MAIN EVENT. A Good Place to Get Started --- a.k.a "Table of Contents"
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MAIN EVENT. A Good Place to Get Started --- a.k.a "Table of Contents" |
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As someone once wrote, "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing." This year has been celebrated as the centennial of one of the great musicians of our time. Edward Kennedy Ellington, known to one and all as the Duke, was born in 1999 and died in 1974.
As a composer and as a fine pianist, Ellington managed to bring dignity and respect to a form of music that had been considered beneath contempt by the hoity toitywhose duty it was to regulate musical matters. But they couldnt impose their rules and regulations on Ellington, who as far back as the mid-1920s was creating music that continues to entertain millions today across the globe.
In a recent column, I wrote with a certain amount of passion about the Ellington salute called "Jungle," played by the septet Ballin the Jack, released earlier this year by the progressive and innovative Knitting Factory Records label. Should I decide to compile a list of my personal favorites for the year, "Jungle" will rank way up there.
This week I received a copy of another Ellington tribute CD that's well worth your time and attention. "Thank You, Duke: Our Tribute to Duke Ellington" comes from the excellent jazz label Arkadia. Arkadia's stable of recording artists would delight the big-money guys. Some of the best jazz talents today work for this company.
"Thank You, Duke" begins in stirring fashion with a smart rendering of "Don't Get Around Much Any More." Tenor genius Benny Golson is at home with the tune, and he gives it a distinctive Golson twist, providing more than five minutes of sheer bliss. Golson returns with a later cut, that pinnacle of the Ellington catalog, "Mood Indigo." Golson gives the chestnut a different reading, and I think you'll like it.
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T.K. Blue, whose delicious sax work appears on a new album that I'll review in the next column, makes two appearances on the Ellington album. "Day Dream" shows that Blue can evoke a fiery yet controlled sound that is both interesting and soothing. Later, in "Chromatic Love Affair," he gets the opportunity to play around with one of the less familiar numbers in the Ellington catalog. Blue boasts a distinctive tone on the alto sax. Hes going to become a major star.
One of the most accomplished and interesting jazz pianists of these times is Joanne Brackeen, who has been heard too little in the past few years. Her album earlier this year was a winner, and she does quite impressive things with her solos here, the magnificent "Sophisticated Lady" and the beautiful and dignified "Come Sunday."
Harold Land, a stellar performer on the saxophone for many years, is heard on one of the most loved tunes performed by Ellington during his lifetime. "In a Sentimental Mood" is aptly named, and Lands handling of this tune is well nigh perfect.
The Joe Henderson Project offers an interesting version of another lesser known bit of Ellingtonia, "Isfahan." The CD, which contains 60 minutes of music, winds up with bassists Joris Teepes group offering a very nice rendition of "The Feeling of Jazz."
There's now a new paperback book that attempts to explain the swing bands of old and introduce the current bands who are hoping to cash in on the dance craze. "The Swing Book" (Back Bay Books, $14.95) would make a good gift for that friend who has a CD collection devoted to swing, both the real stuff and this new brand of music.
Author Degen Pener does a thorough job of explaining what was and what is. He gives a brief history of swing, reviews some of the major artists of the past, and gives a listing of the best recordings from the originals and the imitators. There's space devoted to swing clothes, from zoot suits to Mary Janes. Those who travel frequently should benefit from the lists of swing clubs around the U.S., complete with phone numbers, street addresses and Web sites.
If you're more interested in dancing than in standing in front of the musicians, there's even instructions on the Lindy and the Charleston. 
While on this planet, Ellington achieved successes beyond the wildest dreams of most of us. His contributions to music, especially to jazz, may never be topped. His discography in "The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD" stretches across 20 pages.
Billy Taylor, for so many years the jazz explainer for the "Sunday Morning" show on CBS-TV, shows that --- while in his late 70s --- Taylor can play the piano as well as most anyone. His version of "In a Sentimental Mood" displays the light Taylor touch as he performs with ease and grace.
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Swing Thing
I have to admit that I've not been particularly impressed by the revival during the past few years of swing. My problem is that today's swing, as performed by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the Brian Setzer Orchestra and scores of other mildly competent bands, has a major problem. The stuff they play simply doesn't sound like the swing I recall from my innocent youth.
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