Jazz Articles about Duke Ellington

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Norwegian Plans to Post All Ellingtonia on the Net

by Fradley Garner
November 17, 2007

OSLO: Do you have any information about Duke Ellington? Any concert programs, posters, clippings, memorabilia, photos, private recordings? An ambitious Norwegian jazz researcher is burning to get hold of such items--as scanned images or sound files. No need to part with the originals.Arne Neegaard has set himself a formidable goal: posting the details of every recording Ellington ever made, every gig and tour and jam session he ever took part in--there were many thousands of these--on the Net ...

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Who Was Duke's Sophisticated Lady?

by AAJ Staff
May 31, 2006

Dear Big Jazz Nerd, Whom was Duke Ellington referring to when he wrote “Sophisticated Lady"? Amy Alexander Houston, Texas

Amy,

A good guess would be his mom, Daisy Kennedy Ellington. History tells us that she was a beautiful, intelligent, educated woman who doted on her son, Edward Kennedy Ellington (1899-1974). Duke worshiped Daisy, but his 1932 masterpiece was not written about her or any one woman in particular. Rather, the tune was ...

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Duke Ellington: The Piano Player, The Treasury Shows, The Complete Gus Wildi Recordings

by George Kanzler
May 28, 2006

Duke Ellington The Piano Player Storyville 2005 Duke Ellington The Treasury Shows Storyville 2005 Duke Ellington The Complete Gus Wildi Recordings Lone Hill Jazz 2006 April 29th marks the 107th anniversary of Edward Kennedy Ellington's birth and in May he will have been gone for 32 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...