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Duke Ellington Blues In Orbit Columbia Legacy 512915-2

 

 

1	Three J’s Blues	11	Villes, Ville Is The Place, Man
2	Smada	12	Track 360
3	Pie Eye’s Blues	13	Sentimental Lady
4	Sweet & Pungent	14	Brown Penny
5	C Jam Blues	15	Pie Eye’s Blues (Alt. Take)
6	In A Mellow Tone	16	Sweet & Pungent (Alt. Take)
7	Blues In Blueprint	17	The Swinger’s Jump (Alt. Take)
8	The Swingers Get The Blues Too	18	Blues In Orbit (Alt. Take)
9	The Swinger’s Jump	19	Track 360 (Alt. Take)
10	Blues In Orbit

Following the April 2004 reissue of Festival Session, Masterpieces and Ellington Uptown, Sony Jazz continue their celebration of Duke Ellington’s music with the re-mastered ‘Blues In Orbit.’

There are several ‘bonus’ tracks that include five alternative takes. The titles were recorded over five sessions in 1958/9 at studios in Los Angeles and New York City. Besides featuring the full fifteen piece orchestra there is a variety of small group tracks and amongst the performers are many names that have appeared on the rich variety of Duke’s classical recordings over the years.

On ‘Blues In Orbit’ old favourites such as ‘C Jam Blues’ and ‘In A Mellow Tone’ share the spotlight with freshly minted items such as the title track, ‘Blues In Blueprint’ and an Ellington-Strayhorn collaboration ‘Smada. The blues is a jazz form in which Ellington was a master both in composition and performance.

Mentioning just a couple of highlights from this highly recommended CD – ‘C Jam Blues,’ a title we have heard so may times in the past, is on this occasion just as fresh as new. There is an excellent sequence of solos from Matthew Gee, Bootie Wood, Jimmy Hamilton and especially Paul Gonsalves. ‘Brown Penny,’ originally sung by Kay Davis, is rewritten and comes across as a ‘vintage’ Johnny Hodges solo.

The complete album is as usual fired by Ellington’s immense experience in harmony and rhythm at whatever level the compositions call for. Without doubt he always brought out the best in his carefully chosen musicians and that is highly evident on ‘Blues In Orbit’ – a ‘must’ for all Ellington fans.

Jack Ashby

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