Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Music I Liked And Didn't - 2/6/07



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Archival Additions -

ELLINGTON, DUKE: The Age Of Ellington TLP (RCA) - Of course, I’m familar with many of Ellington’s recordings and am well aware of his legendary status as one of the most influential figures (as a composer, pianist, and bandleader) in the history of Jazz, but I didn’t actually have any of his material in my collection. So, I was quite pleased to find a fine UK pressing of this mid-70’s triple LP compilation of his work at Amoeba in San Francisco.

Given the fact that Ellington composed over 2000 pieces in a career spanning over 50 years, no mere 3 LP set could ever be considered as being “definitive”, but the 34 tracks on this compilation do provide an excellent overview of his work. Recordings ranging from 1927 through 1967 cover his pop standards (such as “Mood Indigo”, “Sophisticated Lady”, “Solitude”, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”, and so on), instrumental pieces (like “Take The ‘A’ Train”, “Black And Tan Fantasy”, “C Jam Blues”, and so on), and even his extended works (such as “Black, Brown, And Beige” and “The Far East Suite”). I don’t know where in the pantheon of Ellington’s many recordings these particular versions of these compositions stand, but the performances, as well as the sound quality of the transcriptions of the older material, are very good. This retrospective of Ellington’s work captures an essential piece of American culture and is a welcome addition to my personal music library!


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Running Count For The Year

Adds 19/83%

Did Not Add 4/17%

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