Jazz Articles about Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington: The Essential Duke Ellington

by Ken Dryden
May 25, 2006

Anytime the term “essential" is utilized in a compilation of an artist's work, critics are ready to second-guess it. But this two-CD set issued by Columbia/Legacy, now a part of the parent company Sony-BMG, represents a good cross-section of Duke Ellington's studio recordings and even licenses a few tracks from other companies to fill some gaps, spanning from 1927-60.

Ellington's compositions have stood the test of time rather well, due to his gift for unique voicings and ability to compose ...

Duke Ellington: Complete Legendary Fargo Concert

by Samuel Chell
March 15, 2006

America's greatest jazz musician performing his own music on his favorite instrument--the orchestra--and not just any edition of Ellington's band but arguably his best, especially with bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor sax great Ben Webster. What more could you ask for? An inspired performance? The band is tight and spirited thoughout this five-hour engagement. Faithful audio reproduction? The fidelity is miraculously close to being state of the art for a 1940 recording made on marginal equipment by hobbyists. Blanton's bass ...

Duke Ellington: Love You Madly / A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral

by R. Emmet Sweeney
December 12, 2005

Duke Ellington Love You Madly / A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral Eagle Eye Media 2005

With the glut of Ellingtonia on the market, it's impossible to separate the sublime from the merely wonderful. This release leans toward the former. Split into two programs, the first a televised profile of Duke from 1965, the second a film of his first Sacred Concert, it is a package of off-hand delights.

Love ...

Duke Ellington: The Essential Duke Ellington

by Jim Santella
October 19, 2005

Trying to compile an album of essential Duke Ellington performances is a difficult task indeed. How can you get it all in? How does one performance of “It Don't Mean a Thing" compare to another? It's all arbitrary, and that's why our record collections continue to grow.

The recordings reissued on this two-CD compilation range from 1927 to 1960, with an emphasis on the earlier years. They're presented in chronological order. From the instrumental growls and vocal scatting ...

Duke Ellington Jazz Festival 2005

by Franz A. Matzner
October 18, 2005

It's all around, the sound of jazz, leaking from half-open windows, spilling out of doorways, flowing down the street in little pockets of music escaping restaurants, bars, and clubs. Couples wander in and out, patrons call for drinks over twanging pianos and swinging beats, intent listeners bend forward to catch every note, and lines of guests wait outside for the next show to begin.It's not New York in 1940. It's 2005 in Washington, D.C. and the U-Street Corridor ...

Duke Ellington

by Tim Kirker
October 5, 2005

1899 - 1974Composer, bandleader, and pianist Duke Ellington rates as one of the most original and important figures in 20th century American music. He came of age at the dawning of jazz in the 1920s and along with Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin, and Bessie Smith, propelled the genre into its rightful place as a “national treasure. Ellington's career lasted over fifty years and played a large part in the evolution of jazz. During that time his creative output ...

Duking It Out

by Jeff Fitzgerald, Genius
August 17, 2005

If you're anything like me, you are 5'10" tall, left-handed, and named Jeff. You also watched the epic Ken Burns documentary Jazz with a somewhat jaundiced eye (although in my case, it was just some stray popcorn butter on my glasses), thinking that perhaps Burns tended to fawn over certain personalities while leaving other important figures barely mentioned. Throughout the twenty-odd hours of the documentary, two names cropped up more than any others; Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.

Now, we've ...