Caravan Ellington

The Genius of Duke Ellington, bandleader extraordinaire, pianist and greatest American composer of the 20th century is celebrated in the 93 ducal masterpieces featured in this 4 CD box set. Ellington's achievements as composer, arranger, pianist and bandleader touch a bewildering variety of levels, producing music that has never been surpassed, music that has been a constant inspiration to numerous other musicians, and those who truly appreciate Ellington's achievements.

Duke Ellington was still touring in 1971, though his orchestra had lost many of his star soloists due to death or retirement, with the passing of Johnny Hodges being the greatest loss. The first ten tracks here initially appeared on the Polish bootleg LP Last Time, which utilized poorly edited excerpts of a radio broadcast of his Warsaw concert, resulting in losing the pacing of a typical show by the bandleader. At least this Gambit reissue identifies the songs correctly…

This two-LP set lives up to its title. First Duke Ellington and his orchestra are heard in 1952 during a period when they were being overlooked by the jazz media but still producing a great deal of worthy music. The second half of this release is taken from a European tour in 1965 and features some prime late-period playing from trumpeter Cootie Williams.

The Essential Duke Ellington, a two-CD set, differs from previous Columbia/Legacy Duke Ellington reissues in that the music is drawn not only from Sony's vaults but from BMG's vaults, too. Four selections are from the 1920s, 20 date from the 1930s, seven are from the 1940s, and the final six were recorded between 1950 and 1960. Is this an essential acquisition? Most Ellington collectors will already have all of these performances in more complete fashion, while general collectors should realize that this two-fer does not cover Ellington's final 14 years and largely overlooks most of the highlights from the 1950s…

Thelonious Monk (piano/arranger) began his illustrious relationship with Riverside Records on the pair of July 21 and 27, 1955, dates needed to complete the eight sides for Plays Duke Ellington (1955). Monk commands a trio that also presents the talents of Oscar Pettiford (bass) and Kenny Clarke (drums) on all the tracks sans "Solitude," which appropriately enough features an unaccompanied piano. The delicacy and inherently intricate melodies that Duke Ellington is best known for are perfectly matched to Monk's angular and progressive interpretations…

Duke Ellington was so brilliant as a bandleader, arranger and composer that sometimes his piano playing was taken for granted. He gave few solo concerts in his career, which makes this particular Music Masters disc something special. At a 1964 appearance before the New York chapter of the Duke Ellington Society, the pianist played several trio numbers ("Take the 'A' Train," "Satin Doll," "Caravan," a drum showcase and a "Blues Medley") with his bassist Peck Morrison and drummer Sam Woodyard. There is also a joyous feature for Willie "The Lion" Smith (Duke's biggest influence) on "Carolina Shout," a remake of the Ellington-Billy Strayhorn piano duet "Tonk," and (best of all) four unaccompanied Ellington solos which are generally thoughtful and moody. This set is a must for Duke Ellington collectors.