Duke Ellington is heard in a live performance from February 1954 at the Forum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on this two-CD set. The first half of the concert is for listeners, kicking off with a vintage work, "The Mooche," showcasing fines solos by clarinetist Russell Procope, trombonist Quentin Jackson, and trumpeter Ray Nance. "How High the Moon" is tackled at a furious tempo, with a trumpet battle among Nance, Clark Terry, and Willie Cook, as well as a smoking pair of tenor sax solos by Paul Gonsalves. Harry Carney comes ...
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Duke Ellington is heard in a live performance from February 1954 at the Forum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on this two-CD set. The first half of the concert is for listeners, kicking off with a vintage work, "The Mooche," showcasing fines solos by clarinetist Russell Procope, trombonist Quentin Jackson, and trumpeter Ray Nance. "How High the Moon" is tackled at a furious tempo, with a trumpet battle among Nance, Clark Terry, and Willie Cook, as well as a smoking pair of tenor sax solos by Paul Gonsalves. Harry Carney comes center stage with "Serious Serenade," followed by Jimmy Hamilton's vehicle for trombonist Britt Woodman, "Theme for Trambean"; both these pieces unjustly remain overlooked. The concert portion of the program concludes with the amusing Ellington narrative "Monologue" (also known as "Pretty and the Wolf") followed by the obligatory medley of Ellington's hits. The second half of the show was intended for dancers, so the songs range from a swinging "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" (featuring Procope in what was Johnny Hodges' solo feature) to a subdued "Satin Doll" (possibly due to some loud comments from some audience members as the leader attempts to introduce the piece) and a strident "Caravan." Interspersed are some forgettable songs like "The Bunny Hop Mambo" and "Isle of Carpi" (also played as a mambo), though Nance's crowd-pleasing jive vocals on "Take the 'A' Train" make up for them. Clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton and bassist Wendell Marshall take over the spotlight in the rarity "Duet," while alto saxophonist Rick Henderson, for a time Johnny Hodges' replacement on alto sax, solos with gusto in "All the Things You Are." One caveat about this release: It was recorded using just one microphone, so there are a number of places where individual instruments are overmodulated or not picked up well enough, and the ensemble sections are not heard all that well in some of the softer numbers. With that in mind, since Duke Ellington was not recorded nearly as frequently at this point in his career, this double-CD set will still have sufficient appeal to many jazz fans. ~ Ken Dryden, Rovi
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