Jazz Articles about Duke Ellington

like 336

Duke Ellington: The Jaywalker

by Norman Weinstein
October 19, 2004

The Jaywalker collects bits and pieces from the vaults of Ellington recordings the Master made for himself during 1966-1967. It was an impressive edition of the band, with Harry Carney, Cat Anderson, and Lawrence Brown on board, but little in these “unofficial recordings" is as striking as the Ellington output on big labels during the sixties. Yet this CD deserves attention, particularly for Ellington lovers, because of an exceptional set of nine musical sketches that Ellington composed ...

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Duke Ellington: Blues In Orbit

by Jim Santella
August 2, 2004

Featuring the talented solo voices of alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Hamilton, trumpeter Ray Nance, trombonist Booty Wood, and most other members of this 1958-59 Ellington Orchestra, this reissue swings with the blues. Alternate takes are included, and one of those has never been issued before.

“Blues in Blueprint" remains one of the album's high points. With Billy Strayhorn at the piano and Ellington snapping his fingers on two and four, bass clarinet and string bass ...

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Duke Ellington: Ellington Uptown

by AAJ Staff
April 6, 2004

For the sake of honesty, I must admit that I have never particularly enjoyed music recorded before the '50s, though the occasional interloper has caught my ear and found itself an exception. The problem with the earlier music mostly has to do with technology. First, sound quality is a mixed bag (and often a disaster) by modern terms; and second, length limitations prohibited any stretching out, whether in solo or ensemble space. The latter consideration gets at the core of ...

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Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington

by AAJ Staff
March 8, 2004

by John Edward Hasse Da Capo Press, 1995 ISBN 0306806142

Where do you start with Duke Ellington?When Duke launched his career, his contemporaries included James P. Johnson, Fletcher Henderson and a fresh-on-the-scene Louis Armstrong. When he wrapped things up in 1974, the rock / jazz flirtations of Weather Report and Return Forever were all the rage. That's a huge chunk of musical history, and each and every year of it was touched by his ...

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Duke Ellington: Ellington Uptown

by Jim Santella
March 4, 2004

Ellington Uptown was originally released in 1951; several reissues have appeared since. This year’s reissue includes bonus tracks. While the original—with Clark Terry and Louie Bellson, but without Johnny Hodges—has been viewed with contrasting opinions over the years, it remains solid Ellingtonian swing with an emphasis on individual artists. Bellson, Terry, Paul Gonsalves, Betty Roche, Cat Anderson and Quentin Jackson each have plenty of opportunities to characterize the Ellington orchestra the way the Duke had envisioned it. ...

like 357

Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington

by AAJ Staff
March 4, 2004

John Edward Hasse Da Capo Press, 1995 ISBN: 0306806142

Where do you start with Duke Ellington?When Duke launched his career, his contemporaries included James P. Johnson, Fletcher Henderson and a fresh-on-the-scene Louis Armstrong. When he wrapped things up in 1974, the rock/jazz flirtations of Weather Report and Return Forever were all the rage. That's a huge chunk of musical history, and each year of it was touched by his influence.Ellington is the ...

like 481

Reminiscing in Tempo: A Portrait of Duke Ellington

by AAJ Staff
March 3, 2004

By Stuart Nicholson Northeastern University Press 1999 ISBN-55553-380-8

“Reminiscing in Tempo" is not the definitive biography we might have expected in Ellington's centenary, but it's a valuable book nonetheless.Nicholson, the author of books on Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, has taken the oral biography route. It can be argued that this is easier or lazier than digging into Ellington's life in the context of a thoughtful narrative, but there is a lot ...