Duke Ellington - Ellington Uptown (1953)

For the sake of honesty, I must admit that I have never particularly enjoyed music recorded before the '50s, though the occasional interloper has caught my ear and found itself an exception. The problem with the earlier music mostly has to do with technology. First, sound quality is a mixed bag (and often a disaster) by modern terms; and second, length limitations prohibited any stretching out, whether in solo or ensemble space. The latter consideration gets at the core of what constitutes modern jazz, and it's an unfortunate dividing line.

Duke Ellington's concert bands broke through this boundary around the turn of the century, with entrancing results. Following on the heels of Masterpieces by Ellington, producer George Avakian introduced the original Ellington Uptown with a flourish. Columbia has bunched this reissue with Masterpieces by Ellington and Festival Session, including original liner notes and heavy essays by historian Patricia Willard. Ellington Uptown is the fourth release of a record which originally came with five tracks, having since been picked over and rearranged repeatedly by Columbia.There's nothing to complain about with this combination of standards ("Take the 'A' Train," "The Mooche," "Perdido"), suites ("Harlem Suite"), and one Louie Bellson original ("Skin Deep") which is essentially a vehicle for lots of drumming. The reissue, containing recordings from 1951-52, sounds good: hi-fi indeed.

This particular combination of tunes actually comes across a bit unnerving, making you sit up and pay attention when vocalists pop in and out, composition and improvisation change seats, and the tone of pieces shifts dramatically. But the upside is that diversity is basically a good thing. Notable moments include (of course) Louie Bellson's pert drumming and blizzard-laden solo space on the opener. "Take the 'A' Train" goes from piano trio to big band and back, featuring gentle if spare vocals (plus scatting) by Betty Roche, infectiously melodic and casually sophisticated. More of Duke's piano comes through again on "Perdido," playfully bouncing in the lower register but still hanging on the occasional oblique harmonies that he used like spice. Nils Jacobson

A hardcore Ellington massacre that would embarrass most modern musicians for its thickness and complexity. Some of the best, strangest and heaviest renderings of Duke's repertoire and an almost baroque excursion into Ellington country, sometimes verging on vertigo: a meta-ellington reflection. David Jacobs

1. Skin Deep

2. The Mooche

3. Take the "A" Train

4. A Tone Parallel to Harlem (The Harlem Suite)

5. Perdido

Saxophones: Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Hilton Jefferson

Trumpets: William Anderson, Clark Terry, Willie Cook, Ray Nance

Trombones: Juan Tizol, Quentin Jackson, Britt Woodman

Drums: Louis Bellson

Bass: Wendell Marshall

Piano: Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington.

Recorded in 1951-52.

Released by Columbia in 1953.

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Bernd Konrad - Hans Koller Unit (w/ Didier Lockwood) - Phonolith

Drawing on two studio sessions from 1980 and 1994, this fine recording was somehow not released until the year 2000. The liners refer to this as "German Jazz without the wince," although it might be better described as adventurous jazz performed by (mostly) German musicians. The several conglomerations perform pieces by Bernd Koller, with one track featuring Koller performing a satisfying solo rendition of Billy Strayhorn's "Lushlife." The highlights of the disc are the five sextet pieces (including a version of "Phonolith 1," in which violinist Didier Lockwood plays a prominent role), and the compelling nonet rendition of "Phonolith 2". There are wonderful solos from Konrad (on both soprano and baritone saxophones), Koller (on tenor saxophone and sopranino), and Lockwood, and the compositions, at their best, rise to highly creative levels. Konrad's writing is especially impressive for the horns, as a sensitive melodiousness mixes with restrained saxophone solos that dig into the chordal implications of the tunes. The duo of trumpeters Kenny Wheeler and Herbert Joos helps charge the nonet. Steven Loewy, All Music Guide

The meaning of the word "phonolith" is sound-stone, and though I've never to my knowledge tried the sound of a phonolith, it seems an apt word to describe the structure of this composition. Konrad's composition creates a masterful balance of composed and improvised parts. This is not about the loneliness of the soloist (they are not left alone in their a capella parts, and in the second version there are duos anyway), it is about the constant change of texture, about construction and decay, about what we used to call deconstruction. The soundness of this stone, if you pardon the pun, is incredible. Stephan Richter

1. Phonolith 1
2. Traumtänzer
3. Nordlicht
4. Aufwärtsregen
5. Jeannerette
6. Lush Life
7. Sleepwalk
8. Phonolith 2

(#1-5)
Bernd Konrad - soprano & bariton sax
Hans Koller - tenor & sopranino sax
Didier Lockwood - violin
Christoph Spendel - piano
Thomas Stabenow - doublebass
Martin Bues - drums

(#6)
Hans Koller - tenor sax
(#7)
Bernd Konrad - bariton sax
Hans Koller - sopranino

(#8)
Bernd Konrad - bariton sax
Hans Koller - tenor sax
Ekkehart Rossle - tenor sax
Kenny Wheeler - trumpet
Herbert Joos - trumpet
Paul Schwarz - piano
Thomas Heidenpriem - double bass
Pierre Favre - drums
Michael Kersting - drums

#1-5 recorded in Stuttgart March 12 1980
#6-8 recorded in Ludwigsburg 1994
All compositions by Konrad except #5 (by Koller) and #6 (by Billy Strayhorn)
Released by Hat Hut in a limited edition of 3000 cds in 2000

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André Previn & David Finck - We Got it Good & That Ain't Bad (1999)

"André Previn's standing in the world of classical music has had its ups and downs (though certainly more of the former than the latter), but as a jazz pianist he has always been at the top of his profession. One of the few classically trained artists who can "cross over" stylistically with complete success, his album of Ellington classics builds on his and bassist David Finck's impressive achievement in an earlier DG release devoted to Gershwin favorites. The selection of tunes nicely explores Ellington's range as a composer, from the up-tempo sassiness of "It Don't Mean a Thing" and the Gospel-influenced "Come Sunday", to the cool, smooth "In a Mellow Tone". Previn's improvisations and embellishments respect the original melodies while at the same time revealing their different facets and potential for musical development. Ellington was, as Previn himself notes, a genuine composer, not just a bandleader or songwriter, and it's to Previn and Finck's credit that you come away from this program with a renewed sense of just how marvelous a musician Ellington really was. And you can't really ask for more than that". David Hurwitz

"Previn has always been an adept, if not brilliant, pianist whose jazz leanings have belied his classical training. Here he interprets the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn lovingly and as well as any legit jazzster could, with help from the fine bassist David Finck. While this music can easily stand on its own, Previn's technical ability and heartfelt stretching of the original blueprints urge these well-worn tunes to carry new meaning and substance. If there are any stock treatments here, it's because the pianist tends to lay back and let the melodies come to him, as evidenced on the steady-paced "Isfahan," the easy "Serenade to Sweden," and the even easier swung "I Didn't Know About You." Previn wrings every emotional drop out of "In a Sentimental Mood," dismisses a time frame for the pristine "I Got It Bad" and "Come Sunday," while Finck is in late for the pensive "Chelsea Bridge." Melody is more implied with tempos at half and full speed on "It Don't Mean a Thing," Previn uses an off-minor change-up on the good swinger "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," and swaps 4/4 in the bridge for a waltzing 3/4 head and tail on "Take the A Train." Obviously an admirer of Oscar Peterson, Previn takes liberties and risks on the easy swing take of "In a Mellow Tone," trades ripped-up lines with the capable Finck, counter-punching during "Do Nothin' 'Til You Here From Me," and fervently digs into the up-tempo "Squatty Roo." Perhaps Previn's voracity is not well known, or as regarded in the modern jazz world as it should be, but on this recording it's clear how great he can be. This second CD with Finck, the previous being a Gershwin songbook "We Got Rhythm," signifies a step up for the veteran pianist, and is perhaps his shining recorded hour. Recommended." MG Nastos, All Music Guide

1. Take The "A" Train (Strayhorn)
2. Isfahan (Ellington / Strayhorn)
3. I Got It Bad ( And That Ain't Good) (Ellington / Paul Francis Webster)
4. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (Ellington / Strayhorn / Bob Russel)
5. Chelsea Bridge (Strayhorn)
6. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (Mercer Ellington / Ted Persons)
7. In A Sentimental Mood (Ellington / Irving Mills / Manny Kurtz)
8. Squatty Roo (Johnny Hodges)
9. Come Sunday (Ellington)
10. Serenade To Sweden (Ellington)
11. I Didn't Know About You (Ellington / Bob Russell)
12. In A Mellow Tone (Ellington / Milt Gabler)
13. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (Ellington / Strayhorn / Irving Mills)

André Previn - piano

David Finck - double bass

Released in 1999 by Deutsche Grammophon.

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Duke Ellington - Such Sweet Thunder (1957)

"Such Sweet Thunder was, like Black, Brown and Beige and the later Far East Suite and other works of the late-1950s and on, a long-form study broken into identifiable miniatures that could stand alone as tunes. But this one was far more unlikely than Ellington and co-composer Billy Strayhorn's other suites, with its focus on characters developed by William Shakespeare. Pieces were scripted for both centuries-old characters and Ellington band members; for example, Paul Gonsalves's tenor sax and Johnny Hodges's alto parry as a musical Romeo and Juliet on "Star-Crossed Lovers". Surely this description of the CD makes it sound stiff, even pretentious, but the music gives the lie to such an assumption.

Ellington was a master of sectional polyphony, making sure his band's sections swung individually and then in tandem with the other sections, creating a powerful, sometimes swirling swing. But he had Strayhorn, who was also a master of creating moods and ambient textures. And that's where this session becomes fascinating, in the moments when the group creates something other than rhythmic propulsion, standard harmony or even focused melody. Rounding out the original LP issue--which accounts for only half of this CD's length--are a host of alternate takes, three of them wholly or partially unreleased until this set".

Andrew Bartlett

1. Such Sweet Thunder
2. Sonnet for Caesar
3. Sonnet to Hank Cinq
4. Lady Mac
5. Sonnet in Search of a Moor
6. Telecasters
7. Up and Down, Up and Down
8. Sonnet for Sister Kate
9. Star Crossed Lovers
10. Madness in Great Ones
11. Half the Fun
12. Circle of Fourths
13. Star Crossed Lovers (alternate take)
14. Circle of Fourths (alternate take)
15. Suburban Beauty
16. A-Flat Minor
17. Café au Lait
18. Half the Fun (alternate take)
19. Suburban Beauty (alternate take)
20. A-Flat Minor (out-take)
21. Café au Lait (aka Star Crossed Lovers; out-take)
22. Pretty Girl

link @192 (here again)