Duke Ellington AT Newport

Much of the music on this CD from Duke Ellington's 1958 Paris concerts is familiar to collectors from its appearance on various European bootleg labels, but Pablo does a better job arranging and annotating this music, which was recorded by Radio France with permission. The program mixes favorites such as "Take the 'A' Train" (featuring trumpeter Ray Nance, who also soloed on its recorded debut), the always exciting medley of "Kinda Dukish" and "Rockin' in Rhythm" (though the first piece is not listed), and the inevitable wailing extended solo by Paul Gonsalves in "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue." "Juniflip," a fairly new piece written to feature Clark Terry's matchless flügelhorn, was performed only a handful of times and left the band book with his departure the following year…

The classic 1962 album Duke Ellington & John Coltrane showcased the rising jazz saxophone innovator performing alongside the long-established piano institution…

The classic 1963 album Duke Ellington & John Coltrane showcased the rising jazz saxophone innovator performing alongside the long-established piano institution. While the pairing might have portended a dynamic clash of the musical generations, instead we got a casual, respectful, and musically generous meeting of like-minded souls. Similarly, while one might have assumed that Ellington would use his sidemen, instead producer Bob Thiele (who also produced similar albums for Ellington including pairings with Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins) chose to bring in Coltrane's own outfit for the proceedings. Consequently, the duo is backed here at various times by bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, as well as alternates bassist Aaron Bell and drummer Sam Woodyard…

The classic 1963 album Duke Ellington & John Coltrane showcased the rising jazz saxophone innovator performing alongside the long-established piano institution. While the pairing might have portended a dynamic clash of the musical generations, instead we got a casual, respectful, and musically generous meeting of like-minded souls. Similarly, while one might have assumed that Ellington would use his sidemen, instead producer Bob Thiele (who also produced similar albums for Ellington including pairings with Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins) chose to bring in Coltrane's own outfit for the proceedings. Consequently, the duo is backed here at various times by bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, as well as alternates bassist Aaron Bell and drummer Sam Woodyard…

Now that Duke Ellington had regained his former commercial success with his performance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, he was free for the remainder of his career to essentially play what he pleased. This live performacne from ranges from old favorites like "I Got It Bad" and "Sophisticated Lady" to the spectacular Britt Woodman trombone feature on "Theme Trambene," the whimsical "Pretty and the Wolf," a fresh rendition of "Harlem Air Shaft" featuring trumpeter Clark Terry and the extended "Harlem Suite." Baritonist Harry Carney, high-note trumpet wizard Cat Anderson and altoist Johnny Hodges all have their great moments on this enjoyable set.

Duke Ellington - Ellington At Newport 1956 Complete (1956) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4007~8}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 700 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 297 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 312 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956, 2014 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4007~8
Jazz / Big Band / Swing / Progressive Jazz

Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. One of the first albums to ever issue recordings made at the Newport Jazz Festival – quite a big hit, and the beginning of a real trend in jazz! The set's also some great work by Duke – free to perform in a setting that's not bound by some of the time restrictions of earlier years, which lets him offer up three long tracks with a great deal of sophistication over previous recordings. Due to bad mike placement on stage, the original "live" album was actually a studio re-creation; the actual live performance was never issued-until now. This 2-CD set contains the complete original album and the hour-plus concert. More than 100 minutes of new music, and the whole thing's in stereo for the first time!

Duke Ellington's concert at the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival lacked the excitement and adventure of his appearances in 1956 and 1958. Ellington and his orchestra played their usual program of standards and features with the 14-and-a-half-minute "Idiom '59" being introduced…

Part 1. The tracks within this first of two volumes were drawn from two separate concerts recorded on the same evening at the Alhambra in Paris. Like many releases of quasi-legal origin, it is hard to say that Duke Ellington himself would have authorized the release of these performances, as there are some problems with a squeaky reed in spots. "Take the 'A' Train" is joined in progress, while there are numerous other live versions of medleys like "Black and Tan Fantasy/Creole Love Call/The Mooche" and "Kinda Dukish/Rockin' in Rhythm." That said, the band is in good form. Among the highlights are works of fairly recent vintage: "Newport Up" (showcasing a wild tradeoff of brief exchanges between Clark Terry, Paul Gonsalves and clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton), a medley of "Such Sweet Thunder" and "Sonnet to Hank Cinq," though "What Else Can You Do With a Drum" is a bit of a dud…