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Duke Ellington
The Essential Duke Ellington
(Columbia/Legacy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, December 2005, Volume 12, #12
Written by John Metzger
At first glance, the problem with The Essential Duke Ellington is its
title. Without a doubt, Duke Ellington wrote, arranged, recorded, and performed
more indispensable material over the course of his 50-year career than possibly
could be represented by the 37 tracks contained on this double-disc affair.
Indeed, one of Ellington’s charms is the manner in which he continuously
invented and reinvented some of his best-known compositions so that he could
perform them within the framework of each of his stylistic phases. Although
The Essential Duke Ellington does a magnificent job of providing an overview
of the 78-rpm single era in which he was most popular — it includes such classic
cuts as East St. Louis Toodle-oo, Hot and Bothered, It Don’t
Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got that Swing), Sophisticated Lady, and
Caravan, to name a few — it superficially skims the LP-oriented portion of
his astounding catalog. In fact, only seven songs are utilized to depict the
final 33 years of his life’s work. Nevertheless, the retrospective set — from
the gentle sensuality of Prelude to a Kiss to the urban hustle and bustle
of Harlem Air-Shaft to the spiritual grace of Come Sunday —
succeeds in leaving listeners with a fundamental understanding of Ellington’s
unique ability to paint cinematic portraits of 20th Century America.
Simply put, Ellington was a magnificently gifted artist, and although The
Essential Duke Ellington is far from comprehensive, it still provides a
vital and vibrant introduction to his extraordinary canon.  ½
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005
The Music Box
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