Duke Ellington - What Are His Essential Recordings?

Started by George, August 31, 2014, 12:02:09 PM

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George

Help!

As of now, I only have Live at Newport and the 4CD proper box below:

"I can't live without music, because music is life." - Yvonne Lefébure

Brian

Well, my favorites are The Nutcracker Suite, Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins / John Coltrane (two albums now available on one disc), and most of all, Money Jungle, a trio format album showcasing Ellington at his most modernist and boundary-pushing. Doesn't hurt that the recording session was rife with the very worst kind of chemistry; in the finished product, Charles Mingus, on bass, is an aggressor force ready to explode at any moment, and it takes every last ounce of Ellington's genius to keep him in line.

kishnevi

#2
I am not a fan of the Duke in the way I am of Monk and Davis, mostly because he generally worked with larger groups than they did, and I seem to connect better to smaller groups in jazz.  So I have only three CDs of his:  one taken from European gigs, the joint recording with Coltrane, and this one.

Just ordered the Money Jungle CD off Amazon.

Dancing Divertimentian

#3
I'm a HUGE fan of the Duke, but I prefer his post-swing period, the period starting at about the mid-50's. This is Duke in more experimental mode. The music is full of all kinds of layered effects and whimsical undercurrents. But always with that trademark pulse.

For my essentials list I'd say:

• Ellington Uptown
• Masterpieces
• Such Sweet Thunder
• Far East Suite
• Jazz Party
• And His Mother Called Him Bill (a tribute to Billy Strayhorn)
• Afro-Bossa

And that's literally just the tip of the iceberg. :)

Veit Bach-a baker who found his greatest pleasure in a little cittern which he took with him even into the mill and played while the grinding was going on. In this way he had a chance to have the rhythm drilled into him. And this was the beginning of a musical inclination in his descendants. JS Bach

Ken B

Quote from: Brian on August 31, 2014, 03:15:43 PM
Well, my favorites are The Nutcracker Suite, Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins / John Coltrane (two albums now available on one disc), and most of all, Money Jungle, a trio format album showcasing Ellington at his most modernist and boundary-pushing. Doesn't hurt that the recording session was rife with the very worst kind of chemistry; in the finished product, Charles Mingus, on bass, is an aggressor force ready to explode at any moment, and it takes every last ounce of Ellington's genius to keep him in line.
Mingus walked out I thought.


Brian

Quote from: Ken B on August 31, 2014, 07:40:51 PM
Mingus walked out I thought.
Yes, he did, and the surviving stories conflict but Ellington had to run after him and persuade him, either at the elevator or in the street outside, to return to the studio and continue recording. There were originally going to be two albums, but the artists did not want to play together a second time.

Another interesting quote from the album's Wikipedia page:

"For each piece, according to Roach, he and Mingus were given "a lead sheet that just gave the basic melody and harmony", plus a visual image described by the pianist: one example was, "crawling around on the streets are serpents who have their heads up; these are agents and people who have exploited artists. Play that along with the music". The musicians had declined the chance to rehearse, so the recording, which was made on three-track tape, was of their first experience playing together."

George

Thanks so much for all the recommendations. Please keep them coming.

"I can't live without music, because music is life." - Yvonne Lefébure

Mirror Image

#7
I've always liked the New Orleans Suite album.



Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies always puts my mind in a completely different space:

https://www.youtube.com/v/rQu9XwWaBqA

I also love the version Stefon Harris recorded on his African Tarantella album:

https://www.youtube.com/v/jHqj7bhJm-s

Here's another one of my favorite Ellington albums:


torut

My favorite album is The Popular Duke Ellington. It is a collection of his popular tunes re-recorded in 1966. (Not a compilation of old recordings.) It is nice to hear the famous works in (relatively) good sounds. Unfortunately, it is OOP. (The mp3 album available at amazon.com is NOT the same one.) Since I lost the LP, I am looking for CD or mp3.

Take the "A" Train
I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
Perdido
Mood Indigo
Black and Tan Fantasy
The Twitch
Solitude
Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
The Mooche
Sophisticated Lady
Creole Love Call

The Ellington/Coltrane albums is excellent. One of the most beautiful performances of In A Sentimental Mood.

I like the duo performances of Ellington and Blanton in Never No Lament. The duo album of Ellington and Ray Brown dedicated to Blanton, This One's for Blanton, is also very nice, though it may not be "essential."

XB-70 Valkyrie

There was one on the great (but largely uncelebrated) Pablo label of Duke doing some small-scale chamber pieces called "Intimate Ellington". Get that if you don't have it. I have the LP, but am unsure whether it was ever reissued on CD. There is one piece called "Moon Maiden" in which Duke is singing and playing celesta--priceless!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intimate_Ellington
If you really dislike Bach you keep quiet about it! - Andras Schiff

Daverz

Two old favorites are the score for Anatomy of a Murder and And His Mother Called Him Bill, the latter a posthumous tribute to Billy Strayhorn.

bigshot

Ellington is one of those artists whose bad works are better than anyone else's good ones. It's hard to miss with Ellington. The only problem is duplication between CD collections. The Mosaic band and small group box sets are essential though. Solid gold.

Mookalafalas

 He has a couple of albums of solo piano music. Wonderful.
It's all good...

George

"I can't live without music, because music is life." - Yvonne Lefébure

Mookalafalas

Quote from: George on September 03, 2014, 07:53:02 AM
Which one is your favorite?

  This is my favorite:
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  A lot of introspective, slow stuff.

  I used to listen to this a lot, too, although I don't remember anything specific about it except that I wished it was longer. [Ellington piano duets with Billy Strayhorn--Great Times!]
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It's all good...

escher

Piano reflections is not a solo album. Anyway it's beautiful.

escher

#16
Considering the discography of Ellington, altough he wrote great pieces like Daybreak express, Come sunday, Fleurette africaine, Prelude to a kiss, Le sucrier velour, Blue light, Warm valley, Koko, Cotton tail, Cafè au lait, All too soon etc, some of my very favorite pieces of the orchestra are the ones written by other members.
Some examples?
Strayhorn wrote Blood count, Chelsea bridge, Star crossed lovers, Isfahan, Daydream, Raincheck, Air conditioned jungle, On a turquoise cloud and many others.
Mercer Ellington wrote pieces like Blue Serge and Moon mist.
Tizol wrote Caravan, Conga brava, Bakiff and Moon over Cuba.

Mookalafalas

Quote from: escher on September 04, 2014, 12:49:35 AM
Piano reflections is not a solo album. Anyway it's beautiful.

  Whoops. You are right. It's a trio, and sometimes duo, but in most of the songs the accompaniment is minimal, even disappearing at times.
It's all good...

escher

Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 04, 2014, 01:42:45 AM
  Whoops. You are right. It's a trio, and sometimes duo, but in most of the songs the accompaniment is minimal, even disappearing at times.

yes, I can understand why you remembered it as a solo album. Not so long ago I was trying to remember solo works made by Ellington and I was thinking of it too.

toledobass

If I limit it to 5 releases, here are my recs. These albums will give a well rounded, solid understanding of his artistry.

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and here is my extra: 

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Allan