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Berlin 1959 / Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
Storyville Records

Berlin 1959 / Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

$24.99

Details

Composer
ELLINGTON, DUKE
Artist
DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA
Format
CD
Label
Storyville Records
Released
Aug 20, 2021
Catalog #
SVL1038315
UPC
717101831524

About

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)

Tracklist 28 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 Black and Tan Fantasy - 05:21
    Track
    1
    Title
    Black and Tan Fantasy -
    Duration
    05:21
    Composer
    Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  3. 2 Creole Love Call - 01:24
    Track
    2
    Title
    Creole Love Call -
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  4. 3 The Mooche 01:49
    Track
    3
    Title
    The Mooche
    Duration
    01:49
    Composer
    Duke Ellington, Irving Mills
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  5. 4 Newport Up 04:40
    Track
    4
    Title
    Newport Up
    Duration
    04:40
    Composer
    Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  6. 5 Such Sweet Thunder 02:41
    Track
    5
    Title
    Such Sweet Thunder
    Duration
    02:41
    Composer
    Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  7. 6 Sonnet to Hank Cinq 01:30
    Track
    6
    Title
    Sonnet to Hank Cinq
    Duration
    01:30
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  8. 7 Kinda Dukish - Rockin' in Rhythm 06:00
    Track
    7
    Title
    Kinda Dukish - Rockin' in Rhythm
    Duration
    06:00
    Composer
    Duke Ellington, Harry Carney, Irving Mills
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  9. 8 El gato 04:13
    Track
    8
    Title
    El gato
    Duration
    04:13
    Composer
    W.C. Anderson
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  10. 9 Flirtibird 02:50
    Track
    9
    Title
    Flirtibird
    Duration
    02:50
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  11. 10 Things Ain't What They Used to Be 03:15
    Track
    10
    Title
    Things Ain't What They Used to Be
    Duration
    03:15
    Composer
    Mercer Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  12. 11 Skin Deep 11:25
    Track
    11
    Title
    Skin Deep
    Duration
    11:25
    Composer
    Louie Bellson
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  13. Disc 2
  14. 1 VIP's Boogie 03:14
    Track
    1
    Title
    VIP's Boogie
    Duration
    03:14
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  15. 2 Jam With Sam 03:55
    Track
    2
    Title
    Jam With Sam
    Duration
    03:55
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  16. 3 St. Louis Blues 03:09
    Track
    3
    Title
    St. Louis Blues
    Duration
    03:09
    Composer
    William Christopher Handy
    Performer
    Lil Greenwood
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  17. 4 Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home? 02:30
    Track
    4
    Title
    Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?
    Duration
    02:30
    Composer
    Hughie Cannon
    Performer
    Lil Greenwood
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  18. 5 Walking and Singing the Blues 02:29
    Track
    5
    Title
    Walking and Singing the Blues
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  19. 6 Don't Get around Much Anymore - 01:14
    Track
    6
    Title
    Don't Get around Much Anymore -
    Duration
    01:14
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  20. 7 Do Nothing till You Hear from Me - 01:07
    Track
    7
    Title
    Do Nothing till You Hear from Me -
    Duration
    01:07
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  21. 8 I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) - 02:35
    Track
    8
    Title
    I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) -
    Duration
    02:35
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  22. 9 In a Sentimental Mood - 00:50
    Track
    9
    Title
    In a Sentimental Mood -
    Duration
    00:50
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  23. 10 Mood Indigo - 01:02
    Track
    10
    Title
    Mood Indigo -
    Duration
    01:02
    Composer
    Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard, Irving Mills
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  24. 11 I'm Beginning to See the Light - 00:48
    Track
    11
    Title
    I'm Beginning to See the Light -
    Duration
    00:48
    Composer
    Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, Harry James
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  25. 12 Sophisticated Lady - 02:14
    Track
    12
    Title
    Sophisticated Lady -
    Duration
    02:14
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  26. 13 Caravan - 01:43
    Track
    13
    Title
    Caravan -
    Duration
    01:43
    Composer
    Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  27. 14 In My Solitude - 02:32
    Track
    14
    Title
    In My Solitude -
    Duration
    02:32
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  28. 15 Satin Doll - 03:36
    Track
    15
    Title
    Satin Doll -
    Duration
    03:36
    Composer
    Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  29. 16 I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart - Don't Get Around Much Anymore 01:23
    Track
    16
    Title
    I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart - Don't Get Around Much Anymore
    Duration
    01:23
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra
  30. 17 Basin Street Blues 07:24
    Track
    17
    Title
    Basin Street Blues
    Duration
    07:24
    Composer
    Spencer Williams
    Ensemble
    Duke Ellington Orchestra