Duke Ellington Appreciation Thread

winston · #1 08-23-2006, 05:42 PM

This might be a totally obvious subjrct for a thread along the lines of "Sunshine is good" or "I like breathing air" but D@MN! I am continually impressed by the classy, swinging innovation of this man.

I mean I appreciate all the Ellington (and Strayhorn) chestnuts like "In a Sentimental Mood" "A Train" "Satin Doll" and "In a Mellow Tone" but it's great to come across sleeper gems like "Transblucency" that are perfect, soulful and otherworldly all at once. And I love Duke's angular, aggressive approach on "Money Jungle" with Mingus and Roach.

Just last week I got a new set of AKG headphones. To break them in I hooked them up to my iPod and left it on "Shuffle" for a while. I came in to the room and put on the cans while "Latin American Sunshine" from the Latin American Suite was playing. I'd listened to that disc before but never really noticed this song. That song and "Eque" from the same album have been lodged firmly in my mind day and night for the last 6 days.

Mr.Phil · #2 08-23-2006, 05:44 PM

It's all very good, but I especially like the stuff he did when Blanton was his bass player.

mcnaire2004 · #3 08-23-2006, 05:45 PM

I havn't heard much of the Duke. Though my former teacher who was a jazz basist loved him. Last year in the CYS we were going to play a composition of his works but it got cut out due to time constraints.

CamMcIntyre · #4 08-23-2006, 05:51 PM

Duke Ellington is a rare gem in my mind. His playing and compositions are such that they are treasures to the trained musician yet even the every day none-music nerd listener can listen to Duke Ellington and at least tap their foot to the music.

I've got Money Jungle and when it kicked into the opening track i thought "wow.....this is awesome". I'm in the process of picking up more and more of his albums [CDs] as i feel like i learn a tremendous amount every time i listen to them [granted-i feel this way towards nearly all music].

that's all

Peck_Time · #5 08-23-2006, 06:55 PM

I love Duke Ellington ! Here are some of my favourites:

Jazz Party - (Duke swings with multiple tympani, glockenspiels, and Jimmy Rushing)

And His Mother Called Him Bill - Tribute to Strayhorn

Duke and Coltrane - Great tunes and two excellent rhythm sections

Duke and Hodges Back to Back - more swinging blues with papa joe jones on drums.

Uncletoad · #6 08-23-2006, 07:25 PM

Duke Ellington
The Blanton Webster Band

This is an essential. It's many of the '38 through '40 band recordings. IMO Ellington's best band ever. Every cat in the band is a personality with a singular sound and approach. Duke wrote around them incorporating their idiosyncrasies into his compositions. Nobody can play these tunes better than this group. The feel is perfection.

Blanton is a monster. His time with Ellington was too short. He inspires me to swing hard play big and hold down the fort.

This is THE place to start with Ellington. Absorb this and you will understand why Ellington is so revered.

Ric Vice · #7 09-05-2006, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

Duke Ellington
The Blanton Webster Band

This is an essential. It's many of the '38 through '40 band recordings. IMO Ellington's best band ever. Every cat in the band is a personality with a singular sound and approach. Duke wrote around them incorporating their idiosyncrasies into his compositions. Nobody can play these tunes better than this group. The feel is perfection.

Blanton is a monster. His time with Ellington was too short. He inspires me to swing hard play big and hold down the fort.

This is THE place to start with Ellington. Absorb this and you will understand why Ellington is so revered.

+1 I had this CD out this week and it's so freekin' musical. If you can get your hands on the "Live from Fargo" CD you are in for a treat. It's the Blanton Webster Band recorded "direct to disc" in 1940. The RCA recordings are sonically much better but the energy of that band live is something not to be missed.

MagicianMan · #8 09-05-2006, 08:49 PM

Duke did his own thing in the sense that he took the traditional forms of European music and added his own melodies and harmonic genius to it. And the bass work has never been less than top notch from what I've listened to.

musicman5string · #9 09-05-2006, 10:43 PM

I think it's a miracle the way he wrote for the band.

I mean, it's like Mozart, and yet as far as I know Duke had no real training in arranging and composition.

Without a doubt genius.

Uncletoad · #10 09-05-2006, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric Vice

If you can get your hands on the "Live from Fargo" CD you are in for a treat. It's the Blanton Webster Band recorded "direct to disc" in 1940.

Sweet. I'll try to find that.

Ric Vice · #11 09-06-2006, 11:57 AM

Phil,
Amazon has the CD's, there not cheap. I'd get the one with the
booklet, because it has pictures of the band on the gig. Jack Tower and his friend had a portable disc cutting machine recording farmers talk about their crop problems. So they got Duke and the Band on the gig.

Ric