Ellington Indigos

Oh, dear, let me be the first by all means. Ellington's mono and stereo albums for Columbia are amongst some of the best-sounding albums of all time. This one, like all the other stereo CD releases, whether on Sony or licensed out to others, sound amazing. There's a few mono bonus tracks, as well, but it's the original stereo tracks that you want - they're magical and so is this album.

I personally love this album. Have had it as a record and wore it out. My personal favorite jazz album. Always in the top of my favorite ten jazz albums. Some of the best jazz ever recorded. This and Miles Davis Kind of Blue my favorite two albums.

Great 80s remaster of Dukes 1957 studio recorded easy listening jazz masterpieces,Every track wonderful and recorded from good to great.

This is an album to get totally lost in. You hear a couple of technical flaws, are about to be distracted, and then appreciate it more...almost like live. My high school age daughter swiped my first copy, then my wife swiped the replacement. I bought two more...never know who else will hear it for the first time and go after it :-)

I have this Ellingtion album in LP vinyl format and had long been watching for it on CD. It is perhaps the Duke's best. It is a bit out of the norm from Ellington's usual big band jazz music and shows the man's genius in a new light.

Some years ago, maybe fiftenn or twenty, I bought a cassette tape which had several Ellington cuts on it. The only information it had about the recordings was that they had been on the Columbia label, absolutely nothing else. I was particularly intrigued by the version of "Solitude", and I often wondered when it was done. Other Ellington cuts on that tape included "Mood Indigo" and "Prelude to a Kiss". Listening to the sidemen didn't help in determining the recordig time, as I could recognize Harry Carney (now that pinned the date down, didn't it?) and Johnny Hodges, but that's about all. Finally with the help of Charlie the Collector of KAAM radio, we located this album, with this CD version adding some cuts not on the original LP.What atracted me then as now to "Solitude" is the concert-style arrangement, with Ellington playing most of it solo out of time, then joined by the rhythm section with the full band coming in only towards the end. In fact, each track on this album features soloists, rather than being ensemble pieces: Ellington on "Solitude", "Night and Day" and "All the Things You Are"; Paul Gonsalves on "Where or When"; Shorty Baker on "Mood Indigo" and "Willow Weep for Me"; Johnny Hodges on "Prelude to a Kiss"; Jimmy Hamilton on "Tenderly"; Harry Carney and Ray Nance (on trumpet) on "Dancing in the Dark"; and Ray Nance (on violin) and Ozzie Bailey (vocal) on "Autumn Leaves". All are excellent, with my only criticism being that on "All the Things You Are", when the rhythm section joins and Ellington has to play in time, his arpeggios seem rushed and choppy. It's as if he were trying to do too much in the allotted time and still stay on the beat. Don't expect to dance to this album. Just sit back with a good Merlot, listen and enjoy.

Duke Ellington's compositional style has been referred to as painting with sound. That is to say, his melodies and orchestrations tend to evoke images of blending color to the listener. I have loved this recording since I was about 9 years old listening to my father's LP version. To my mind, this recording is not only intrinsically beautiful, but also one of the best examples of Ellington's painting with sound available. A BIG added plus is the much longer version of Autumn Leaves on the CD version. It was a haunting arrangement on the LP. This longer version with its extended violin solo is one of the most unique recordings in all of jazz.

This album contains some of the most beautiful of the Duke's music. We listen to it when we want to set a romantic mood. That is about once or twice a week. We must have listened to this work a thousand times by now, but it never gets old. Listen to it in the dark. You can see the musicians in your head. The brass instruments are especially sweet and clear. And the French and English version of Authumn Leaves can still make me cry.If there is disagreement between you and your lover, put on this album, pour a glass of wine, and invite your lover to dance in the dark with you. If love remains between you, this music will find it.

SEMPLICEMENTRE IMPERDIBILE !!!! CAPOLAVORO DELLA IMPEX RECORDS.VALE LA PENA POSSEDERE SIA L'EDIZIONE IN CD GOLD CHE IL VINILE....IO LI HO ACQUISTATI ENTRAMBI