Duke Ellington - Piano In The Background
Duke Ellington (piano) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Duke Ellington]
Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Russell Procope (sax); Ray Nance, Willie Cook (tp); Lawrence Brown, 'Booty' Wood (tb); Aaron Bell (b); Sam Woodyard (dr)
Writen by Duke Ellington (A1, A2, A3, B2, B4, B5), Harry Carney (A3), Irving Mills (A3), Juan Tizol (B1), Don George (B2), Johnny Hodges (B2), Harry James (B2), Billy Strayhorn (B3), Irving Mills (B4)
1 LP, standard sleeve
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Pallas
Label : Speakers Corner
Original Label : Columbia
Recording: May and June 1960 at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles
Production: Henri Renaud
Originally released in 1960
Reissued in 2017
Tracks :
Side A :
- Happy Go Lucky Local
- What Am I Here For
- Kinda Dukish / Rockin' In Rhythm
- Perdido
Side B :
- I'm Beginning To See The Light
- Midriff
- It Don't Mean A Thing
- Main Stem
- Take The "A" Train
Reviews :
« One of Ellington's rarer studio sessions and last out on this French CD, the main plot behind this runthrough of his standards is that the leader's piano is featured at some point in every song. His sidemen are also heard from and everyone is in fine form. Ellington's solo abilities were always a bit underrated due to his brilliance in other areas, but this set shows just how modern he remained through the years as a player. » AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow
Big band fans, take note! These nine numbers, in precisely this version, belong in every collection. We are talking about the year 1960, and the 17 musicians involved have probably performed this very repertoire every night in a different venue all over the globe. But in the studio it all sounds fresh and new, well practised but never dull, cool, groovy and intoxicating. The difference to a great number of other Ellington LPs is that here not a single wind soloist stands in the foreground but the whole body of musicians. The arrangements are all new and some of them are even quite unusual, but Sam Woodyard on the drums has everything well under control - sometimes not at all 'Ellington-like'.
Snapping the fingers is automatic, and tapping your foot is also not to be frowned on; however this recording demands careful listening! If you have the first version of these numbers in your collection then it would be a good idea to compare them with this recording. The Duke Ellington Orchestra remains young, dynamic and varied thanks to a continually changing ensemble. And the 'Piano Man', as the best 'pause-filling' pianist ironically called himself, sat full of vigour before the 88 keys of the keyboard at the age of 60.
Not only jazz fans will be saying a big thank you that this recording - made in the early days of stereophony - is available once again on virgin vinyl with superb sound.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4 / 5 , Discogs : Rate Your Music :