Ellington at Newport

Proof once again that live albums aren't great. If it wasn't for the sheer, unbelievable talent of the musicians, I'd have no interest in this whatsoever. I don't enjoy the audience noise. I don't enjoy the compere. I sure as toffee don't enjoy live albums generally. Sure, these musicians are insanely good. Would they be better in the studio, with a great producer? Absolutely yes.

OMG this was long... I think I could've watched the whole movie Whiplash in this time (which I would've preferred)

I mean, shit, I don't think I've ever heard a solo on the level of the solo in "Dimineuendo And Crescendo In Blue". The energy here is unmatched, and you can tell the crowd was feeling it. Insane performance. Favorite tracks: "Dimineuendo And Crescendo In Blue", "Festival Junction"

This album is a great reminder that jazz was a living, breathing genre of music. It was born in an age when live music was king, long before a musical album was a concept. It’s music for improvising, music for dancing, and music for living in the moment. This is also one of those albums where the context greatly enhances the music: the fact that this revitalized his flagging career, and the amazing marathon saxophone solo

The music was great, but I could do without all the emcee banter.

Insert Johnny Hodges’ solo on I Got It Bad directly into my veins

I’m sure Duke Ellington paved the way for jazz music. However, this “album” is half of them speaking and the other half is live performances where I can’t hear any other instruments other than this🎺 If it was 1950 and I had some ❄️ with a broad on my shoulder drinking an old fashioned, this would be a 10/10. Instead it’s a 2/10 especially for it staring with the star spangled banner.

Boring. I don't like jazz

This album is phenomenal. I don’t know much about jazz but I like this.

I wrote an imaginary doctoral thesis on music production technology's influence on popular culture and this album was at the center of it. It's hard to translate the energy transmission that occurs at a great musical performance but a technical accident necessitated overdubbing a sax solo that had originally riled the audience to new heights and to drown out the sound of the original sax solo, the producer cranked up the audience track, making an excited audience sounds downright riotous. The show helped revive Duke's career among the cognoscenti at the show, but the album with the frenzied audience elevated his standing in the broader culture to new heights. I don't like big band music too much, but when I do it's either Duke Ellington or Count Basie, and this album gives you a little of both, in that I understand that Papa Joe Jones (drummer for Basie's best band but look him up; possibly the most influential drummer ever) was on the edge of the stage, beating time with a rolled up newspaper and I understand was one of the voices shouting encouragement and celebration. That's damn cool. For more information, I refer you to this delightful article I cited in my dissertation: https://www.csmonitor.com/1985/0923/upres.html

See!!! i can like jazz!!!

Exceptional. They certainly don't make music like this anymore. And I will overlook that some of the "live music" was recreated in the studio (including fake applause). Paul Gonsalves’ epic solo during Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue simply has to be heard to be believed.

Obviously excluding all of the introductions and the national anthem, the album isn't the worst. Jazz instrumentals always make for good background music. If that trumpet wasn't so overbearing at times, I would have enjoyed it more. 3.5/10

By the time of the Duke's Newport appearance in 1956, big bands were in the process of being, or already were, passé. The pre-World War II relic of jazz sophistication gave way to shorter groups, with trios and quartets, quintets and maybe even sextets becoming de rigueur and Duke had next to no room to occupy space. Newport '56 was a reminder of who he was, why he commanded the respect justly given to him and how he remained integral to the status that jazz had obtained in the decades past and present. If he and his band were percieved as though they were on the downward slope, they don't sound like it, as they are as vibrant and radiant as they were in their heyday, with Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue, Take the "A" Train and Skin Deep riding the ship on towards land and into cheering arms. A magnificent document of a triumphant comeback, may we love him madly.

Really nice Jazz album by a master. Born in 1899 he was active on the music scene for much of the early American Swing and Jazz era. There are not many music lovers that have never heard of Duke Ellington. Not something I'd listen to often, but it is great! 4/5

Obviously they’re great. It’s just not something I can listen to to for hours

If you really like Jazz this album is probably pretty awesome and I can see how it is musically technically impressive.

At Newport ‘56 My main thoughts of Duke Ellington are of his spirit living in the attic in Big Mouth writing songs full of sexual innuendo and trying to bang the ghost of Whitney Houston. Nothing like that is happening here though. This is a perfectly fine live big band/swing/jazz album with two stand outs. The smoky, piano-led Blues to Be There is great, the horns are used to augment it brilliantly and it genuinely feels like it tells a musical story. And the frenzied energy of Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue is undeniable, you can really feel the feedback loop of the players and the crowd and the resulting manic excitement. Generally I’m not a fan of this sort of uptempo Jazz, but this performance feels genuinely electric and you can’t help but be carried along on a wave of jazzy commotion. Jeep’s Blues is probably the best of the rest, with Festival Junction and Newport Up being fine but forgettable. Outside Blues to Be There and Diminuendo there probably isn’t a great deal to return to, but those two and Diminuendo in particular are so good they carry it to a medium-high 3. 🔵🔵🔵 Playlist submission: Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue

Love this golden age jazz, scratches a similar itch to Sinatra for me in that it has a timeless American quality. Great background music that every so often does something that makes you pay attention. Not sure we needed the announcer as much as we got though I gather the original release was much smaller. Hard to say this is "the" album worth listening to as I imagine his recorded stuff is just as good, possibly better. But I loved this, would love to hear it live and is exactly the sort of thing I make Alexa play to make my midweek meals seem more classy.

Better than Coldplay

Wow.

Big Band at it's best.

Hell yeah, this is a triumph. Though I could do without Father Snorman and his damn announcements. A very impressive display of technical talent in that classic big band jazz style. A very nice thing. Diminuendo In Blue kicks ass. Solid drum solo on Skin Deep and the crowd goes nuts. What a killer album and story.

Duke's a persuasive composer; there's a preternatural uplift that all of his compositions share, a surety, a swagger, a candid sense of self and others. Nothing breaks down b/c everything's a great run into the center of life and its particularities. This live recording famously attains that sensibility with genius. Quite literally, Duke and Louis (who's unforgivably absent from this list) invented our music. And a special shout-out to Cat Anderson, the best of all muted trumpeters I've heard. Sam Woodyard too on ‘Skin Deep.’

Wow. I’ve listened to this several times. Despite my previous review, and maybe my lack of culture, a lot of the jazz sounded quite similar, but even this you could feel the technical skill that went into it. It’s a live album and the crowd love it. My favourite is Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. The saxophonist plays a 27 chorus solo and the vibe through your makes your hair stand on end. I’ve always appreciated jazz but would never consider myself wise or knowledgeable. I couldn’t name any jazz tracks to even recommend someone however this album is a fantastic introduction and I’m glad I have heard it

If you want to listen to a recreation of the original LP, here's my Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2BJ4GsVltApj7S6pgIXQM2 Wort it to hear the sound of Paul Gonsalves exploding at the end of a 12-minute saxophone solo.

My dad, a fan of this performance, says “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” is the one he returns to, the climax to Ellington’s popular story rather than his life, the gig where a chunk of the band don’t turn up to the first set, and the track written for the festival fails to rouse, only for the tenor saxophonist, blows a marathon into the wrong microphone, nearly incites a riot according to the papers, though this recordings indicates little more than a few encore demands and likely dancing. Reading the hype first, the solo almost disappoints, probably because I was expecting some sort of Coltrane-es que explosion rather than the fleet, chatty and upbeat hopping between notes that Gonsalves holds for six minutes, but once I accepted this is more an ocean liner than a power boat I had a good time, though maybe not as much as the blonde woman in a black dress that the accounts place unusual emphasis on. The squeals at the end of “Festival Junction” sound like a tantrum, either at the band’s structure or the perception of its obsolescence, its dead economic model: we can blast too. There’s defiance as well as melancholy in celebrating a near-extinct form, a collective in their late middle-age demonstrating their mastery of banging out tunes as one; the songs were old by then, and you can hear the sweat flicking off the drums. I’ll take my dad’s approach to this one.

Seems like it would be really cool to experience this live, but I don’t think it translates as well when recorded

Whilst, naturally, jazz is and will always remain shit, this is among the slightly less shit examples of a shit genre. That doesn’t mean it isn’t shit, of course - it is. It’s just not quite as shit as most other jazz.

Not quite my tempo… unfortunately an all around snooze fest. I can appreciate what he may have done for the genre but me listening to it today was tough to get through. INCREDIBLE background music tho. 3/10 My Top Track: Take the “A” Train

Not sure if it was the music, the audience, the host, the production value or a combination of all - but I found this incredibly irritating and I could hardly get through it. No doubt the musicians are extremely talented, and if you're into jazz/swing this would probably be amazing. I found it too long, grating and frustrating to listen to. I might feel differently if I was there in person, and I can enjoy this style of music - but the album actually mad me feel angry to listen to.

Self indulgent wiffle-waffle. I thought jazz was all about improv and doing something different, yet this all sounded the same to my untrained ear. 1 star, just to annoy jazz wankers.

America’s greatest composer performs a career retrospective with some of the finest musicians of all time. Absolutely essential listening

5 Stars, no notes. Jazz album for the ages.

Great Live Album!! That last song is jumpin n jivin all over the place!! Loved listening to this LP.

Incredible live jazz album. He's the Duke. Terrific playing and a great backing band. There's not much else to say. The live audience adds to the record, with the real-time hooting and hollering feeling like you're with the audience, experiencing it for the first time.

I am listening to this on the longest, slowest bus ride up the Las Vegas strip up to Old Town Vegas, and wow. I love the corny narrator and the shade at Brooklyn. I love feeling connected to Rhode Island. I love how the trumpet sounds like a kazoo. I love everything happening on this insane bus with this on in my ears and the Vegas lights passing by. I love Jazz. I love being alive and experiencing all there is to see in this world. Fuck it, I love Coco. Viva Las Vegas!

I was biased from the start because I sneaked a peak at your review before listening to this and it was the cutest ever. I haven't made it all the way through this but what I have I loved, I loved the horns squawking in my ears, I loved this as a record of a specific time and place and imagining what it was like to see this live, I loved thinking about Kate listening to this in Las Vegas on a bus, I love the way Kate can appreciate a mood and a moment and how the right music at the right time can capture all of that.

A total masterpiece. Each don't is so bright and full of life, the musicians are feeling it, the crowd is feeling it. The tracklisting is perfectly paced, moving through smooth soft blues to electrifting jazz that feels like you've been hit by lightning, all while never tiring you out. The introductions and crowd noise is the perfect reminder that jazz is best experience live and it does it's best job of trying to put you there in the room. I cannot say enough good things about this album, an all time must listen.

Duke has this name for a reason. A jazz masterpiece.

This music is like a miracle, or maybe a thousand small miracles wrapped together; the way it brings together so many musicians into a collective groove that just organically flows, but also holds together around the spine of Ellington's compositions, requires so many things to go right that it may as well be magic. Or maybe a thousand small magic spells.

Jazz is always a good idea

It's 1956 and big band is dead, daddy-o. All the hep cats are listening to dudes like Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins and Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker (no wait, he died the previous year). That young man Miles Davis was cookin', relaxin', workin' and steamin' his way into the public consciousness. Quartets and quintets are where it's at, Jack. Paying 16 musicians is for squares. Okay, I'm going to stop talking like this. Ellington was struggling when 1956 came around. Bebop, modal, cool jazz, latin jazz, etc. etc. had usurped the big bands of the 1930s and 40s. His band was surviving on European tours and royalties from his previous work. At the time of the Newport Jazz Festival, he didn't even have a record deal. The concert at Newport was a major success, reinvigorating interest in Duke's music for the rest of his life. He signed with Columbia and the ensuing LP (which was mostly a studio recreation of the concert because some of the live audio was missing) was a smash hit. My mom owned it. Some time between 1956 and 1999, some other live tapes were found and the concert was painstakingly put together in all it's glory on a two-CD set. Ellington himself passed before I was even formed into molecules, but I've seen the Duke Ellington Orchestra live several times, dragged people to listen to it who had no interest in jazz and nobody could tell me they didn't have a good time. It's bouncy, it's fun, it gets into your bones. Unless your soul is made from concrete, you can't help but enjoy yourself. Having said that, it's never tempted me to riot and demand the band never leave the stage, and even listening to the concert in retrospect, it's hard to say what provoked the Rhode Island crowd into such a frenzy (there are chapters of the reissue titled "Announcements, Pandemonium" and "Riot Prevention" which... wow! This is definitely a hypothetical Time Machine stop.) Everything comes to a head on Paul Gonsalves's 27-chorus solo (lasting almost six and a half minutes) which is pretty amazing for such a long solo in that it never gets repetitive and also that he didn't pass out, but what he's playing is less interesting than the chaos that you hear rising up around it. Something is clearly happening. Gonsalves's bandmates are hooting and hollering, and you can hear the crowd (who supposedly got up out of their wooden lawn chairs and started dancing in the aisles) steadily join them. The end of the solo isn't greeted by raucous applause--people are *screaming*. And that energy is maintained throughout the rest of the concert, with Duke having to try to calm the crowd down multiple times through many encores and only playing a minute-long "Mood Indigo" as the closer (with the crowd still audibly angry the concert will soon be over) with the band probably desperate to get off stage at that point. If I were to grade this album strictly on musical quality, I'd give it four stars. Duke's compositions are earworms and the band is cracking. But the recording of the concert and the audience's reaction is an experience well worth hearing at least once in your life, and that earns the extra star right there.

nossa que coisa boa... esse é gold esses timbres de metais são muito bons

Same year as Ray Charles played this festival. One of the first years where real music managed to find some oxygen in this racists ass country

Tis good shit. Could listen to that all day.

banger tbh

This is more a reflection of historical appreciation and curiosity than pure enjoyment of the sound (besides the Gonsalves sax solo), but I do love this album and the return from obscurity of the Duke.

Classic. Talent. Spirit.

Album I've already listened to many times, and love. Ellington is incredible, and songs like Jeep's Blues are crazy good.

I'm not a fan of jazz music but god damn this album is amazing.

So cosy and lovely

Genuinely just so great. Excellence in its purest form.

10/10

So cool. Beautifully composed and beautifully improvised. Swings so hard for so many players

Immediately felt classy listening to this, even while wearing scrubby clothing and working.

Fantastic. You can geel the chaos of that place, the passion, the sheer musicianship. It’s almost a disservice to label it as “Duke Ellington” as there are so many talents present on this album. Exceptional production as well.

Another really solid big band jazz performance. Loved it. I also must have gotten a much shorter version than everyone else. Which is fine, I'm counting it anyway.

Iconic duke

Damn 8.8

Just brilliant.

i love jazz

A beautiful live performance. No notes best album so far

Classico jazz

I wouldn't consider myself a jazz connoisseur by any means. I enjoy a late night drive listening to 88.1 KJAZZ from time to time, but I am no expert. However, this album was a joy to listen to. It's palatable. You don't need to be a music snob to "get" it. At times, it's bombastic and swingin'. Others, it's smooth and groovin'. If I wasn't driving during my listen, I'd be on my feet shaking a leg. Jazz may be fading from the mainstream, but there's a reason Duke, his music, and his legacy have stood the rest of time. Looking forward to getting the full experience with the expanded version in the future.

Nunca me explico cómo fueron capaces de grabar discos en directo con el equipo técnico que había en los 50 o primeros 60. Y por algún motivo extraño suenan más reales que los grabados con más medios. La gente suena enloquecida en la pieza final. Es digno de reflexión que un grupo instrumental sea capaz de suscitar esa reacción y ahora por menos de un genital a la vista, la gente ni levanta la mirada. Mi absoluta rendición, señor Ellington.

A transport back in time. Wonderful listen with some nasty trumpet work. Absolutely stunning!

If you want to get somebody you know into jazz, show them this album. Just pure brilliance. Paul Gonsalves' solo on Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue is maybe the greatest solo in history

Other than the introductions between songs, I love this album. Smooth Jazz? Hell yeah I want more smooth Jazz after listening to this album.

This is great music performed by excellent artists, the concert vibe is cool as it is a glimpse into the experience of a 50's concert. Favorite track: there's a lot of good stuff here, but probably "Festival Junction"

This is the only Duke album on this list, giving him the same amount of must hear albums as Britney Spears, Limp Bizkit, and the B-52's and less than Morrissey, Massive Attack, M.I.A., Def Leopard, Beck, Slipknot, Primal Screams - more evidence that Dimery is a moron. This album has some of the highest of highs in jazz, but is tough to sit through all the BS commotion of the crowd and the MC. If this album were recorded in a studio and distilled down to roughly an hour, is might be perfect. 9.2/10 149/1001

Brilliant, bright, progressive, provocative. This is so damn good. I've been drawn to Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis in this project for their out there and psych fusion jazz styles, but this is just so clean bright. In the movie American Hustle, there is a great scene with Jeep's Blues where Christian Bale says "who starts a song like that???" And it caught me off guard today, I didn't know that was the name of the song, but as soon as it started I thought "who starts a song like that???" Incredible.

Nice

Very very good

Might be my favourite jazz album ever…

tolles album welches ich tagelang hören könnte!

Grossartiger Jazz welcher einem mitnimmt. Und die Aufnahme setzt einem mitten in die Band, so geht live.

Amazing. Just Amazing. Great music. Great Melodies. Great performance. Six out of 5 stars.

Old school cool. Great stuff.

I read in wiki how this concert revived Duke Ellington's career, having a huge impact in the later stage of his life. But how does one connect to an album of a performance from nearly 75 years ago? I think of Big Band music as belonging to my parents' generation--born in the 30's, growing up in the 40's. Yet this sound influenced so many future genres, I can't help but appreciate the talent and skill. My first drum teacher was a Big Band drummer and I was awed by Louie Bellson when I saw him play when I was in high school. Many of my favorite rock drummers learned to play jazz swing style and adapted those skills to rock n roll. Listening to this orchestra, with some of the best talent, you can't help but feel the sound, visualize the moment. Ellington's signature Take the A Train is polished from 20 years of performance experience. I love the swish of the hi-hat in Blues to Be There, the upbeat solos in Newport Up, the bending of notes and moodiness of the saxes in Sophisticated Lady, I Got It Bad and Jeep's Blues. The energy and creativeness of Diminuendo in Blue caps it all off. I listened to both versions of this album, the first which was modified with recordings in studio, and the newer one that was a cleaned up version of the live tapes. I suggest both are worth a listen to get why a 75-year old concert still has impact.

In 2022, this album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". There's a reason for that. It's not just the historical significance, it's just THAT. DAMN. GOOD. The only thing I wished was that there was more (and fortunately, there is! Check out the complete concert, also on Spotify. There were one or two points where I thought they may be a bit over the top; but maybe the mikes were not picking it all up. Regardless, some great jazz here. A definite one to listen to again.

Absolutely incredible performances, even though most of it was a studio performance with crowd noises dubbed in. But I truly dig this kind of swing. 9.8 ★★★★½

JAZZ!! FINALLY!! HOOOOOOOLY CHRIST MAN! What a fucking tour de force of the genre, and of music as a whole. It really adds a lot to the listening experience to know what was going on in Duke's mind as the concert rolled on -- missing band members for the opening set, a complex 3-part suite that completely flopped, and then ONE extraordinary solo that got the crowd (and the world) to recognize his place in the industry once again. I kind of thought this would be a long listen, but it wasn't at all -- just like attending a really fantastic jazz concert. (I should mention that I didn't listen to the strange additional studio recordings...seemed kind of unnecessary.) Duke Ellington was a master composer, the band was full of master players, and damn it -- I love jazz. Five out of five. Probably the best album I've listened to so far. Side note: most people (rightfully) bring a lot of attention to Paul Gonsalves' stratospheric solo, but honestly all of the improv across the entire album is exceptional. Fave songs: The whole concert. Everything. Literally can't pick.

Sounds great, love the breaks with the introductions and the audience noise.

Great!

Technically brilliant Jazz album, but live audience and cuts to introductions can get distracting and break the immersion. -mitona The perfect soundtrack to kick off the day, what a treat! An unexpected favorite. -SC

## Ellington at Newport: The Night Jazz Reignited - An In-Depth Review Duke Ellington's **"Ellington at Newport" (1956)** is far more than a live album; it's a seismic event in jazz history, capturing a career-defining performance that resurrected the maestro's waning fortunes and delivered one of the most electrifying documents of big band energy ever committed to tape. Recorded on July 7, 1956, at the Newport Jazz Festival, this album showcases the Ellington orchestra at its most vital, proving the enduring power of swing in the face of bebop's dominance. ### 📜 1. Lyricism: Vocals as Textural Accents (Not the Focus) While primarily instrumental, the album features strategic vocal performances enhancing its narrative texture: * **Ray Nance's Charm:** His playful, conversational delivery on "Tulip or Turnip" ("Call me a flower if you wanna / But I'm the one what needs ya") adds humorous character . * **Jimmy Grissom's Blues Lament:** On "Day In, Day Out," Grissom embodies classic blues yearning, his phrasing and tone blending seamlessly with the band's sophisticated backdrop, providing emotional counterpoint to the instrumentals . * **Instrumental Vocality:** The true "lyricism" lies in the horns. Johnny Hodges' alto sax on "Jeep's Blues" or Paul Gonsalves' tenor speak volumes with bends, smears, and cries, conveying joy, melancholy, and unrestrained passion far beyond words . ### 🎷 2. Music & Performance: The Engine of Resurrection This is where the album achieves legendary status. The Ellington orchestra was in a slump pre-Newport, facing dwindling audiences. The Newport set, fueled by a charged atmosphere, became a defiant masterpiece. * **The Gonsalves Solo Heard 'Round the World:** The undisputed climax is Paul Gonsalves' **27-chorus tenor saxophone solo** bridging "Diminuendo in Blue" and "Crescendo in Blue." Abandoning written charts, Gonsalves unleashed an improvisation of astonishing stamina, melodic invention, and building intensity, directly feeding off drummer Sam Woodyard, Jo Jones' off-stage newspaper tapping, and the band/audience's escalating frenzy . This solo, pure spontaneous combustion, ignited the crowd and revitalized Ellington's career. * **Individual Brilliance:** Beyond Gonsalves: * **Johnny Hodges:** His achingly beautiful, sensual alto on "Jeep's Blues" ("silky slippery" ) and "I Got It Bad" is a masterclass in expressive phrasing and tonal control. * **The Trumpet Section:** Cat Anderson's soaring high notes, Clark Terry's melodic flair, and Ray Nance's versatility (trumpet, violin, vocals) provide constant fireworks . * **Sam Woodyard:** His propulsive, driving swing ("Skin Deep" features a masterful drum solo ) is the bedrock, especially crucial during Gonsalves' marathon. * **The Newport Suite:** Written specifically for the festival ("Festival Junction," "Blues to Be There," "Newport Up"), it showcases Ellington/Strayhorn's compositional genius – intricate yet loose, allowing dynamic solo space across the orchestra while maintaining sophisticated ensemble interplay . * **Energy & Interaction:** You *feel* the live wire. Duke's piano comping and calls of encouragement ("Come on, Paul!"), the band's responsive energy, and the audience's transformation from polite appreciation to near-riotous euphoria are palpable, especially on the complete recordings . *Table: Key Musical Highlights* | **Track** | **Musical Significance** | **Featured Soloists/Features** | |-----------|--------------------------|--------------------------------| | **Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue** | Historic 27-chorus sax solo, concert climax | Paul Gonsalves (tenor sax), Duke Ellington (piano cues), audience reaction | | **Jeep's Blues** | Alto sax showcase, blues mastery | Johnny Hodges (alto sax), tight band interplay | | **Newport Jazz Festival Suite** | Original composition for the event | Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet), Willie Cook (trumpet), Paul Gonsalves (tenor), varied solos | | **Skin Deep** | Drum feature, crowd-pleasing finale | Sam Woodyard (drums), explosive band sections | | **Take the 'A' Train** | Strayhorn classic, dynamic arrangement | Duke Ellington (piano intro), full band power | ### 🎚️ 3. Production: A Complex Legacy of Deception and Revelation The production history is infamous and crucial to understanding the album's impact: * **The Original 1956 LP (Flawed Triumph):** Due to perceived technical issues (balance, Hodges' flubs on "I Got It Bad"), Columbia, with Ellington's agreement, re-recorded significant portions ("Newport Suite," "I Got It Bad," "Jeep's Blues") in the studio days later. Canned applause, reverb, and fake announcements were added to mimic Newport . This hybrid version was the one that initially wowed the world. * **The 1999 "Complete" Revelation:** Producer Phil Schaap synchronized Columbia's tapes with recently discovered Voice of America recordings. This yielded the *true* live concert in vastly improved fidelity (though technically "spatially separated mono"), including previously omitted gems like the "Star Spangled Banner," "Black and Tan Fantasy," "Tea for Two," and the unvarnished live takes . Hearing Gonsalves' solo *with* the authentic crowd noise and band shouts is transformative . * **Sound Quality:** Even the "Complete" edition reflects 1956 live recording limitations. Balance isn't perfect (Gonsalves was partly off-mic originally ), and fidelity isn't modern. However, the energy and presence are undeniable. Criticisms of poor digital remastering on some platforms exist . ### 🎭 4. Themes: Revival, Resilience, and Collective Joy The album transcends mere performance, embodying powerful themes: * **Career Resurrection:** Newport 1956 is synonymous with Ellington's dramatic comeback. The band, playing smaller gigs beforehand, delivered a performance so potent it catapulted them back to global prominence. Ellington later quipped he was "born at Newport in 1956" . * **The Power of the Live Moment:** It captures the irreplaceable magic of live performance – the risk, the interaction (band-to-band, band-to-audience), the shared energy building to euphoria, particularly during Gonsalves' solo . * **Endurance of the Big Band:** In the era of bebop and small groups, Ellington proved the large orchestra remained a vital, thrilling, and sophisticated vehicle for jazz expression and improvisation . * **Artistic Resilience:** Defying decline, Ellington and his uniquely voiced soloists demonstrated unwavering mastery and passion for their craft . ### 📣 5. Influence: A Lasting Jazz Monument The album's impact is undeniable: * **Revitalized Ellington:** Launched the most successful period of Ellington's later career, leading to renewed contracts, tours, and ambitious works . * **Live Album Benchmark:** Set a new standard for the excitement and historical importance a live jazz recording could capture. Its success (even the doctored version) proved the commercial and artistic viability of live albums . * **Gonsalves' Legacy:** While typecasting him somewhat, the solo became *the* defining moment of his career and a legendary example of extended, audience-rousing improvisation, arguably influencing the development of long-form solos in jazz (even cited as a possible precursor to Coltrane's explorations ). * **Cultural Artifact:** Recognized for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance, it was inducted into the **National Recording Registry** in 2022 . It remains a cornerstone of jazz history courses and collections. ### ⚖️ 6. Pros and Cons * **Pros:** * **Historic, Electrifying Performances:** Features some of the most iconic moments in jazz history (Gonsalves' solo, Hodges' blues) played with incredible energy and skill . * **Band Chemistry:** Showcases the unique voices within the Ellington orchestra and their unparalleled cohesion . * **Unmatched Live Atmosphere:** Captures the transformative power of a legendary live event, especially on the "Complete" edition . * **Historical Significance:** Documented a pivotal career revival and remains a landmark live album . * **Repertoire Strength:** Excellent selection spanning blues, suites, standards, and fiery extended workouts . * **Cons:** * **Original LP's Deception:** The studio overdubs and fake applause significantly misrepresented the actual event . *(Mitigated by the "Complete" edition)* * **Length & Pacing (Complete):** At over 2 hours including announcements, it can feel sprawling for some listeners; the original LP was more focused but incomplete . * **Sound Fidelity:** Despite improvements, the 1956 recording technology has limitations. Balance isn't perfect, and some distortion or murkiness is present . * **Vocal Tracks:** While characterful, "Tulip or Turnip" and "Day In, Day Out" aren't the album's strongest musical moments for some listeners. ### 🎯 Final Verdict **"Ellington at Newport" (specifically the "Complete" edition) is an indispensable masterpiece of jazz.** While the original LP's production deception is a historical blemish, the *music* captured that night – particularly the unvarnished live power now available – is simply transcendent. It showcases Duke Ellington not as a relic, but as a vital, innovative leader directing one of history's greatest orchestras at a white-hot peak moment. The sheer energy, historical weight, and musical brilliance (epitomized by Gonsalves' epochal solo) make its flaws, primarily related to era-specific recording tech, easy to overlook. It's not just a great jazz album; it's a thrilling piece of cultural history that continues to resonate powerfully. **Essential listening.**

Outstanding set late in Duke's career. He's still got that swing, that pizazz, that jazz. Everything that made him the GOAT of this era is capture on this two disc masterclass. Live a Newport is an important standard for all Duke heads and an iconic festival for connoisseurs. Though watered down by 2025 with comedy, pop acts and rock bands. Newport used to be Jazz summer camp, and here we have camp counselor Duke and his All Star troop taking us along for 8 weeks worth of hiking, canoeing, campfires, watersides and zip lining. If you catch the metaphor, its a long dissemination of his entire career compiled into one set. Ya dig?

Might make this my new personality

😎

😍

An American treasure

Phenomenal! The Duke was my entry point into jazz as a teenager and I still have a great deal of love and respect for his music. Willingly (and happily) listened to the 2+ hour complete version of this album.

10/10 bc it made me appreciate jazz as a live performance. I think it’s the most unique way to perform music, because there is a lot of interaction between the public, the musician and the music.

I wish it didn’t have all of the banter but it lets you feel like what it was to be there.

Exceptional. And anyone reading this who hasn't made it to a Newport Jazz Festival, if this is your thing, definitely go.

Duke Ellington, Ladys and Gentleman, Duke Ellington! Man kriegt schon geil den Vibe vom Konzert mit

Escuchando “Ellington at Newport” me he sentido como si estuviera dentro de una película cenando en un restaurante de lujo, disfrutando de un deleite musical en directo. Ha sido un viaje musical de vientos y percusiones que me han hecho conectar por primera vez con el jazz a la perfección. El hecho de escuchar el feedback del público aplaudiendo y elogiando la música de Duke Ellinton en directo, aporta al álbum un realismo y una riqueza muy destacables en la hora y seis minutos de música jazz que nos presenta este álbum. Sin lugar a dudas, el punto fuerte del álbum no puede ser otro que “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” una delicia de instrumental jazz que a pesar de su duración de más de 13 minutos, me ha mantenido enganchado y disfrutando la pista todos y cada uno de ellos. Esta es una de las grabaciones en una en las que el público es un elemento clave, se convierte en un músico más, aporta con sus aplausos y reacciones un punto extra a la canción y a los músicos. Se percibe como la reacción de los asistentes les anima a seguir tocando con más ganas si cabe. También merece ser mencionada la importancia de los percusionistas y bateristas que enriquecen cada pista. Sostienen el ritmo de toda la actuación en directo y mantienen al público vivo y sintiendo el arte de la música en directo “Skin Deep” es la prueba más contundente de ello, que cierra el álbum en directo por todo lo alto. “Ellington at Newport” es un álbum majestuoso de jazz perfecto para escuchar en una cena íntima, en un momento de desconexión y simplemente disfrutar de esta joya del género.

Love this.

Wow. Not sure what I expected but this is great.