Berlin 1959 / Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

$18.99
Label
Storyville Records
Release Date
August 20, 2021
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      ELLINGTON, DUKE
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
    • PERFORMER
      DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      August 20, 2021
    • UPC
      717101831524
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      SVL1038315
    • LABEL
      Storyville Records
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      2
    • GENRE
      Jazz
    Works ⌄

    1. Black and Tan Fantasy -

      Composer: Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    2. Creole Love Call -

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    3. The Mooche

      Composer: Duke Ellington, Irving Mills

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    4. Newport Up

      Composer: Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    5. Such Sweet Thunder

      Composer: Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    6. Sonnet to Hank Cinq

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    7. Kinda Dukish - Rockin' in Rhythm

      Composer: Duke Ellington, Harry Carney, Irving Mills

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    8. El gato

      Composer: W.C. Anderson

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    9. Flirtibird

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    10. Things Ain't What They Used to Be

      Composer: Mercer Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    11. Skin Deep

      Composer: Louie Bellson

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    12. VIP's Boogie

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    13. Jam With Sam

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    14. St. Louis Blues

      Composer: William Christopher Handy

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

      Performer: Lil Greenwood

    15. Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?

      Composer: Hughie Cannon

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

      Performer: Lil Greenwood

    16. Walking and Singing the Blues

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    17. Don't Get around Much Anymore -

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    18. Do Nothing till You Hear from Me -

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    19. I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) -

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    20. In a Sentimental Mood -

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    21. Mood Indigo -

      Composer: Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard, Irving Mills

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    22. I'm Beginning to See the Light -

      Composer: Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, Harry James

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    23. Sophisticated Lady -

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    24. Caravan -

      Composer: Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    25. In My Solitude -

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    26. Satin Doll -

      Composer: Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    27. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart - Don't Get Around Much Anymore

      Composer: Duke Ellington

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra

    28. Basin Street Blues

      Composer: Spencer Williams

      Ensemble: Duke Ellington Orchestra


What we have here is the welcome memento of the Duke Ellington’s 1959 European tour. Berlin’s Sportpalast is not a concert hall and during the cursed Nazi reign often was the site of speeches by Hitler and his fellow criminals, but the hall can perhaps be said to have been purified by sounds of jazz by the time of this concert. The music starts with the Ellington Medley, by then a standard concert opener in varied embodiments. Critics often chided Duke for (in their opinion) overdoing this staple, but in fact it was not only a clever way of dealing with what undoubtedly would have been audience requests for beloved Ducal standards, but also a way of celebrating the continued life of his musical heritage. The concert has been remastered to modern standards, and is a must own for any Ellington fan.

REVIEWS:

Storyville Records has released Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: Berlin 1959, a terrific live album with great sound and luxurious music. Partially released in past years on shabby bootlegs, this album gives us this concert with pristine sound. Don't cherry-pick songs when listening. The only way to enjoy this album is by listening from start to finish. Only then can you absorb the depth of the Ellington band's full spectrum of moods and the Duke's piano. Be aware that tracks 17 to 27 are part of an Ellington medley and aren't full songs. As a result, each song is short.

--AllAboutJazz.com (Marc Myers)

There can never be too many Duke Ellington albums. Heard here is Storyville’s recently released two-CD set titled Berlin 1959, a previously unreleased concert. The Duke Ellington Orchestra was well documented in the late 1950s following their major success at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, and the live concerts that have been released from this period can be a little predictable. Just as with the Louis Armstrong All-Stars, there are some routines that do not differ that much from month to month although they eventually evolved. But, as with Armstrong, there are occasional surprises that make each concert well worth hearing.

Overall, everything works well during this fine concert. There may not have been an excess of surprises, but the results are fun.

--The Syncopated Times (Scott Yanow)