Customer Reviews

Portraits of Duke Ellington

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

 

 

"Portraits of Duke Ellington" is a phenomenal disc! This is jazz guitar of the highest order. The tone, the intellect, the soul, the technical proficiency, the elegance -it's all here. While I've probably listened to this tribute about a thousand times, it is as fresh as ever. "Portraits of Duke Ellington" is one of those rare recordings that stands alone for active listening or can melt into the background when necessary. While 'Caravan' is perhaps my favorite song, it is the album's elegantly somber tone that most resonates. Given the seemingly little fanfare for this CD, it's an unappreciated gem. There are no unnecessary notes on this disc; when it comes to jazz guitar, this album is gilt-edged.

The gold standard of guitar jazz; amazing, unprecedented, unlikely to ever be repeated, this CD shows Mr. Pass at his peak, a true work of genius. Since his passing there has been a void which, although occasionally approached by other modern artists, remains unfulfilled.

I am a jazz guitarist and avid jazz guitar record collector. When I was buying albums by Joe Pass, this was one of my favorites. It's got great Ellington tunes, Ray Brown, and a spirited fun vibe. What more could you want. On all of the Pablo recordings, Joe's tone sounds pretty dry, and I maybe didn't dig that as much as his sound on earlier trio outings like, "Intercontinental", which were a little wetter and smoother, but his playing is great here, and he and Ray were great together.

The superb guitar playing of Joe Pass, backed by good personnel, coupled with the great compositions of Duke Ellington add up to a great CD. It doesn't get any better!

F_ckin' grawesome. Great and awesome. Grawesome. Deeee-lectable to the fullest. Sit down and have a listen...papa Joe hits the nail on the head.