Nowadays global jazz culture is obsessed with original composition. Mark Masters bucks this trend. He’s a skilled arranger but also a curator, always searching out … Read More “The Mark Masters Ensemble: Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster (Capri)”
The Duke Ellington Orchestra of 1971 is well documented; it’s the one that recorded both The Afro Eurasian Eclipse (in February) and Togo Brava Suite … Read More “Duke Ellington: Uppsala 1971 (Storyville)”
Ellington fans will recognize Alice Babs as the principal vocalist on his late-career landmark, 1968’s Second Sacred Concert. But there was another Ellington-Babs collaboration five … Read More “Alice Babs & Duke Ellington: Serenade to Sweden (Real Gone)”
Unreleased Ellington studio sessions have a paucity to match the plentitude of his vault live releases, so this crafty little quickie-just 29 minutes-is something of … Read More “Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: The Conny Plank Session”
In gathering from a limited time frame a selection of what can be regarded in one way or another as concept albums, The Complete Columbia … Read More “Duke Ellington: The Complete Columbia Studio Albums Collection 1951-1958”
Mosaic isn’t exactly mucking around on this gargantuan 11-disc set that essentially distills the first grand age of Ellingtonia into the contents of one box … Read More “Duke Ellington: The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra”
Perhaps it’s because the album’s strengths are so explicit that its weaknesses seem equally pronounced. Let’s start with the pluses. First, there’s the presence of … Read More “John Pizzarelli: Rockin’ in Rhythm: A Duke Ellington Tribute”
As far as I am concerned, saxophonist, Ralph Carney has three things going to him no matter what. First, he has played extensively with Tom … Read More “Ralph Carney: Serious Jass Project”
