Piano Reflections

Duke Ellington | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 20, 1989)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B000005HFA
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,588 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz
  • #12 in Music > Indie Music > Pop > Traditional & Vocal Pop
  • #30 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > Contemporary Big Band

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite, September 13, 2000

By 

David Graham "The author" (Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Piano Reflections (Audio CD)

This was my favorite Ellington disk on vinyl, and one of the first I replaced with a CD--with one additional track, happily. It's easy to hear how much Monk was influenced by Ellington, just as others have noted. Duke really was an amazing pianist, endlessly inventive, humorous, quirky, and lyrical. His orchestral music is great, of course, but if you're a fan of piano trios, this is one of the all-time best.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Master at work, August 6, 2000

By 

Michael R. Lachance (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Piano Reflections (Audio CD)

Everything you need to appreciate Ellington is here on this CD. His skill at composition and his magical ear are illustrated beyond compare. You will hear the depth and mood of the slow pieces and the outright swing of the faster ones. Kinda' Dukish has always been a favorite and the syncopation and timing on this track is utterly amazing. This CD is required Ellington.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful!, July 23, 2003

By 

Michael S. Goldfarb (Verplanck, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Piano Reflections (Audio CD)

There's not much to add to what the other reviewers have said. I've owned the LP of this album since the 70s, and it's just flat-out wonderful!

Ellington is generally remembered as a genius composer and bandleader, but he was also an ace pianist. These solo and trio performances show that his unique style encompassed everything from the stride/ragtime/barrelhouse styles he heard in his youth to the sophisticated chromatic "modern" approach of the 50s. And he could be just as expressive alone on the piano as with his orchestra full of monster soloists...

Great stuff!

(Also recommended for hearing Duke as pianist: the 1961 sessions with Louis Armstrong, now available in a couple of different CD packages. Fantastic!)