Duke Ellington

Jubilee Stomp is an acceptable substitute if Jungle Nights in Harlem is not available.

Damnit hes prolific.
I havn't heard any of this.

Jungle Nights and Jubilee Stomp are early stuff. On Bluebird, nice and cheap and very hard swinging and excellent.

I am really enjoying The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse, one of Ellington's last albums. I know it's supposed to be African-influenced -- and it is -- but it sounds even more rock-influenced, to me. Dark, thumping and rhythmic. Very unlike what I expect of Ellington (OTOH, I'm not all that familiar with his bread-and-butter big band work). Anyway, great disc. (n.1).

-------------
(n.1) I did cringe at the corny spoken-word opening of the album, tho. Minor quibble, I guess.

haha, i LOVE that spoken word intro.
as has been noted in this thread, there's a ton of later period (60s-70s) Ellington that is amazingly good. One I didn't see mentioned is the piano/bass album with Ray Brown called This One's For Blanton. Sort of an album length sequel to the duets Duke did with Blanton way back when. The New Orleans Suite (Hodges' last album, I think) has some great moments as well.

I have this and the remaster sounds fine to me, as good as you could expect for this period

I've kind of changed my mind on this. I think they did kind of screw it up - though it's still listenable if you turn the treble down a couple of notches on your stereo.

yeah, i think maybe the first disc of the B|W Band comp is kind of dodgy, esp. on headphones. I've got an old double LP with a lot of the same stuff and it sounds better to me, even on my crappy turntable. That said, those recordings would be great recorded on a cell phone. goddam, some of it is unbelievably good.

I am really enjoying The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse

YES.

"Didjeridoo" is quickly becoming a tune I feel really gypped that I never got to play with my jazz combo in college

emusic subscribers who don't have this record, you have wasted a month.

Tom, you should post here too:
Ellington as pianist

Matos DJs on Wednesdays here and plays something from The Far East Suite almost every week.

I've been listening to The Far East Suite pretty much nonstop, with a couple of plays of The Seattle Concert thrown in. Sound is rough, as it's a 1952 show (and Ellington's first LP as such), but really sweet. Clark Terry is really nice on "Perdido."

I should say the album is really sweet, not the rough sound.

Duke Ellington becomes first African-American on U.S. coin

this is great -

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gbfqxqejldse

Eee, that does look good. Also expensive.

Jazz man is first African-American to solo on U.S. circulating coin

I've been saying for years we need to get politicians off our money and artists on. Nice work, DC! We could get off to no better start.

http://dcist.com/2009/01/dc_duke_ellington_quarter_released.php

Oh god, the comments.

"I looked up Duke Ellington"

Wow. Says it all, really.

[6] | snoopydog

Who is Duke Ellington and why should I care about him? Are there any other individuals on the quarters that I missed? Usually it's some stupid mountain or some wild life from the state. Who's Duke Ellington? Was he the architect of DC? I thought that guy was French. Ellington does not sound French to me.

I realize that DC isn't exactly the center of intellectualism but really, a piano player who likes white suits?

This is why I have instituted a strict "DO NOT READ COMMENTS ON INTERNET" policy. Talk about douchebags.

a funny thing to post on an Internet message board, yeah, but I'm talking about newspaper comments, etc.

Beat out Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass. I guess I could live with any of those on a quarter. I still would like to replace Andrew Jackson on the 20 with someone a little less....genocidal, though.

Charlie Parker never committed any indian massacres, did he?

<a href=http://www.sendspace.com/file/oc5mla>;Shhhh!</a>

What is that, video of Charlie Parker committing indian massacres? Whilst playing "Cherokee"?

Jubilee Stomp

lol, just got this bizarre email from Amazon:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who has purchased or rated music by Duke Ellington, you might like to know that New York, March 1959 is now available. You can order yours for just $950.00 by following the link below.
New York, March 1959 New York, March 1959
Duke Ellington
Price: $950.00

Album Description
New York, March 1959 by Ellington, Duke

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

?????????????????

Me too, discussion over here

CD PRICES: Did they ever become as affordable as the vinyl/cassettes they replaced? Why?/Why not?

It's a "burn on demand" CD, even

See also http://www.amazon.com/2007-2012-Building-Excluding-Cafeteria-Restaurant/dp/0497503093

Customers Who Bought Related Items Also Bought

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41PHXQ1W30L._SL500_SS100_.gif

Duke puts it on wax.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjKlFFp4-IE

Like making waffles.

I bought a cheapy 3-disc Ellington set the other day and it is totally ruling my life.

your saying so inspired me to listen to the yale concert, which re-blew my damn mind

Once I get my sound back, I'll have to track that down.

whenever this thread is revived, i worry that duke died.

nobody tell amatuerist what happened, i'm afraid it might break his heart

longish piece in the NYorker on Duke, http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2010/05/17/100517crat_atlarge_pierpont?currentPage=all

just saw that! amazing photo. was going to ask if anyone had read that new book -- i was just flipping through it at the bookstore.

Keep eyeing that one in the bookstore, but haven't taken the bait yet.

"Blazing Saddles" was made in 1974!

??

He's in it.

no he ain't, that's count basie

oh.

it's a good scene though.
http://www.morethings.com/fan/blazing_saddles/blazing-saddles-490.jpg

I love Basie & feel like he doesn't get enough love these days

Basie does seem sort of out of fashion it's true.

he's a little less varied when placed against Ellington, and a bit less of a monumental, American hero kind of figure ... but when it comes to swinging, he can kick Ellington's band's ass any day. Duke probably would've agreed.

its a Stooges vs. Stones sort of thing. Basie's sixties stuff with Neil Hefti has a late-career shine that's completely different than Ellington, but just as neat.

Loved it when they did those duets