Ellington At Newport 1956 [Live]

Amazon.com essential recording
When Duke Ellington took his orchestra to the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956, the band was in need of an uplift, some humongous event that would revitalize its image in the wake of bebop, hard bop, and so many more jazz currents. Ellington got the lift he needed when he called "Diminuendo in Blue" with set-closer "Crescendo in Blue" tacked on the end. Tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves got the nod from Ellington to segue from "Diminuendo" to "Crescendo," and he blew doors. With one rousing 27-chorus solo, Gonsalves blew a fever into the crowd and jump-started Ellingtonia for another generation. Trouble with all this is that the living document of the Newport show is almost fully manufactured, recorded in a studio with crowd madness dubbed in. So this two-CD historical correction is an awesome addition to the centennial-era reissues on Columbia (including Anatomy of a Murder, Such Sweet Thunder, First Time: Count Meets the Duke, and Black, Brown and Beige). The producers revisited the Newport gig after four decades because they discovered an extant Voice of America tape--the one whose microphone Gonsalves blew his solo into, and the VOA tape catches the whole Newport set in its organic glory. Alternately tender with layers of brushstroke orchestration and blazing with the band's well-seasoned tightness, this new Newport is one for the generalist and the Ellington completist. It's got the revived original gig as well as the original commercial release. And they make great siblings, illustrative of the live-event charm and the music industry's dogged labors in reinventing it on record. --Andrew Bartlett

Ellington At Newport 1956,Duke Ellington,Sony,Big Band,Classic Jazz,Jazz,Jazz Music,Orchestral Jazz,Pop,Progressive Big Band,Swing,United States of America

Average customer rating:

The last Gasp of the Big Band Era

What ELSE is on this CD? Who really cares?

Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue

Gonsalves Flirts With Woman in Audience

A legendary performance burnished

Ellington At Newport 1956
Duke Ellington
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Orchestral Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Complete Atomic Basie

First Time: The Count Meets the Duke

The Hot Fives & Sevens

Mingus Ah Um

Moanin'

ASIN: B00000IMYA
Release Date: 1999-05-11

Tracks:

Star Spangled Banner
Father Norman O'Connor Introduces Duke & The Orchestra/Duke Introduces Tune & Anderson, Jackson...
Black And Tan Fantasy
Duke Introduces Cook & Tune
Tea For Two
Duke & Band Leave Stage/Father Norman O'Connor Talks About The Festival
Take The A Train
Duke Announces Strayhorn's A Train & Nance/Duke Introduces Festival Suite, Part I & Hamilton
Festival Suite: Part I - Festival Junction (Live)
Duke Announces Soloists; Introduces Part II (Live)
Festival Suite: Part II - Blues To Be There (Live)
Duke Announces Nance & Procope; Introduces Part III (Live)
Festival Suite: Part III - Newport Up
Duke Announces Hamilton, Gonsalves, & Terry/Duke Introduces Carney & Tune (Live)
Sophisticated Lady (Live)
Duke Announces Grissom & Tune (Live)
Day In, Day Out (Live)
Duke Introduces Tune(s) And Paul Gonsalves Interludes (Live)
Diminuendo In Blues And Crescendo In Blue (Live)
Announcements, Pandemonium (Live)
Pause Track

Tracks:

Duke Introduces Johnny Hodges
I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (Live)
Jeep's Blues (Live)
Duke Calms Crowd; Introduces Nance & Tune
Tulip Or Turnip
Riot Prevention
Skin Deep
Mood Indigo
Studio Concert (Excerpts)
Father Norman O'Connor Introduces Duke Ellington/Duke Introduces New Work, Part I, & Hamilton
Festival Suite: Part I - Festival Junction
Duke Announces Soloists; Introduces Part II (Production)
Festival Suite: Part II - Blues To Be There
Duke Announes Nance & Procope; Introduces Part III (Production)
Festival Suite: Part III - Newport Up (Production)
Duke Announces Hamilton, Gonsalves, & Terry/Duke Introduces Johnny Hodges (Production)
I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (Production)
Jeep's Blues (Studio)
Pause Track

Amazon.com essential recording

When Duke Ellington took his orchestra to the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956, the band was in need of an uplift, some humongous event that would revitalize its image in the wake of bebop, hard bop, and so many more jazz currents. Ellington got the lift he needed when he called "Diminuendo in Blue" with set-closer "Crescendo in Blue" tacked on the end. Tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves got the nod from Ellington to segue from "Diminuendo" to "Crescendo," and he blew doors. With one rousing 27-chorus solo, Gonsalves blew a fever into the crowd and jump-started Ellingtonia for another generation. Trouble with all this is that the living document of the Newport show is almost fully manufactured, recorded in a studio with crowd madness dubbed in. So this two-CD historical correction is an awesome addition to the centennial-era reissues on Columbia (including Anatomy of a Murder, Such Sweet Thunder, First Time: Count Meets the Duke, and Black, Brown and Beige). The producers revisited the Newport gig after four decades because they discovered an extant Voice of America tape--the one whose microphone Gonsalves blew his solo into, and the VOA tape catches the whole Newport set in its organic glory. Alternately tender with layers of brushstroke orchestration and blazing with the band's well-seasoned tightness, this new Newport is one for the generalist and the Ellington completist. It's got the revived original gig as well as the original commercial release. And they make great siblings, illustrative of the live-event charm and the music industry's dogged labors in reinventing it on record. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

The last Gasp of the Big Band Era.......2007-06-27

Perhaps that isn't a totally fair statement but rock and roll meant the end of the big band era. Here the Ellington band got back together after a short hiatus and produced some great music. I like the Newport Suite and the standards. Jimmy Hamilton, an underrated clarinetist, is very impressive. And of course, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Clark Terry and Britt Woodman contribute great solos. Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue is exciting but the solo by Paul Gonsalves has always been overrated. If you want to hear a great extended tenor sax solo in concert, listen to Rahsaan Roland Kirk on Perdido with Charles Mingus at Carnegie Hall. This aside, there is much to like here and things were never the same again.

What ELSE is on this CD? Who really cares?.......2007-04-29

I've owned this record ("record" - what an old-fashioned word!), in some form or another, for about thirty-five years. And today is Duke's birthday anniversary, and Diminuendo and Crescendo was on the radio, and I listened. And the goosebumps came, and the tears of joy and emotion still flowed. The sense of occasion is matched by the magnificence of the performance - one of the greatest ever performances by the greatest band of all time. And, by the way, a masterpiece composition which did not receive its due on the original recording. What is NOT great here? Some of the highpoints: Jimmy Woode's pedal points in Diminuendo, Hodges' fills in Crescendo, the strutting Trombone section of Woodman, Jackson and Sanders - a miracle of section playing. Duke's jabs and fills (of course!), Woodyard in what is possibly the highpoint of his career, Cat Anderson taking us home at the end. Oh - and Paul Gonsalves! This performance is the apotheosis of everything from the wildest New Orleans Street Parade to the wailingest Albert Ayler collective avant-gospel freakout - and all what is in between. If you don't have this...well, why DON'T you have this?

Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue.......2007-01-29

Specially, I like the long solo of Bud Gonsalves. It's really swings.

Gonsalves Flirts With Woman in Audience.......2006-05-08

There is so much wonderful writing on this release already, so I will make it quick. On Ken Burns History of Jazz, George Wein talks about this marvelous concert. He said that a very attractive blonde woman was dancing in an isle to Diminuendo in Blue/Crescendo in Blue. Gonsalves was "playing to this woman" and it caused quite a stir in the audience. Ellington then spurred Gonsalves to continue on and on. A great historical anecdote that makes the recording even more special. The fact that this performance is reputed to have rekindled Ellington's career makes it all seem more fun!

A legendary performance burnished.......2006-04-01

In the reviews that I read (not all), I did not see a mention of what an excellent job Columbia did in the remastering. I owned the LP when it was first issued and it has been a lifelong favorite; so it was a very pleasant surprise to hear how much the sound was improved on this release. (The whole series of recent Columbia remasterings is excellent.)

A legendary performance? Oh yeahhh, the missing Voice of America tape, Philly Jo Jones driving the band (apocryphally) with a rolled up newspaper, and the Dancing Blonde In The Black Dress who got the crowd on their feet and roaring during the Gonsalves solo. The Time cover, and the renaissance of the band. And a performance that easily supports the weight of the legends...

The format of this release, complete and with the studio recordings appended, is very interesting; it corrects and completes the historical record. It's good to hear the studio recordings, now seeming oversmooth and plump, in comparison to the real thing.

I consider it an essential recording.

Pop Music:

Pop Music