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In Reply to: RE: Stick to geniuses. posted by mwhitmore on July 05, 2012 at 10:18:08
"Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus."
Great list. The only one of those geniuses I could never get into is Duke Ellington. To this day, I remain mystified as to why is he so revered as a jazz genius. True, he was very prolific, but most of his tunes sound to me half-baked. Some of his pieces are even overly ambitious to the point of sounding contrived. Can someone enlighten me?
Follow Ups:
I'm not a big band fan, but I do like this Ellington album recorded in 1958.
Here's a few artists you may want to sample:
Richard "Groove" Holmes
Jimmy Smith
Charles Earland
Grant Green
Barney Kessel and The Poll Winners
Annie Ross
Clark Terry
Gabor Szabo
Willie Bobo
Sonny Clark
Yusef Lateef
Les McCann
Stanley Turrentine
All the Ellington stereo recordings I have heard were great, especially the two made with Louis Armstrong. Blues in Orbit is a favorite.
I haven't heard any of Ellington's mono recordings though.
"Happy Listening,
Teresa."
Duke Ellington is considered by most to be a musical genius who worked in the "jazz" field.
You either get it or you don't- enlightenment is in the the music; it won't find you through explanation, no matter how detailed or articulate.
"One this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" - Michael McClure
"You either get it or you don't- enlightenment is in the the music; it won't find you through explanation, no matter how detailed or articulate."
True, however sometimes all one needs is a nudge and a push. Sort of like John Lennon couldn't get into Dylan until George Harrison forced him one sunny day, back in 1964, to sit down and listen to the entire Freewheeling album. It was only THEN that Lennon got it!
So far, I've tried to listen to some Ellington tunes, but couldn't get into it. It all sounded too calculated to me. I watched the Burns Jazz special episode on Duke, and it all looked more like setting up a case to have one and only God of jazz, like a central father-figure, rather than really showcasing his musical genius (unlike the Burns episode dedicated to Charlie Parker, which was all about Parker's undeniable musical genius).
So what I'm asking here (actually, more precisely, what I'm trolling for here) is if someone can recommend a CD by Ellington that will blow me away and bust open the doors to the Ellington kingdom. Any takers?
Listen to the Fargo concert in whichever format works best for you.Certainly NOT an "audiophile" recording but decent sound quality none the less. Stellar band playing just another gig on just another night in just another hodunk town. The variety of tunes, from forgotten pop hits of the day to newer Ellington tunes (that are now classics) the band (one many consider his best ever) is rockin' in rhythm.
That said there is a WIDE variety of Ellington to discover and explore since his recording career spanned so many decades and he explored so many different voicings, colors and textures through his band and writing.
So, there has to be something there that will ring your bell. Or maybe not. Who knows? But give Fargo a shot.
"One this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" - Michael McClure
Since you're a Duke Ellington fan, I'll just mention that he carried an electronic piano with him on the road, so that he could doodle and compose while in the hotel room.
It's currently in the Sherman Jazz Museum in Sherman, TX.
:)
Try "Duke Ellington meets Coleman Hawkins" or Duke Ellington - Money Jungle.
"Can someone enlighten me?"
Yes, you're a troll. An extremely shallow one but a troll nonetheless.
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