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ELLINGTON
A MEMORIAL, Duke Ellington and his
Orchestra, The Great Bands in digital,
stereo, Volume II, RCA Victor, VPL1 0436.
HaRD TO believe that we are coming
up to the 10th anniversary of the death of
Edward Kennedy Ellington, a'k'a 'Duke'.
Especially when it is possible to hear his
music on many, many albums, and more
especially on a reissue like this one, re
engineered by Robert Parker.
The album is produced by Ron Wills,
who also has written extensive and detailed
notes, but it is the digital remastering by
Robert Parker which makes it so very
worthwhile.
Previous reference by this reviewer to the
man and his works is acknowledged, but fair
warning is given that future references arc
inevitable, just as are those relating to the
work of John R. T. Davics in getting Swag
gie material back on to disc in so very
listenablc conditions or, for that matter, the
work done by Nevill Sherburn in finding the
material in the first place.
I have had one greatly enjoyed meeting
with Robert Parker, by grace and favour of
a great jazz buff, Francis Xavicr Connor.
This concentrated more on pleasures than
the advancement of knowledge.
It was also understood that his basic
belief is that jazz, that is jazz, was never
played after the late 1920s.
Which should make us all the more
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grateful that he has spent time tracking
down the original material which allowed
him to exercise his skills with digital tech
nology in the production of this and other
albums.
The album takes us, albeit briskly, in 12
easy steps from October 6,1927, to Decem
ber 11 and 12, 1944. And listening to that
track it is again hard to believe that it was
laid down 40 years ago.
In fact it is hard to believe that the early
tracks on the album were cut when they
were, such is the reproduction obtained by
Parker.
The tracks, not strictly chronological in
presentation, are 'East St Louis Toodle-oo',
'Black and Tan Fantasy', 'Creole Love Call',
'Saturday Night Function', 'Cotton Club
Stomp', 'Mood Indigo', 'Daybreak Express'
and 'Concerto for Cootie', then 'In a
Mellotone', 'Five O'clock Whistle', 'John
ny Come Lately' and 'Black Brown and
Beige'.
Apart from the music, the album re
minds of other aspects of Ellington and his
music.
Ellington's purported tendency to claim
credit, often primary, for compositions
which were otherwise sourced, is one. But
others include the fantastic loyalty shown
by such men as Harry Carney, with the band
for 47 years; Ellington's own compositional
skills, as evidenced by music which was
inarguably his; the quality of the men who
passed through or (as in Carney's case)
stayed with the orchestras; the magic Ell
ington exercised in orchestrating individual
talents into a cohesive sound.
It is all here, but offered with a clarity
which makes even the fascinatingly old
fascinatingly new again, gives yet another
dimension to a multidimensional sound,
renews with pungent sharpness already keen
memories of some of the greatest big band
sounds made by some of the greatest big
bands ever assembled.
God bless Duke Ellington, all the duke's
men, Robert Parker and all their works.
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