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Duke Ellington and Others: Melinda and Melinda

By Florence Wetzel
May 18, 2005
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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

piano

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

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