Duke Ellington and his Vocalists

Edward Kennedy Ellington (1899-1974) war der einflussreichste Musiker des 20. Jahrhunderts im Jazz und der amerikanischen Musik im Allgemeinen. Sein Orchester war federführend in den frühen Entwicklungsformen des Jazz und in der Swing Ära und bewältigte mühelos die Integration der harmonischen und rhythmischen Neuerungen des modernen Jazz. Als Komponist schuf Ellington über 1000 Werke, die genresprengend auch Messen, Bearbeitungen von Werken der Klassik und Symphonik umfassten. Zusammen mit seinem musikalischen Alter Ego, dem Pianisten und Komponisten Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967), schuf der Duke ein reiches Repertoire an unsterblichen Melodien, die dementsprechend einen Text für vokale Interpretationen geradezu verlangten. Dass diese zu Standards geadelten Meisterwerke des American Song Books wie "Lush Life", "Sophisticated Lady", "In a sentimental Mood" und unzählige weitere noch heute zum Pflichtprogamm aller Jazz Sängerinnen und -sänger gehören ist nicht verwunderlich. Auf unserer Zusammenstellung der wunderbarsten Ellington-Songs, interpretiert vom Meister und seinem Orchester mit den größten Stimmen des Jazz wie etwa Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson oder auch George Clooneys Tante Rosemary und einigen bemerkenswerten Wiederentdeckungen, finden sich alle Genres, in denen der Duke sich entfaltete.

CD1. 1. Duke's Place (Katz, Thiele, Ellington, Roberts) - 2. I'm Just a Lucky so and So (Ellington, David) - 3. Cotton Tail (Ellington) - 4. Mood Indigo (Bigard, Ellington, Mills) - 5. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me (Russell, Ellington) - 6. The Beautiful American (Ellington) - 7. The Mooche (Ellington, Mills) - 8. Drop Me off in Harlem (Ellington, Kenny) - 9. Black and Tan Fantasy (Miley, Ellington) - 10. In a Mellowtone (Ellington) |CD2. 1. Rockin' in Rhythm (Carney, Ellington, Mills) - 2. Drop Me Off in Harlem (Ellington, N. C. Kenny) - 3. Day Dream (Latouche, Ellington, Strayhorn) - 4. Caravan (Ellington, Mills, Tizol) - 5. Take the "A" Train (Strayhorn) - 6. I Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues (Ellington, George) - 7. Clementine (Strayhorn) - 8. I Didn't Know About You (Ellington, Russell) - 9. I'm Beginning to See the Light (George, Ellington, Hodges, James) - 10. Lost in Meditation (Singer, Ellington, Tizol, Mills) - 11. Perdido (Tizol, Lengsfelder, Drake) - 12. Cotton Tail (Ellington) - 13. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me (Ellington, Russell) |CD3. 1. I'm Just a Lucky so-and-So (Ellington, David) - 2. All Too Soon (Ellington, Sigman) - 3. Everything but You (James, Ellington, James) - 4. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (Ellington, Webster) - 5. Bli-Blip (Kuller, Ellington) - 6. Chelsea Bridge (Strayhorn) - 7. Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald (Ellington, Strayhorn) - 8. The E and D Blues (E for Ella, D for Duke) |CD5. 1. Introduction / Summertime - 2. Summertime - 3. A Woman Is a Sometime Thing - 4. Here Come De Honey Man... - 5. Evenin' Ladies, Hello Boys... - 6. No, No, Brother, Porgy Ain't Soft on No Woman... (Scene: Crap Game and Murder) - 7. Gone, Gone, Gone - 8. Overflow, Overflow - 9. I Can't Puzzle This Thing Out... - 10. My Man's Gone Now - 11. Oh the Train Is at the Station... - 12. Oh I'm Agoin' out to the Blackfish Banks... - 13. I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' - 14. Mornin', Lawyer. Looking for Somebody?... - 15. Buzzard Song - 16. Bess, You Is My Woman Now - 17. Oh, I Can't Sit Down (Picnic Music) - 18. Porgy, I Hates to Go... - 19. I Got Plenty O Nuttin' (Reprise) - 20. It Ain't Necessarily So (Instrumental) - 21. It Ain't Necessarily So - 22. What You Want Wid Bess?... - 23. Oh I'm a Goin' out to the 1Blackfish Banks... (Reprise) - 24. Oh, Doctor Jesus... - 25. Here Come De Honey Man |CD6. 1. I Loves You, Porgy - 2. Summertime (Reprise) - 3. Oh, Dere's Somebody Knockin' at De Do'... - 4. If God Want to Kill Me... - 5. A Red-Headed Woman... - 6. Oh, Doctor Jesus (Reprise) - 7. Clara, Clara, Don't You Be Downhearted... - 8. Summertime (Reprise) - 9. Oh, Lawd, What I Goin' Do?... - 10. There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York - 11. How Are You Dis Mornin'?... - 12. Oh, Bess, Oh, Where's My Bess - 13. Oh Lawd, I'm on My Way - 14. Take the "A" Train (Ellington) - 15. Something to Live For (Ellington, Strayhorn) - 16. In a Mellow Tone (Ellington, Gabler) - 17. Time After Time (Styne, Cahn) - 18. Go Away Blues (Ellington) - 19. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man (Hammerstein II, Kern) - 20. Route 66 (Troup) - 21. All My Life (Davis, Akst) - 22. I Just Got the Message, Baby (Carr) - 23. All Too Soon (Sigman, Ellington) - 24. You Don't Love Me No More (Ellington) - 25. September in the Rain (Warren, Dubin) |CD7. 1. Part I (Work Song - Full Orchestra) - 2. Part II (Come Sunday Instrumentally) - 3 Part III (Work Song and Come Sunday) - 4. Part IV (Come Sunday) - 5. Part V (Come Sunday Interlude) - 6. Part VI (23rd Psalm) - 7. I'm Beginning to See the Light (George, Ellington, Hodges, James) - 8. In a Sentimental Mood (Ellington, Mills, Kurtz) - 9. Something to Live For (Ellington, Strayhorn) - 10. Mood Indigo (Bigard, Ellington, Mills) - 11. Everything But You (Ellington, George, James) - 12. I Let a Song Go out of Your Heart (Ellington, Mills, Nemo, Redmond) - 13. Lush Life (Strayhorn) - 14. Solitude (De Lange, Ellington, Mills) - 15. Pass Me By (Ellington) - 16. Well Well (Ellington) |CD8. 1. Hey Baby (Ellington) - 2. Sophisticated Lady (Ellington, Mills, Parish) - 3. Me and You (Ellington) - 4. Passion Flower (Strayhorn, Raskin) - 5. I Let a Song Go out of My Heart (Ellington, Mills, Nemo, Redmond) - 6. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (Ellington, Mills) - 7. Grievin' (Ellington, Strayhorn) - 8. Blue Rose (Ellington) - 9. I'm Checkin' Out - Goombye (Ellington, Strayhorn) - 10. I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) (Ellington, Webster) - 11. Mood Indigo (Bigard, Ellington, Mills) - 12. Skin Deep (Louis Bellson) - 13. The Mooche (Ellington, Mills) - 14. Take the "A" Train (Billy Strayhorn) - 15. A Tone Parallel to Harlem (Harlem Suite) - 16. Perdido (Juan Tizol) |CD9. 1. A Drum Is a Woman - 2. Rhythm Pum Te Dum - 3. What Else Can You Do with a Drum Part 2 - 4. New Orleans - 5. Hey, Buddy Bolden - 6. Carribee Joe - 7. Congo Square Part 3 - 8. A Drum Is a Woman (Part 2) - 9. You Better Know It - 10. Madam Zajj - 11. Ballet of the Flying Saucers. Part 4 - 12. Zajj's Dream - 13. Rhumbop - 14. Carribee Joe (Part 2) - 15. Finale |CD10. 1. Malletoba Spank (Ellington) Toot Suite - 2. Red Garter (Ellington) - 3. Red Shoes (Ellington) - 4. Red Carpet (Ellington) - 5. Ready, Go! (Ellington) - 6. U.M.M.G. (Strayhorn) - 7. All of Me (Marks, Simmons) - 8. Tymperturbably Blue (Ellington, Strayhorn) - 9. Hello Little Girl (Kempk, Ellington)