DUKE ELLINGTON — Three Mid-Fifties Classic Albums and More: Historically Speaking - The Duke / Duke Ellington Presents / Ellington 55 (review)

DUKE ELLINGTON — Three Mid-Fifties Classic Albums and More: Historically Speaking - The Duke / Duke Ellington Presents / Ellington 55 album cover Boxset / Compilation · 2008 · Big Band Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
“Duke Ellington - Three Mid-Fifties Classic Albums” is a title that makes it quite clear what you get on this CD compilation. The albums “Duke Ellington 55”, “Historically Speaking, the Duke” and “Duke Ellington Presents” are all presented along with ten more bonus tracks recorded about the same time as the “Ellington 55” cuts. “55” consists of material recorded in 53 and was the Duke’s last album for Capitol before they let him go, the other two albums are with the smaller Bethlehem label and were recorded a few years later in early 56. The mid 50s are considered a down time for Ellington and his band as their popularity waned and Ellington was producing very little new material and mostly re-recording past favorites. Still, the band is in fine form and there is some excellent material to be found on here.

“55” is probably the weakest of the three albums with its older style production and preponderance of over played dance tunes made popular by the likes of Glen Miller etc. The two Bethlehem albums feature a much stronger rhythm section production which is driven by the modern back-beat influenced drummer Sam Woodyard. Sam was an important new addition to the band and his strong rhythms propelled the band’s big comeback at Newport soon after these Bethlehem albums were released. The Bethlehem sides are also helped by the return of Johnny Hodges to the band, whose virtuoso saxophone playing always lifts the band to another level.

Some of the standout tracks on here include rip snorting versions of “The Jeep is Jumpin”, “Rockin in Rhythm”, “Cotton Tail” and “Stomp Look and Listen”. Ellington gets into his more modern and abstract sounds on “Lonesome Lullaby” and “Upper Manhattan Medical Group”. The weakest cuts are the bonus tracks from the 53 sessions, they aren’t terrible, buts its easy to see why they weren’t included on an album the first time around, I think lackluster is the term.

Since much of these three albums were made up of past hits, owning all three gives you quite an overview of some of Ellington’s more popular material, all played with energy, enthusiasm and much creativity. The critics were down on these albums at the time of their release for their lack of new material, but the passing of time has made that less relevant today.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Symphonic Blues No. 6 Third Stream
CORKY SIEGEL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Recut Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop
SKALPEL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Yuval Cohen Quartet : Winter Poems Post-Fusion Contemporary
YUVAL COHEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Just Nu Jazz
JIM HART
Buy this album from MMA partners
Skrifum Post-Fusion Contemporary
JON BALKE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

SOLSTICE album release • Duo Russo - Holst
PAOLO RUSSO
js· 112 minutes ago
Akiko Yano & Hiromi - Kawarushi (Official Audio)
HIROMI
js· 1 day ago
All I Want For Christmas Is You
DAVID HAZELTINE
js· 1 day ago
Chicken
QUATUOR EBÈNE
js· 2 days ago
Det er en egen lomme
THE LEIF
js· 2 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed