Duke Ellington and his orchestra – Ellington Indigos (Mono)
Duke Ellington, piano [click here to see more vinyl featuring Duke Ellington]
Duke Ellington's Orchestra:
- Ray Nance, "Cat" Anderson, "Shorty" Baker, Clark Terry, Willie Cook, trumpets
- Sam Woodyard, drums
- John Sanders, Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, trombones
- Jimmy Wood, bass
- Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Russell Procope, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, sax
1 LP, standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Mono
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : Impex Records
Original Label : Columbia
Recorded March 13, September 9 to October 14, 1957
Remastered by Kevin Gray
Originally released in 1958
Reissued in 2012
Tracks:
Side A :
- Solitude
- Where Or When
- Mood Indigo
- Autumn Leaves
Side B :
- Prelude To a Kiss
- Willow Weep For Me
- Tenderly
- Dancing In the Dark
Awards:
TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal
Michael Fremer's 100 Recommended All-Analog LP Reissues Worth Owning - Rated 3/100!
Stereophile Records to Die For - 2020
Reviews :
"The recording is superb in every way: texturally, harmonically and especially spatially. I guess it's difficult for some to imagine 1957 producing an utterly transparent, three-dimensional recording but trust me, everything you might be looking for sonically is here. Finding a quiet original is not easy, especially because of the purposely quiet and somewhat distant production. It's designed to make you step into it, not bring it to you. Kevin Gray's cut from a 1:1 copy at 30IPS from the original master is to my ears better than any of the originals I have here, particularly in terms of high frequency extension and transparency. Of course the RTI pressing is dead silent. What a treat!" - Michael Fremer, www.analogplanet.com
"Hugely recommended, and one of the best Ellington reissues to date!" Robert H. Levi, Positive Feedback
"'Solitude' begins with Ellington's quietly introspective solo, but when his band jumps in a huge grin will cross your face as this Kevin Gray-mastered platter from Impex bursts to life with a sound as enveloping as a warm bath... There isn't a filler in the bunch. I have no original for comparison, but Gray's work is as good as it gets, and whatever limitations are evident here - a large but mostly shallow stage and the piano are about it - hardly interfere with this musical treasure." Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound
"Next to Kind of Blue, Ellington’s Indigos may be the biggest jazz audiophile chestnut, an LP every record collector worth his or her salt has made a top priority of bagging. It’s a recording made by Columbia in 1958 at the height of its recording prowess, and the fabulous sound achieved in this recording is among the very best things Columbia ever recorded. Ellington was being “rediscovered” in the 1950s and while some may carp that he wasn’t up to his earlier standards, the sessions he recorded for Columbia are still among recorded music’s highest achievements.
The arrangements and song selection on this album are out of this world. Paul Gonsalves’ solo on “Where or When” is one of the most beautiful recordings he ever made. This reissue by Impex was mastered by Kevin Gray. The highs have not disappeared from the tapes–cymbals retain their shimmer and the upper registers of the piano have not suffered from tape degradation. Indeed, in the high frequencies the Impex has more information than my original pressing. Improvements can also be noted in the middle registers, where the instruments have a slightly fuller, more textured sound than on the already fine original. This is ear and soul candy wrapped in a tidy package." DENNIS DAVIS, HIFI+ MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2013
"An easy listening set of ballads (only three of the ten songs were associated with Ellington), this is a relaxing if unexciting program. On this reissue, two "new" performances ("Night and Day" and a trio version of "All the Things You Are") were added to the original LP, but one song ("The Sky Fell Down") was dropped and an alternate version of "Autumn Leaves" was substituted for the original; all 12 performances could have easily fit. Nice subtle music, but not essential." AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow
Ratings :
AllMusic : 2 / 5 , Discogs : 4,22 / 5 , Michael Fremer : Music 9/11, Sound 9/11