Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Duke Ellington and Others: Melinda and Melinda

313

Duke Ellington and Others: Melinda and Melinda

Woody Allen's new film Melinda and Melinda is an artful combination of comedy and drama, and the soundtrack likewise is a successful weaving of opposites. Allen combines toe-tapping jazz standards and classical music, the jazz cuts focused on pianists.

Allen's taste is impeccable: there are three cuts by Duke Ellington ("Take the A Train," "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart," and "In a Mellow Tone"), three by Erroll Garner ("The Best Things in Life Are Free," "Somebody Stole My Gal," "Will You Still Be Mine?"), and three by Dick Hyman ("Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Love Me," and a medley that includes a lovely "Darn that Dream"). Plus—and this is the dramatic part—pieces by Stravinsky, Bartok, and Bach performed by the English Chamber Orchestra, the Shanghai Quartet, and Dick Hyman respectively. The producers sensibly put the classical cuts in the middle of the CD, and just as the movie segues seamlessly from light to dark, so does the soundtrack.

Everyone knows that Woody Allen loves jazz, but he's perhaps not given enough credit for his deep understanding of the music. Since he's a jazz musician himself, the soundtrack of Allen's life is jazz, and through his films he has been able to increase the music's exposure. So check out the film Melinda and Melinda, and chances are you'll want to hear its soundtrack again.

Track Listing

Take The 'A' Train; The Best Things In Life Are Free; Somebody Stole My Gal; I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart; Medley - Memories Of You/Moonglow/No Moon At All/Darn That Dream; Concerto in D For String Orchestra: 2. Arioso: Andantino; String Quartet No. 4; Prelude 2 Well Tempered Clavier; Love Me; Don't Get Around Much Anymore; In A Mellow Tone Will You Still Be Mine?

Personnel

Duke Ellington and His Orchestra; Erroll Gardner, Dick Hyman, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Shanghai Quartet

Album information

Title: Melinda and Melinda | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Milan Records


About Duke Ellington

Tags


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Become a Sustaining Member

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.

Near

More

Airborn
Eddie Parker's Airborn With Rob Luft
Slow Down For Turtles
Luca Benedetti
Relocate
Andres Thor
A Distant Land
Rich Halley 4

Popular

Desolation Row
David Maranha / Rodrigo Amado
2014 NYC
King Crimson
Beneath Lifted Skies
Linda May Han Oh & Melissa Aldana
Talamanti
Patricia Brennan and Sylvie Courvoisier

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletters highlight our top stories, top album reviews, website news, free songs, radio & podcast shows, news, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.