayhorn -p; Aaron Bell -b; Sam Woodyard-dm.

And if I add that booklet is rich and informative, photographically well funded, AND that Duke's piano is NOT in the background of this album, I believe I've said quite enough.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great, great, great, November 11, 2004

By 

COMPUTERJAZZMAN "computerjazzman" (Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piano In The Background (Audio CD)

this is Ellingtom and Orchestra at the top of their game. Get it. And play it loud. The older this stuff gets, the more it stands out, like a good bottle of fine wine.