6) Duke Ellington: 'At Newport'

If someone told me I had to sit down and listen to the best part of two hours of jazz I would probably have opted for another Louvin Brothers album. I like jazz but it has to be in relatively small doses. The running time didn’t sit well with me at all. However, this is Duke Ellington we are talking about and this is probably one of the best jazz albums I have ever listened to.

Being a giant of the jazz world, Ellington’s name is pretty much synonymous with the genre with a career spanning in excess of fifty years. Not only was he one of the best there was, his band was also composed of some of the other jazz greats to ever have lived. It was Ellington who melded this talent into a cohesive powerhouse. ‘Ellington at Newport’ was a live recording of the bands appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956. It is often regarded as one the best performances of his career and certainly one which resurrected his career.

With the emergence of various, and more popular, sub-genres of jazz such as bepop, the dominance enjoyed by big bands in the 1920’s to 1940s was waning. It had led to the end of many big bands yet Ellington and co. soldiered on playing small venues and not securing a record contract. In spite of their unquestionable talent they just weren't fashionable. This concert was enough to turn that all around, and rejuvenate Ellington’s career until his death eighteen years later.

So why is this album so great? Well things certainly don’t start out like a career saving performance. As they took to the stage for a rather tepid version of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ some of the band couldn’t be found which led to a truncated set consisting of ‘Black and Tan Fantasy’ and ‘Tea for Two’. Both are solid yet nothing awe inspiring.

Two hours later the full band return, and what a way to return with a personal favorite of mine ‘Take The A Train’,which is quite stunning. Ellington then chose to showcase new material named on the day as the ‘Newport Jazz Festival Suite’ consisting of three pieces. It's just phenomenal to listen to this orchestra at work. The band clearly work well, and enjoy performing, together yet there is a certain level of competitiveness between them which is explosive and results are pure pleasure.

However, it is the next part which was to be the pinnacle of the set; 'Diminuendo in Blue' and 'Crescendo in Blue' bridged by a solo from Paul Gonsalves. The improvised nine minute tenor solo by Gonsalves lasted a full 27 choruses and turned a rather sedate audience into a vivacious and rambunctious one. It’s certainly a song you can listen to and wish it would just never end, it's fantastic stuff. There are also two great tracks after this in ‘I Got It Bad’ and ‘Skin Deep’.

This album has to be listened to from beginning to end and played loudly. The ride from hesitant start to dramatic climax is one every music lover should experience. As Ellington use to sign off his concerts with; “You are very beautiful, very lovely and we do you love madly” the same can be applied to tthis album. It’s very beautiful, very lovely and I do love it madly!

Stand-out Tracks: ‘Take The A Train’, ‘I Got It Bad’, ‘Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue’

Rating: 9/10