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1. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
2. Sophisticated Lady
3. East St. Louis Toodle-oo
4. Black and Tan Fantasy
5. Drop Me Off in Harlem
6. Rockin' in Rhythm
7. Daybreak Express
8. Ko-Ko
9. Blue Harlem
10. Chicago Stompdown
11. Harlem Airshaft
12. Blue Light (Transblucency)
13. How High is the Moon
14. Hyde Park |
[SYN-032]
Congratulations. You now hold in your hand some of the finest
music produced in 20th-century America. The catalog of Edward
Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899-1974) and his orchestra stretches
over 50 years; at its best, which is often, it transcends all
the categories normally assigned to it - swing, big-band, jazz,
what have you - and stands with the classics of any genre. This
disc selects 14 prime tracks from two decades of Ellingtonia,
offering an excellent glimpse into the style of this peerless
composer, arranger, bandleader and pianist. The oldest material
here dates from the fall of 1927. Three tracks by the
"Blanton-Webster" band of 1940-42 - so-called because of
two gifted new members, upright bassist Jimmie Blanton and
tenor saxophonist Ben Webster - fill out our set. Sixty-five
years later, this music has lost none of its astonishing power.
— Mac Randall |
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