Ellington Tribute

Tapping into the deep vaults of Blue Note and Capitol Records, the compilers of this Duke Ellington tribute deliver both classic vocal sides and hard bop instrumentals. Kicked off, appropriately enough, with Ellington's own version of "Rockin' in Rhythm," the mix includes the A-list likes of Nat King Cole ("Mood Indigo"), Kenny Burrell ("Caravan"), Nina Simone ("It Don't Mean a Thing"), and Clifford Jordan ("Sophisticated Lady"). Shifting between vintage tracks from the '50s and '60s and more modern turns cut during the '80s, the disc also features big band favorite Stan Kenton; Ellington's writing partner, Billy Strayhorn; Hammond B-3 great Jimmy McGriff; and multi-style singer Lou Rawls. A well-balanced and fetching compilation.

For the second installment of an ambitious five-CD project, undertaken to observe his fiftieth birthday, master bassist Rodney Whitaker convenes a world-class sextet to pay homage to the oeuvre of Duke Ellington. It's a subject that Whitaker came to know intimately during his 9-year tenure with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, regarding it as his Ph.D in Ellingtonia through performance, deep study, and spirited conversation with Wynton Marsalis and bandmates through those years. With a front line of modern jazz masters - Brian Lynch, Michael Dease and Diego Rivera, the fiery, modern aesthetic of drummer Karriem Riggins, along with pianist Richard Roe and vocals by Rockelle Fortin, Whitaker celebrates the timelessness of Ellington's works by allowing them to live and breathe through the freewheeling, "cutting session" atmosphere he created for the session.

We hear juicy, fine and atmospheric jazz from two such unusual imitators, musicians and wonderful instrumentalists. Familiar themes take on completely new colors in their interpretation, especially since the closeness and intimacy of this musical encounter can be heard in their duo.

American Roots Music thrives on growing new branches from its grand traditions, and the band Mr Sun, and its individual members, have long been actively re-shaping the acoustic musical landscape. For Mr Sun’s tenth anniversary, this celebrated company of virtuoso string players has reinterpreted the legendary Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker Suite, bringing this monumental reimagining of the iconic Tchaikovsky piece into the acoustic string band world.

This 24-CD box, which dwarfs even most Bear Family sets in scope, is essentially everything Ellington cut for RCA-Victor over a 46-year period. There are gaps, especially after 1946 when he jumped to Columbia, but otherwise, this is all of it. One quickly discovers that, by virtue of its leader's taste, combined with the good sense of RCA-Victor's recording managers, this was a band that did little, if any, wrong on record…

An Adventurous Dream - the Music of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington At PizzaExpress Live in London is a recording made by Ian Shaw (voice), Tony Kofi (alto saxophone), Barry Green (piano) and Dave Green (bass) for PX Records, PizzaExpress's own label dedicated to fine live recordings made at its London venues in Soho, Holborn and Chelsea.