59.00 PLN

CD:

Nr kat.: 090266386321
Label  : BMG

Duke Ellington was often criticised for his choice of vocalists. This fact is amplified in the liner notes to this CD. It is probably true that some of the later singers he employed justified this criticism, however, on this compilation ( culled from the superb "Centennial Edition ) it could truly be claimed that this represents best of the Ellington vocalists. To my mind , the only great omission is Betty Roche and she obviously did not record for RCA. Apart from the guest appearances of The Rhythm Boys, featuring Bing Crosby, and Adelaide Hall the other artists on this disc were all regular members of the Ellington organisation for various periods of time. Ivie Anderson, who was the longest serving singer with the band, clocking up some eleven years, can be heard on five of these selections. Her delivery was deceptively simple and she was possessed of a tonal quality equal to the great instrumental soloists around her. It would be difficult to find anyone with clearer diction in any field of music. " I Got It Bad " with a translucent saxophone solo from Johnny Hodges must rank pretty close to the top amongst ballad performances. Ray Nance was known in the band as " Floorshow ." Not only did he play trumpet and violin to a very high standard but he also tap-danced and was most adept at novelty vocals such as " Riff Staccato " and " Bli-Blip " which are on this issue. The blind singer Al Hibbler, who only recently passed away, was another who had quite a long tenure with the band ( 1943 - 1951 ). He was a most versatile musician ( he later recorded with such different artists as Roland Kirk ) and was equally at ease on standard tunes such as " I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So " or the deep blues of "Pretty Woman "( which is quite a performance when one listens to the angular and diverse accompaniment from the orchestra ). Herb Jeffries was a much smoother singer with a rich but clear voice. He built a successful solo career on the foundations of the enormous hit he experienced with " Flamingo ". Highlights here include the underrated " Jump For Joy " and the lesser known ( and non - Ellington tune ) " You, You Darlin' " complete with smooth solos from Ben Webster and Lawrence Brown. Here he turns a rather non-descript into a pleasing performance with thoughtful phrasing in the style of Bing Crosby . There are many outstanding moments on this disc including the wordless refrain from Adelaide Hall on " Creole Love Call" and the " peppy " vocal trio on " It Don't Mean A Thing". The performances, both instrumental and vocal , are first class through this disc which offers an interesting mixture of well-known and lesser-known fare. Dick Stafford