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There is always an occasion to celebrate (and release more)
Duke Ellington. Using the 30th anniversary of his death as justification, Columbia has issued three distinct CDs, spanning the years 1957-1961. Not entirely exceptional, nonetheless two among this trio of recordings are must acquisitions, music astonishing in its vigor.
Let’s start slowly. Blues in Orbit is a mix of riffing blues recorded in what was essentially a studio jam session, the mix modified (at least in title) by an Ellington fascination with budding space flight (back then an undeniable novelty). Solid with some strong individual performances, but more a big band than the lushness of Ellington’s best orchestrations. For the collector, eight “bonus” tracks with one never-before-released.
Piano in the Foreground is a relative rarity, Ellington in a trio format. This is a view into the mind and training of Ellington the stride-born pianist, one with a keen intellect and an apparent sense of adventure. Provocative, but dimmed somewhat by the rhythm sections’ virtually metronomic accompaniment. It is Duke in front of a bass and drums, not a rhythm section improvising to Duke. [For contrast, try
Money Jungle, when Ellington pairs with Max Roach and Charles Mingus.]
Nonetheless, the music reaches the level of the extraordinary. His “Lotus Blossom” is extraordinary; he remakes “Summertime” as an almost grueling, hot-in-the-sun, workout (the most individual treatment of this song every conceived; “Body and Soul” is given his own twist; and his finale of “piano improvisations” (4 individual creations) march, stride and show a dominance of the keyboards sufficient to have made Duke a master musician for the ages without the voice of his orchestra (and here the rhythm section plays with him). Enough said?
The force-majeur of the reissues is Piano in the Background, a mis-named orchestral session. The design here was to let Ellington’s piano provide extensive introductions to the orchestra’s performances, and in doing so Ellington rose to new heights. His to-minute plus introduction to, and interpretation of, “Take the ‘A’ Train” is a majestic re-creation and re-visualization (re-audioization) of the ride on the elevated, much more than his usual trade-mark trilled introduction to this piece, with the orchestra responding in stellar form. More remarkable is “Main Stem,” where Duke orchestrates a New Orleans-bred collective improvisation that astonishes.
Ellington at night, colored blue; Ellington at the keys; and Ellington driving the orchestra. Celebrate.
Release Date: 27 July 2004
Duke Ellington:
Blues in Orbit
(Columbia/Legacy)
Piano in the Foreground
(Columbia/Legacy)
Piano in the Background
(Columbia/Legacy)
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last update 1 August 2004