Caravan Ellington

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…

Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington (1955) {2007 Riverside} [Keepnews Collection Complete Series] (Item #1of27)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 211 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 90 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 304 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remastering
© 1955, 2007 Concord / Riverside | 0888072301283
Jazz / Bop / Piano

Remastered in 24-bit from the original master tapes. Part of our Keepnews Collection, which spotlights classic albums originally produced by the legendary Orrin Keepnews. For Monk’s debut Riverside date, Keepnews decided to ease the pianist into what turned out to be his lengthy association with the label by asking him to momentarily set aside his own compositions and instead play Duke Ellington tunes. He did so in the company of the esteemed rhythm section of bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Kenny Clarke. With his distinctively angular style, Monk nails Ellington’s best-known tunes such as “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” “Mood Indigo” and “Caravan.”

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life…

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life…

This collection of Ellington's Thirties recordings is generous in that it offers 95 selections and meagre in that there is no discographical information at all (no recording dates, no personel, no matrix numbers). The liner notes give some information but leave one pining for more too. There the criticism ends. Audio restoration by Dutchman Harry Coster (who is attached to the Dutch Jazz Archive and has an outstanding reputation for painstaking restoration of old material) is beyond reproach and the recordings never sounded so good before. And of course there is the music itself, which is formidable, both in musical content and in execution by that peerless group of proud individuals that constituted the Duke Ellington orchestra…

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…

Duke Ellington - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra featuring Paul Gonsalves (1962) {Fantasy OJCCD-623-2 rel 1991}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 196 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 93 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 8 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1962, 1991 Fantasy Records | OJCCD-623-2 / 00025218662321
Jazz / Big Band / Bop / Piano / Tenor Saxophone

Tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves will be remembered by many for his riotous 27 choruses on the Newport recording of "Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue." As with other prime Ellington soloists like Johnny Hodges and Harry Carney, Gonsalves was given ample room to display his wares live and in the studio. Duke's faith in Gonsalves was certainly made clear at Newport and is proven again on this very enjoyable showcase. Unbeknownst to Gonsalves, though, Ellington planned the session as a vehicle for his soloist's considerable skills.