Reviews (page 8 of 11)
A good record, not a great one. It's a fun live album and I would play it every now and then in the background. Not the best jazz record out there and I am little surprised to see it on this list - I feel like there were better choices for Duke Ellington. It's not one that I would play for someone to try and sway them to become a jazz appreciator. 3/5
So, good Jazz DOES exist!! I’ve rolled a couple Jazz albums so far and really just did not care for them, so when I saw this album was over 2 hours long, I about screamed. However, it turns out that Jazz actually can be good, it just has to come in the form of Big Band. This was a super cool little time capsule as well. I liked the introductions given to everyone, and some of the live segments like “Riot Prevention” actually got a genuine chuckle out of me. My favorite song on this album was “Diminuendo In Blue - Live” as it’s fast paced and smooth all the way through, with plenty of fun mood shifts.
Live bleh
enjoyed. didnt actively listen as much as i should have. background music. a bit too long
Good stuff
It was ok. I don’t really like Jazz so this is the highest rating I’m gonna give
Enjoyable when able to listen. The recording is too distant. At points the band and Duke battle though but the overall feeling is frustration. This is very much a moment in time but not his best collection of work
This was a bit too long and too full of live LP chatter for me to really enjoy it.
I like Ellington. I have Ellington in the collection. And maybe the only 'big band' stuff I do have in the collection. It's good. Probably great. I just don't go for the big band stuff very often when I want to put on some jazz.
Me: "I'm busy visiting my family, but why not turn the 'weekend albums' setting back on? I'm sure I'll find some time." 1001 Albums Generator: "Here's a two-hour live album of hepcat jazz."
There are many great performances by Duke Ellington so it's hard to rate this album. It's a great concert with lots of information by the presenter and places for the instrumentalists to shine. However, I missed some highlights.
Fun live jazz. Great album.
I understand the importance of such an album and the artist. I very much love Duke, the arrangements and the imagination poured out. This is just not my style, it's lovely and it stands on its own as one of the greatest, but for my own ears, I neither love it, nor hate it.
Classic naturligtvis och bra, men Ellington har aldrig varit en favorit och jag är mer fan av senare jazz. En trea
First impression pre listen: I've heard his name thrown around alongside other jazz greats, but I've never checked him out. Gonna treat this like every other jazz album I've gotten on here, and jump into it with no expectations. I'll be limiting it to what was present on the original 1956 release, as the reissue seems a bit of a mess. Individual track notes: Pt. I - Festival Junction A well coordinated jazz tune with some really pleasant and positive sounding energy. Love how effortless and tight it manages to sound. The solo parts are really smooth and gives off an exquisite mood that wears off on the listener. It's an overall pretty good time, though I'm not educated enough on the era to understand what makes it special. Decent. 3.5/5 Pt. II - Blues to Be There Very moody. Sleepy and nocturnal. I like the way it switches up the style a bit towards the end with the call and response. Not too captivating, but pleasant and distinct. Fine. 3/5 Pt. III - Newport Up Fast and upbeat. Fun tempo. I really enjoy the precise and joyful improvisation. The playing and coordination is excellent, but it does get a bit lost on me. I'm impressed even if it doesn't really hit me musically. Fine. 3/5 Jeep's Blues Very colourful. Great atmosphere and overall sound. I can appreciate the restraint shown by the lead. Gives the music a lot of time to breathe and be digested. Very pleasant. Decent. 3.5/5 Diminuendo in Blue Love the counter melodies in the background at the start. Interesting occasional support from the piano. Satisfying sax part. Fun and accessible. I like that you can clearly hear the audience having a great time in the background. Just an allround good time. Good. 4/5 Final Review Personally I found the album mostly just pleasantly listenable. It keeps me interested enough, though not so much that I immediately wish to replay it. I don't really get it beyond the surface level so I can only really speak on the excellent atmosphere and the genuine care put into the performances, as that fully shines through on the recording. The performers are notably very skilled and convincing. Should they be lead or support they always seem to find ways of making memorable use of their skills, even if its just to fill some space with a well placed note or two. It's decently accessible, as a layman could easily find moments to enjoy when just following along the journeys created by the musicians. Sure someone with a more educated take could pick apart the nuances and explain what makes it special, but anyone can find moments to enjoy on here even if it's just the "vibe". I personally don't fully get it, but I would still come back to this when feeling the mood for some jazz. Perhaps with more time it will grow more on me. 3.5/5 rounded down to a 3/5.
Jazz fades into the background for me
Good, but long, but good.
Ehhh… clearly objectively good but im not gonna be relistening. I think i just dont have a reference pt for it? Hard to imagine being like WOOOOO WOWWWWWWWwe snap SNAP SNAP JAZZ! For this. Bring me bbng.
There was a time I tried to get into jazz. Listened to lots of older and then more fusion artists. I found that I enjoyed listening to jazz way more live than on recordings. This was the same. I’m sure it would’ve been great to be there, but it was a tough listen. And very long.
3.5
Unfortunately the announcement being a separate thing annoyed me more than them being a part of the songs. 3 star
Artiste connu. Je ne connaissais pas cet album : je ne suis pas très intéressé par les big band. Ce live ne m'a pas fait changer d'avis ! Même s'il contient d'excellents chorus (+2), il ne rejoindra pas ma collection. =>3/5
We're going to need a bigger band! It's big band music if you like it you probably like Sir Duke I'm not sure I care enough to listen more than once it is what it is
jako dobro! obožavam kako publika popizdi na zadnjoj pjesmi. nastavim li ovako, do 1001. albuma bit ću najveći fan džeza hahaha
Duke is the best at what he does. His music is not really my thing, but it’s fun to listen to. This one’s good as a live album because his band and the audience really feed off each other. At one point it sounds like the crowd’s going to riot if Duke & co. don’t continue! Don’t do that. Bad form.
Ew, live album, but I like Duke's music regardless
Boh magari dovrei riascoltare
É um álbum interessante de um concerto de Duke Ellington e a sua banda, como era vulgar na década de 1950. Contudo, não me encheu as medidas.
I though I would like this more than I did. It got off to a bad start for me with the star spangled banner and I didn't love all the talking.
Despite the challenges of a live recording from the 1950’s you can tell the obvious talent of all involved. But jazz just isn’t my cup of tea.
definitely a good album but i’m not fond of live albums and big band classical jazz
2+ hour live jazz?? fuuuuuck i think jazz is a great music genre and there's some talented musicians featured here. i just don't think i appreciate it enough to sit and give an album this long my undivided attention. this is definitely a background listen for me, hence my rating.
Listened to this while playing Final Girl. I lost a game and won the second game! I listened to the 5 track version of this album, and enjoyed it a fair amount. I feel like I might rate it higher if I did the 1999 version, but I opted to listen to it as it was first released. Lots of squeaky endings...ha ha.
Pretty good, but way too long. The talking was annoying and I probably should've just watched a movie instead
Cozy jazz - I like it! Too many in-between talks and noise for my liking (doesn't feel like a concert) The very high-pitched sax/trumpet is a horrible trademark
I can't believe there are so many live jazz albums on this list. It's starting to get a little repetitive. The middle section of the first song piqued my interest. "Blues to Be There" was ok, a bit boring. I'm feeling better than I was yesterday. 3 stars for "Ellington at Newport".
As a Canadian in the current socio-political climate, hearing an album start with the Star Spangled Banner, despite how well played, is not a way to win my heart. THAT and my generally not being much of a jazz guy aside, this recording really transported me back to an era before my time and made me feel fully immersed in its atmosphere. Not sure it's something I'll come back to, but I'm glad I visited. 3
uh i'm out of my depth but this is a nice listen and one i was happy to revisit for this project. deserves to be one of the 1001? yes
Switched to the abridged version without the M.C. and glad I did. Jazz is not my favourite genre, but even I could appreciate elements of this.
I liked this better than other traditional jazz albums I’ve had, though that is a broad category. It felt big bandy at times which was fun. I didn’t know we were going to get Louis Armstrong, that was a nice surprise.
Duke Ellington is great, Caravan is one of my favorite tunes, especially the Thelonius Monk recording. That being said the big band genre is perhaps not my favorite. However the sheer amazing talent of the musicians is fully on display here, and I appreciate the compositional style of Ellington. This kind of live recording has a nostalgia for me, it takes me back to Tulsa as a teenager. The city has a great live festival every year that I would go to, with lots of raucous crowd participation and dancing. As an album this is overly long with too much emcee banter, but as an experience it is so cool that we have this kind of recording. I think I would listen to certain tracks again, Take the A Train, Festival Junction and Diminuendo in Blue are highlights for me, but not the whole album.
You can tell that this recording is old. There is too much talking.. I think that big band jazz is often more listenable. There is too much clarinet playing (my taste).
A big band classic. Not my particular style of music, but world class players all, and a historically significant work.
Don't often find myself listening to big band/orchestral jazz albums, but here we are. Toe-tappers for sure, and talented musicians throughout, albeit not the type of music I look for often.
3.5
A 3+ hour Ella Fitzgerald freakin' box set yesterday and a 2+ hour Duke Ellington album today. Nothing bad about them, but damn! Would it kill you to give me a 40 minute Black Sabbath album this week? 3/5 Album 62/1001
Ele sabia o que tava fazendo
Hella long. Wow. Not my style, but I recognize the talent.
Ellington and Company are simply spectacularly jazzy in this record, the performances and compositions here are excellent. Ellington is obviously great, but many others shine as well in different songs. My favourite was "Festival Junction" and "I Got It Bad" was also excellent, loved the slower vibe and the sax playing by Hodges is perfect, same with "Jeep's Blues". Gonsalves is also excellent in "Diminuendo in Blue". My least favourite moments where when the record gets more "swing-y", like in "Newport Up". It's not bad, just not my favourite. As an album, it's a bit different than most other records, it's more than 2 hours long, and being a live record, it has a lot of interludes in the form of talking, presentations and crowd interaction. The complete edition also has a fair amount of repetition in the second disc. Having this in mind, I think you have to have at least some taste for jazz and a bit of patience to enjoy the record cover to cover. I also found opening with "The Star Spangled Banner" was a bit too much. Overall, this is a historic piece of jazz, and justifiably so. But as an album, it still has a bit of room for improvement in terms of flow and removing some of the repetition.
Solid jazz/swing album. The first live album I've gotten in this project, and part of my rating considers the background noise and announcements included in the album
Favorites: Festival Junction, Newport Up, Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue It's possible I made a mistake listening to the original pressing off of a YouTube rip instead of the complete edition... This was good, but I'm not 100% a fan of the big band sound.
Album #1 Not a jazz or big band fan. Still, some of this was great. The rest was technically good, and I see why this is a highly regarded album, but I lost interest multiple times. Until the squealing trumpet brought me back. Highlights: Black and Tan Fantasy Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue
Intense listening. Skin Deep is maybe the best track. Drums drums drums.
Not for me
"Jeep's Blues" wasn't terrible. I'm not a fan of jazz but this is good. I like the saxophone and piano. "Take The A-Train" was not as good. The piano sounded off-pitch. But I did like the horns. "Sophisticated Lady" is okay. It actually sounded like in a movie a sophisticated woman is entering the room and seducing men. I don't know if I would recommend this album.
the first song is okay i like how the instruments sound i just dont like how silent it gets and i also dont like how quiet the song is in general. the next song is also okay there is not much of a difference between the two songs they are both pretty quiet. the last song is still the same. overall i dont really like this album i would not recommend it.
Big band jazz - not my favourite type but you can't help but toe tap to it. Probably more famous for the reception Ellington got that makes this a historic piece of art, listen to the whole set to get a real feel of the electricity in the crowd. Spread out a picnic blanket, have some nice food, smoke a joint and just enjoy it. Best Tracks: Blues To Be There; Jeep's Blues; Diminuendo in Blue
This wasn't bad. The band really started to cook on the last track.
This one is hurt by the recording itself. The band is great, the solo is amazing. I’m not normally a jazz guy, but I can get behind this one, but I think that’s because I do enjoy Big Band type jazz. But the recording is so subpar. The crowd noise is too high (but man is the crowd enjoying themselves!) and overall the mix is just bad. Would’ve loved to hear this with modern recording tech.
Very talented but not my jam
Good background
Good happy background music that is calming
I heard if you wanted this at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant you have to call ahead…no wait, that’s Beef Wellington… The music was great, but I could do without all the emcee banter. 3⭐️
Good, but long -- it was a double-album, and that's a lot of jazz. I can only take jazz in small doses, but it was a classic.
I have to apply my live album tax to this rating as per previous reviews, undoubtably excellent but live albums do not belong on this list
Swinging stuff!
Swingin as gideon said
This is a tough one to rate. Duke Ellington is an electric musician and is a once in a millennium talent. He makes the instruments sing and come alive and I wish I could have been there at this performance taking it all in. Listening to this album reminded me of why I don’t like live albums. I don’t like the audience cheering or interruptions and the banter from the emcee made an already long album a bit of a slog. Also there were times at the end of the songs that he’d make the trumpet squeal in a really unpleasant and loud and repetitive way that almost made me want to turn this off. I wouldn’t listen to this again but I’d listen to the studio versions of any of these songs.
So familiar. i know and can hear Ellington's brilliance but I have a hard time connecting with the music
Plenty of respect for this musician and this album, but I don't think I'm going to be listening to this a lot in the future. It's just not my jam
Absolutely fine. The band and audience are having a great time. It's too old-fashioned for my taste though.
Duke is the king of big band, but even the best swingy jams couldn't save this 2+ hour monster from feeling like a chore
If you like jazz, you'll love this album.
Very good jazz music to study to, just not that big of a fan of jazz
Great, fun background music
Long album! Black and tan fantasy - great opener Super high pitched trumpet parts are so goofy 3.5
Classic Jazz, also gave me big band vibes. Easier to listen to than more complex jazz
Yall I found a shortcut just listen to the 40 minute version 😜
Great historical document if you will. Probably my attention span doesn't hold up for this 2 hour experience
So I didn't realize the original version was only FIVE tracks and listened to almost the entire complete version. I don't regret hearing the entire Newport set, and so that's where I ended my listen and that's the version I will be rating. The MC sections are not necessary and ruined my enjoyment. I get it's meant to make you feel like you're there, but it's not for me.
Not my fav jazz style. Big band with lots of tongue in cheek playing and a showy feel. Has a great version of take the a train. A great introduction to the sounds of big bands in the mid 50s Ellington is a master of his sound sadly I Don't think this recording showcases the best of his writing style. I much prefer the tape with coltrane. Was a long concert back then! Didn't really appreciate the intros between tracks but still gives it an authenticity.
Although I’m not a massive fan of this genre, I felt rather swooned and intrigued by this one. I found myself listening to each note, seeing its meaning and all things like such.
If you want to havea albums on this list, they need to be a step above board tapes. This sounds like it was recorded from a TV broadcast. I'm not buying the time period as an excuse. That being said....its some ok jazz. Thats about it.
Interesting concert, listened to the original version.
Big band style jazz is not my cup of tea and this live format didn't do anything to change that. Furthermore it was way too long. It must have been a double or triple on vinyl.
A fun album that. To my mega naive ear in this genre that seemed to owe as much to big band style as to jazz. Quite a pleasant mix really. My favourite parts are the nifty funky bass lines which I’d love to hear more prominently, but for obvs reasons that isn’t possible in a live album. Would happily listen again.
Typical post-war jazz. Like the stuff you would hear at one of those expensive restaurants that are trying too hard to sell you an experience over actual ambiance and good food. I don't know enough about jazz to really comment on it, but the production value and quality of the players is definitely really good. I think if I was more into jazz this would be at the top of my list. I can also appreciate that Ellington was super influential in the jazz arena.
Well I fucked up on this one. The album refered to is relatively short and good jazz. I unknowingly listened to the complete version, which clocked in over 2 hours and had multiple introductions and "that's it folks." The spoken parts were rather annoying to have constantly throughout a live album (pick one introduction, limit endings). I don't feel like going back and listing to the shorter, original album, but I don't think being more condensed will up my rating anyway. Jazz doesn't blow me away or beg me to listen to that particular album again right away (my criteria for higher vote)
Great jazz
Don’t really like jazz
I think it may be that I’d rather hear a small combo than a whole jazz band, but two hours of this album was a bit long. That said, you can’t deny the musicianship and importance of the thumbprint left on jazz music by Duke. As the album goes on (and on, and on), you do really start to get a sense of the evolution of the form.
The announcements are annoying, interrupting the flow of the album. Buy maybe necessary to paint the picture of the excitement of the crowd and the atmosphere. Then I read where a lot of it was recreated in the studio. Still a cool album though. 1001 album worthy: Yes - 54/102
58’ classical jazz
Coole Zeitreise und schöne Musik. Hätte ich lieber als Video und als Album dann doch ein bisschen lang 😅
Pretty jamming, do not know much about jazz but can say this is definitely talented. Sampled the tracks.
Deduction points for the length and the extra banter.
A vibe but a way too long vibe.
Not for me, was really way too long. I respect it, but won't relisten. DNF
Не очень
Raw as fuck
The playing is rock solid but I wish this was done in a studio instead of a live setting. The introductions and crowd noise hurt this. The music is fine which gives it a passing grade.
Vert good
Not bad. Jazz isn’t always in my listening rotation, but I do enjoy it when it comes around. Love me some big bands, but not all the time. 3.5 ⭐️
Is it blasphemy to say a Duke Ellington release is middle of the road? Nothing special to me....but at least it's melodic and has a little pep. 2.5, rounding up.
swinggggg spang a lang there were some beautiful moments that i wish stretched out for longer some excessive soloing for me “pt 1 - festival junction” easy favourite
sophisticated
Чарівно, вартий уваги альбом
Probably the longest and hardest album to get through since Houmous & Chutneys experimental ‘Chinese Water Torture’ album back in ‘61. 2.5
Итс окэй. Лучшая песня - Diminuendo in Blue.
There's a lot of jazz on this, and a *lot* of introducing the performers. You could probably skip anything without a song title and save yourself some time, if sacrificing the atmosphere a bit. Nothing much stuck, even the highlight "Diminuendo in Blue" which is pretty great if you're paying attention. Unfortunately, the story of the album is more exciting to me than the actual recording.
Solid example of the genre. I don’t think it gains anything from being a live performance, other than capturing that moment in time, and it limits the appeal of a relisten.
I like it
These 2-hour albums make it hard to keep up. I'm not the biggest jazz fan, but this was good music to have on the background while I worked.
Extremely fun listen.
swinging and composition
Not really a fan of live albums. The trumpets were annoying too. But I liked most of it. Would listen to non trumpet songs again as background music.
It's Jazz. Good jazz but just jazz. Not my flavor
Not sure
Cool, Daddyo. Virtuoso musicianship. Spoiled a bit by all the chatter. I don't need to hear the long intros, and I'm definitely not interested in some priest talking about the rain, and where every member of the band lives. I can understand that this is a historical record of the complete concert that day, and that's great if you were actually there - but for the casual listener there's too much padding and not enough music. I didn't really like the sung songs either. So, in summary:- Instruments outstanding. Voices no thanks.
Big band jazz. Pretty good.
3.5
Well sir. This album is hard to find the original version of. The version that this thing takes you to is 2 hours long and includes all the stage banter and the bloody Star Spangled Banner. To be fair, listening to American patriotism might be even harder than listening to U2. I’ve found the “OG” version on YouTube. Oh fortune doth smile upon your humble narrator. Of course, due to my unwillingness to add yet another 10-15 loons to my monthly expenditure for yet another, I will be an absentee reviewer. I cannot close the app to provide my blow by blow (as in, my review will blow). Anyway, take it way Duke. Well that was cool. The opening with the clarinet gives way to excellent jazz featuring a multitude of deftly played instruments and an excellent atmosphere. I expected far more big band and swing due to the fact that those were the only genres listed online. And when an album on RYM says the genre is Hypnotica and CheeseCore, I expect to be hearing some fucking Hypnotica and CheeseCore before the day is out. The only real “big band” experience was the last song which, despite the revelry and clear enjoyment from the live crowd, sort of bored me. This was a cool album and one I could see myself enjoying once again. Not perfect but a sweet ride through the tracks of my mind propelled by the horns of the Ellington squad. Newport up. 3.5 HIGHLIGHTS: Festival Junction, Jeep’s Blues
This is a first Duke Ellington listen for me- It's crazy how many feature musicians were on this album! It must have been a really fun evening for everyone involved. The music itself was nice- I enjoyed how they switched up who was being featured in the songs, and the instruments as a result. It did start to feel long though in the second half. I also feel like I didnt get enough Duke Ellington himself. Overall- good album. Jazz isnt really my thing but I can see how Jazz people would enjoy this. 3.5/5
jazz idk
Lots of jazz. I am sure it's probably good. Very long but I did listen to both albumns.
Enjoyable - great skill on display and has an energy and vibe but not my cup of tea .
I found this to be a reasonably enjoyable jazz album, and eminently more enjoyable than the other big band albums we've had hitherto, such as Count Basie. I also like that the audience gets more vocal as it goes along, responding to the band's sporadic ejaculations. It's a very good live performance. I don't know what, if any, boundaries are being pushed, except for that clarinet player's temporal veins at the end of Diminuendo when it sounds like he's gonna pop a lobe. It suffers from the fact I've discovered Kind of Blue which, I think I'm beginning to understand, is a very different jazz to this - but nevertheless that is so good, that this pales a bit in comparison. In saying that, Duke was a massive inspiration to Miles Davis, and there are nuances in this performance which provide a hell of a lot more than vanilla big band swing. So overall I think it is in the three range and maybe pushing a high three.
норм
Buen disco, pero tan antiguo que es casi música clásica.
Pretty nice. Feels like a 3.5.
This is the second jazz album I've gotten in 5 rolls and I have a feeling my thoughts on all of them are going to be the same -- it's good jazz, sounds like good jazz, musicians are talented, and I would probably appreciate it more if I were more familiar with the ouvre of the jazz canon. I will say the length of this one is egregious and I'm choosing to only listen to Disc 1. I get that this is a famous performance but in general, I'm not fond of live albums because they never sound or feel as essential as being there in the moment, watching what's going on.
It's good, it's interesting, but I feel like I'm forcing myself to listen to it, and the format makes it inherently hard to review. I'm not sure if it's me, but I feel like listening to jazz is harder than expected, even though I've thought I kinda like the genre - or maybe it's just this format.
Overall enjoyable. Some of the horns got quite shrill on one song and I can't say I understand it.
Some I liked, some I didn't like. Overall I've decided to learn jazz. :D
Some serious finger waggin', toe tappin' stuff. I loved his cameo in Big Mouth.
Live jazz at its finest. I can picture it’s 1956 and a bunch of rich folk in suits/fancy dresses dancing around a dimly lit ballroom or amphitheater. I’d be doing the same if I was there. Smooth on the ears, like butter.
Dear lord this was long. The tracks are great, it's awesome jazz, but there's so much of it. This is proof that you really need to be in the right mood for some of these because it's GOOD music, but I got sick of it very quickly.
Never listened to Duke before this album is long. It’s also live and I like all the little noises Duke uses to cheer on his band. Especially during the ripping sax solo in Dimineuendo And Crescendo In Blue, 27 bars apparently; it’s a long solo but fitting. It’s considered a huge album in jazz history. I enjoyed it more than I expected. Big band swing isn’t my go to but the significance of this recording wasn’t lost on me. 3/5
Good album but outrageously long and tough to get through... highs were HIGH and the live aspect actually added to the experience, but 2 hours? No chance lol
It was good, more like background Jazz, didn't dislike it but didn't really sound special or light a spark
great, kind of long though, i could handle about 40 minutes not 2 hours
Very fun to do chores to, makes everything feel fun and cheeky - not a genre I resonate with however, so it can never be higher than a 3
Don’t know anything about jazz but it makes me feel like Christmas and New York City and old films so for that I like it, but definitely not my genre of choice.
Solid fun Jazz. I should figure out if this is Bop? Post bop? Hard bop? Bebop? Whatever it's jazz I can wrap my head around melodically, and I like it.
This was a pleasant working soundtrack for the afternoon. It drifted, which is never a bad thing whilst I'm tapping away. I could have done without all the talking in-between tracks
Ok
Sans être fan de jazz, ça trompette bien tout ça
classic
Fine
Newport is a lovely, old money town sitting on the Atlantic Ocean in Rhode Island with huge gilded age mansions, so the subdued politeness heard from the 1956 audience in the beginning feels authentic, then a damn riot breaks out later in the show because that’s just the power of Duke. The recording is so clean and crisp, and full of life. It’s a generous historic document on the vitality of live jazz. Again, live albums are A LOT. I love jazz though, so I approached this one as if I was a spectator sitting on the lawn of the well manicured park on a warm summer afternoon under a big oak tree with a picnic basket, some booze, and a few cultured friends. It was a lovely day, then shit got wild and we partied. It was a day I won’t soon forget!
I like the vibe, but it’s a LOT of jazz. Hard to get super into it because there’s a lot of jamming and not a lot of catchy beats. Totally appreciate the talent though. If I was a big jazz fan, I’m sure this would be really great.
Duke Ellington. Jazz. Excellence. Some reservation on my part for the style of jazz.
Can‘t judge it.
Diminuendo in Blue was pretty swinging throughout for 1956. The rest was just OK.
I don’t know anything about jazz. I really like the oboe and muted trumpet.
This is not my kinda jazz, but I appreciate the musicians clearly having fun
It feels kinda wrong to be rating this album a 3, but I'm doing these ratings based on personal taste and I've never gotten into instrumental jazz. It is a beautiful sound though! Favorite song: "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)"
When you need to hear it how it all started....
If I must. I think that if I liked this kind of thing I would have been up in it by now. Wharp-whoooaaaaaaarp! Tssss tssss. Doodly doodly DOOOOOOO! Might put this on at Christmas to keep my father-in-law entertained after lunch. Generous three stars.
I hate to sound like I'm uncultured, or I don't have ears, but I found this a bit hard to get really into. I am generally unfamiliar with jazz. In fact, like a lot of people, it's probably one of my biggest musical blind spots. If I close my eyes and focus, I can sort of vibe with it, but it gets rather exhausting for me after a while. Maybe it takes a while longer to really "get" it. Maybe repeated listenings will uncover more. But for now, based on my enjoyment, I can't give it more than a 3. Fav tracks: Diminuendo in Blue
Loved the last song. I generally prefer some New Orleans style jazz over the more bluesy stuff but this wasn’t bad. Hard for me to catch the real rhythm or groove of some of the songs but that’s very typical for me with this genre. Long enough for them to get into it, short enough that I’m not going crazy waiting for a song to end. Diminnuendo in Blue is definitely my favorite here. High 2 low 3.
I really don’t know how to rate this. It was enjoyable, but it doesn’t have the depth or structure of a normal album. Low 3, but I don’t really think of it like other albums on the list.
Fun energy.
This was cool!! I'm trying to listen to the original length of all these older records because I don't think I would like it as much if I would've listen to the whole bloated complete version that is on Spotify right now. I just listened to the original five songs that were on the LP. Because I don't care about a jazz rendition of the Star Spangled Banner or four minute long banter introducing the band. But yeah this was really nice, good house cleaning music.
Never heard this album before. Kind of an odd album, especially with the announcements being included throughout. The mention of a "young Quincy Jones" was pretty funny to hear. Overall the sound of this live album is pretty clean. I didn't find this to be mind-blowing. But it's a very famous album. and increased the popularity of jazz festivals. The story of how the original album and CD release were "faked" but that they were fixed in a later release is also interesting. Overall I get why it's on the list, but can't rate it higher than 3 stars.
Wouldn't normally listen to this, but very pleasant.
I'd give this 5 stars if it was just Diminuendo in Blue.
This was definitely an upgrade from that Justin Timberlake album the generator gave me yesterday! I don’t know much about Duke Ellington, but this live album was fun and enjoyable, especially for big band jazz and swing fans. The original 1956 LP only had five songs, but this version includes the full show with 40 tracks. Personally, I think they could’ve shortened it a bit since half the tracks are just talking or announcements. Even so, the music was great and gave me a new appreciation for Ellington.
Not really into solos. Rhythm section is good. Clarinet solo on black and tan fantasy is nice. Can't stand the trumpeter. Tea for Two is a nice song. Maybe I judge big band jazz too harshly. Hard to dislike Take the "A" Train. A classic and really well done.
Jazz, not really my thing but good.
Tooooooooooooo long! Buuuuuut this is my favourite era of jazz and I would happily put this on in the background while I’m preparing fondu.
Finger waggin music! Fun to listen to, and I can understand the cultural significance of this performance and moment in history, but it’s not something I see myself listening to again. I’m not super well versed in jazz, but Swing/Big Band is not really my thing.
this helped me place first at tft good songs and it was performed live the American national anthem as the opener caught me off guard so hard lol
Not my thing but respect those for whom it’s their thing
3/5
Great live album. I've never really sat down and listened to a Duke Ellington album, but this was a smooth play. Lots of shouts out on the mic. I give it a 3.
Enjoyed this very much, and the quality of the recording was fantastic. However, live albums aren’t a favourite of mine, and the various interlude felt like it slowed things up a little. Great listen though!
An interesting listen, not convinced by the fake crowd noises, but pretty good overall.
idk
Sorry Seb, but I listened to this passively, as elevator music that was free to catch my attention here and there whenever it felt like it. And it did, here and there. Three stars is probably generous, but whatever. I hate live albums and those aspects here don't exactly entice, but I've also loved what little Duke Ellington that I've heard (mainly his soundtrack for Anatomy of a Murder) and the livelier aspects of this set reminded me of that.
Not typically a fan of live albums, but this was a treat. I wasn't a fan of the talking in between songs being included, but I really liked the high energy of the songs and the instruments were played so smoothly as well. Highlights: Tea for Two III Newport Up Sophisticated Lady
Big band isn't my favorite flavor of jazz but this had some tasty moments on it and the musicians were impeccable. Paul Gonsalves was an obvious standout for his lengthy solo on the final song. It's too bad that the recording quality was so rough, it took me out of the performances. I guess for a live outdoor recording 68 years ago it's understandable. 3.5/5
Ok there are two versions of this album available, one has 5 tracks and one has 38. I guess I'll start with the former. Kicking off with the clarinet.. oh yeah. Didn't know the first few tracks but they were fun. Noticeably much fuller sound on track 4, Jeep's Blues, which I know well. Awesome to hear the crowd going absolutely nuts after each track. Halfway through the last track and this sounds like the craziest party of 1956, crowd is goin nuts. 1956?? god damn. This probably changed these people's lives. Super exciting ending. Awesome snapshot in time, great musicians. 3/5
I listened to the first 20 tracks (there were two CDs I think, so I did not listen to the second one). Overall, great jazz album, especially since it was live but I don't like all jazz, and I did not like this one too much.
I don't care to listen to jazz, even when it's good.
urge un'enciclopedia del jazz per capire veramente perchè ciascuno di questi album è finito su questa lista. sempre molto piacevole, ma anche molto lungo.
We have been on an absolute jazz roll here for the past couple of weeks. This one was more of a \"standard\" type jazz and the horns are incredibly powerful. I would say this is not my favorite type but still good. This is in the high 3 range.
Love a good live album, but this is one where the crowd noise kinda takes me out of the music. Sucks because the music is great.
Didn't seem like this was much different than the other jazz albums we've had. Great performers, but just not my jam.
I hated this album. Is it incredible jazz? Yes. Are the horns screachy af? Also yes. This one was anxiety inducing. I’m rating it middle of the road because I respect other people’s appreciation, but cannot go higher than a 3.
Not my thing. Not a great mix but that’s also bc of how old it is. Maybe good party music in the background.
Welcome to jazz club…
I love the sound, but the announcements in between take me out.
Some pretty solid jazz numbers, but not much else to point about this album. 3.5 bumped down to 3.
Really actually pretty pleasant.
delightful
Of course this is masterful. Of course it is at the highest level. Nevertheless, there was something in THIS performance that I felt was too mechanical or maybe like "professional" and less personal and impassioned. I don't know why exactly, it may be to do wth chemistry, as iif you put together the worlds greatest sports team by hiring all the best players and sure, they win everything but where is the heart? Not going this far with this album (!) but it does feel like a performance. Perhaps because they ARE masters at their craft they need to put something more into their performances to personalize it more? Interesting...
Had muddy waters at Newport yesterday, so good to get a direct Comparison to another live album, This is good, but has the pitfalls of what I don’t like about love albums. The CD version is also far too long. But more than worthy of this list
Pretty good. Good to work along to. Not as good as other jazz albums I’ve heard I think this was a bit too much at times but some of the tunes were a good vibe.
Good instrumental
Very long, leading to a segmented listen.
Really really long like way too long and there's loads of chatter that we don't care about. But the music itself is cool
Its weird to parse through the complete version for the three songs included originally in the re-recording, and I think one day I want to sit down with the entire 2 Cd album but at least for the "Newport Suite", "Jeep's Blues" and "Diminuendo ans Crescendo in Blue" its all just the kind of energetic and fun jazz that just so clicks with me the most (mainly with Bebop), especially the Newport Suite which packs so many sonic emotional moments that transmit this sense of joy from all the players in the band, its always weird to describe that but those moments always make a jazz recording to me and even more with how the audience responds in turn. Wonderful stuff and totally get how this gave Duke's career a second wind
I liked it, but I’m unlikely to revisit it.
Jazz is pretty cool.
Good
listened to the original LP. this album truly went in one ear and out the other. i was surprised at the extent this *doesn't* feel like a live album (i am told the remaster differs on this); it's all technical showmanship and feels very tight and regular
All for live albums but not a fan of how much song time the announcer gets here lol broke the flow way too often. Nice jazz besides that though. 6.5 / 10
Although I'm usually a sucker for Jazz, visiting a chunk of the jazz clubs in Manhattan almost every third weekend during my time there, this album did not resonate with me as much as I would've hoped. The jazz sounds so basic which has never been the case with most other jazz albums I've heard, this truly felt more like a band you'd find playing on a Saturday night at a reasonably fancy restaurant to appease your mood after seeing that abysmally small portion size. A 3 is justifiable for this album in particular.
Took some time for me to get in a groove with it but ends with a bang. Really cool
I usually enjoy the Duke a lot, but if I was at that show, I'm pretty sure I would've slept through it.
A very good, dynamic and fun big band album, but it still sounds very standard to me.
Acknowledging that duke is an icon for a reason but I’m just not a jazzy girl.
Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue
the small little intros/conversations aside, this is some fun big band jazz. it doesnt really stand out to me (except the horns here and there) but it was definitely enjoyable.
That’s definitely a jazz album!
Very talented musicians. Artists. Not my cup of tea.
Bisher längstes Album. Aber nett mal für einen Nachmittag.
Too many interludes, and why the star spangled banner lol
3☆/5 09.25.2024
This was an unexpected treat. Not a huge fan of live albums, but this one works.
OK, good jazz.
Strange. There are so many Ellington live albums out there. Why this one? Regardless, clearly talented, but after a few numbers, it’s background. Gotta be a middle school band kid to not be bored by this.
This whole album sounds like it was made by a really talented elephant.
normally i am not a fan of instrumentals. but i do love live albums and this is very listenable.
TL;DR: 3/5 My first thought, 1956 is a long time ago... Why is there a whole song dedicated to introducing the band? I know it's a "Live" album, but come on! This album is one that requires attention. There are little details that are really neat, for example, listening to this album with headphones is a very different experience than listening to it with speakers. The balance and the way everything is space is mesmerizing (in an audio sense). Every instrument has its place in the mix, and every instrument can be heard with absolute clarity. A huge breath of fresh air when comparing to todays mixes and music where everything is punched in your face at maximum volume. From wikipedia about Duke Ellington: Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards. That's really interesting, 1000 compositions! This explains how influential he was and why he's featured in the top 1001 albums. Overall, an enjoyable listen, but not something that I would come back to, which to me, deserves a 3/5
Geluisterd naar de korte oorspronkelijke versie (door zelf een playlist te maken). Het is fijn werken met deze muziek op de achtergrond. Er heel wat muziek in. Maar hoe houdt het tegenover andere jazz namen uit die tijd? Daar helpt het algoritme. Na het album volgen andere jaren 50 jazz nummers. En dat merk ik pas na een aantal nummers als ik ineens een extra fijn nummer hoor. Dan moet ik concluderen dat ik het genre fijn vind, maar dit album niet meer waardeer dan gemiddeld.
Soothing, fell asleep listening to it and revisited it the other day
Very relaxing album that’s perfect to have on while working
I like jazz as passive listening, so this historical album was cool to hear and learn about. The emcee talking and applause give the feel of what it would be like to be there, but does take away from the background listing qualities. By far the oldest album we've gotten so far (5th oldest of the whole list. Good timing to hear what inspired Stevie Wonder to write "Sir Duke" as we just had that album two weeks ago. Also funny to put an actual voice to Jordan Peele's "Ghost of Duke Ellington" character in Big Mouth.
This is a fairly enjoyable jazz album. I'm not sure it's ESSENTIAL, but I enjoyed it for what it's worth. Best Songs: Newport Up, Diminuendo in Blue Worst Songs: Festival Junction
I’m beginning to understand that I don’t hate ALL jazz. This was perfectly pleasant.
джазец приятный, но слушать его целенаправленно вообще не мое, поэтому троечка и расход епт
Pleasent and overly long Jazz album with lots of talking in between.
Good jazz, great jazz, it all sounds much of a muchness to me - I tend to prefer the live performances, but this one didn't really have much of the crowd element, you definitely couldn't feed off their energy. Thank you very much Tim for posting the original version, at 40 minutes it was just the right length, 2 hours would have driven me a bit mad. 3/5.
https://i.imgur.com/APflqnw.png
Really good, loved the mood
jokes aside, this is a piece of history! this is a fucking ARTIFACT! it's amazing to hear a biblically accurate Duke Ellington with the context to go with it. it's not my favorite album but i genuinely appreciate it just for the technical skill and the importance of it. insane w
Yeah... it's cool and all... I'm just to sleepy for this vibe at the moment
Rating is for the original 1956 LP (40 min) not the 1999 remastered “Complete” (2 hr) release.
Jazz and talking
Not a big fan of this package. There is skill and history on display here but a lot of chaff. I'd like to listen to more Duke Ellington and bits of this have inspired me to do so but I'll likely try and check out other recordings.
3.5/5 stars
Как будтот радио в Мафия 2 послушал.
Not sure I'm gonna get it...ever
Annoying that Spotify will not serve you the original album, sometimes doesn’t even feature the original album, as is the case here! The original is only like 40 minutes! The one on Spotify is over two hours of music! Good music, sure! But that’s a lot more of a time dedication! Thankfully some kind souls had reassembled the original album with playlists. I don’t mind expanded albums, or deluxe albums, or extras - but that shouldn’t be the default. The original album should be presented in its original form. This was fine. I like jazz, some of the those high notes go absolutely wild.
This could really take you back in time. Lovely work, but it's just not a type of music I'm into, nor could see myself choosing to listen to for fun. 3/5
The 3 rating is a sign of how much I've grown thru this list....too long & too jazzy yet here we are w/ 3 stars
I'm not the biggest jazz fan, and often find it gets irritating after a while, but this album felt fresh. The songs flowed into each other nicely, but without getting lost. I can see why it's so influential, even at a time when big bands were dropping like flies
Just looking at the total listen time, I don't think I'm going to be a huge fan of this one... We'll see how far I make it. I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy it at all, but it definitely wasn't my favorite. A few of the songs were quite nice to listen to.
Good jazz
Really dense, but overall enjoyable. Diminuendo and Cresendo was my favorite track. Great lines, fun crowd, amazing energy
One of those, what you hear isn't what you heard live albums... The extended version has the live performance but the original was fabricated and mixed and mashed from live and studio overdubs. I usually love live albums but this one is a little overly live with crowd noise, I can see why they fudged it up with studio replacement
I'm not ready for such genuine jazz, but I loved it!
Was not expecting a Duke Ellington live album. Could they not bring themselves to include any more of his regular albums? I have to support Duke but I’m peeved.
Old big band jazz that isn't really my style. Good solos in some classic songs.
Nah! Some of this is OK but jazz is not my thing and some is a little wierd The spoken parts add little to the album
Lively and celebratory jazz, very enjoyable and fun to hear.
Niet geweldig, maar gewoon prima, en toen ook niet vernieuwend.
Good But so dang long
This was good, but still not my gateway into jazz. Will try again with scotch and a cigar
In 1956, Ellington’s career was approaching its twilight, but this performance at the Newport Jazz Festival and album recorded there brought back his career from the brink. Ellington takes a bit of a backseat as bandleader, letting some of his band members perform some crazy solos, and I think this tactic improved not just Ellington (and his band)’s sound, but also jazz as a whole. Paul Gonsalves’s saxophone solo reinvented Ellington’s classic song “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue”, absolutely blew the audience away to the point of near hysteria, and remains one of the best live saxophone solos ever recorded.
Not my music of choice, but I had a hard day of concentration so it was some nice background music.
It's a decent album, but the constant 15 to 30-second introduction kind of took me out of the experience. This is why I absolutely loathe live albums.
I’m not going to have to time to listen to a 2hr Jazz album today but the Duke and the band obviously sound great. I like how they left all the MC parts in, it kind of just seemed like any other night at the Newport Jazz festival. I can’t imagine they thought anyone would be listening to the recording 70 years later which I think gives you a better feel for the time and place.
3.4 I listened to the 5 tracks from the original album. Im sure its a great big band performance. I will check out the "complete" recording at a later date.
Jazz usually isn’t my thing, but I enjoyed this.
I just hate jazz I guess because I am struggling to fully appreciate this.
Showboating, rocking jazz at its best. I couldn’t imagine seeing this live, but what a time to be alive it must have been. This is what I think of when I hear the term “jazz.” Fun, lively record throughout.
hear the /jazz/ go down
Good chill album
The music wasn't bad and some was actually really impressive aside from the occasional trumpet squeaks and squeals. However, I could've done without every "Duke does something" track; I skipped every one of those. Way too long due to the banter. Could've been a 4, but 3/5 instead.
Good solid classic jazz.
still rlly can’t get into jazz, a lil borinh
only listened to half, but couldn’t get into a lot of it because i’m put off by the audio quality. a poor reason to not sit through, i know, but enough of a reason to lose interest at this point in time. may be worth a revisit!
3.25
Decent jazz, no lyrics
I can get along with Jazz nowerdays and signing up for this process has lead me to some good Jazz albums and opened my ears to albums a few years I wouldn’t have considered. This is also a good example of why I like to read the albums wiki page to learn good snippets of information I was previously oblivious of and to enhance my enjoyment of the album. The example in this album is the “Gonsalves Solo” which appears to have gone down in jazz history as a very significant moment and nearly starting a riot. As a saxophonist of some note myself (not!) I can really appreciate how good this solo was and one which I will listen to again. In fact there are a number of really good tracks on this album which deserve further exploration. Obviously very aware of Duke Ellington and of his immense standing in musical history and this album is by all accounts one of his best and one personally I will return to. 3/5 17/6/24
I like it. All sounds a bit Tom and Jerry - but in a good way! Not much to dislike. Creates a mood. A swinging vibe :)
This was okay overall. Not my thing, but reasonably pleasant background music. All of the introductions take away from the mood. Also, I knew Duke Ellington's name and had a vague sense of his style, but I was surprised to see his music align more closely of what I think as big band than to jazz.
eh. not the biggest fan of this kind of jazz
Wish this wasn't a live album. Or at least that they cut down or (or out completely) the talking/introductions, etc.
Just an average jazz album. Decent for background music. 2.5/5
Too long
Another enjoyable introduction. I found the live recording had it's pros and it's cons. The chatting took me out of the moment which disrupted the flow a lot, but the energy of the lube band really came acrossm
Jazz is not my style, especially without a singer to enhance it for my own personal musical preference -- but there's a lot of technical skill here and I really like the energy. It's not very often I sit and listen to brass instruments, and they sound great here. Unfortunately not something I would revisit more than likely, and my personal score is 3/5. (On a musical skill level, I'm sure the score is much higher.)
Fantastic jazz album. A little long, so I ended up stopping it at the end of the recording of the live show. 3.5/5
Jazz.
Definitely liked some of the songs. I bet this sort of jazz is really fun live.
Jazz
Going in I only knew Duke Ellington as the dude in the attic from Big Mouth. And I fucking hate Big Mouth. So this is a lot better than that thankfully. It's still very very long and I got bored after a while but the playing is obviously very very good. Fav songs: - Diminuendo in Blue
Very good for arranged jazz. Not as interesting as truly improvisational jazz. But very good.
There was trumpet playing
Good music, but big band jazz is not my favorite
I liked this one for the cultural artifact-ness of it all — I really enjoyed how the live recording evokes the mood, the event, the audience, the banter, etc. It very much captures its time and place and I liked that very much. The music itself I could take or leave…!
I think that the first time of I heard of Duke Ellington was in Big Mouth where one of the characters is his ghost. This album is just 2 hours of jazz music from the 50s, so it is very old school but it's nice having this in the background.
Uhm ok Nóg een live album? Maar hey, wel een jazz live album, dat scheelt weer! Duurt wel ff rustig 2 uur, de tandjes... Holy bef, rustig ff een 5 minuten durende intro van de MC. Houdt je bek man, jezus... Ik hou écht echt echt echt echt echt niet van live albums. Heel soms voegen ze wat toe, maar het overgrote deel is de recording niet zo goed, is het publiek irritant aanwezig of, en dat is wel voor het eerst(kudos!), is er een presentator aanwezig die zo nodig na elk nummer een woordje moet doen... AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH De muziek zelf is overigens echt fijn, maar de matige recording in combinatie met de lengte en het continue geouwehoer ertussen zorgen ervoor dat ik dit gewoon niet een hoog cijfer kan geven... Dus dit word een van mn laagste jazz albums, wel nog steeds 3 sterren, want het is gewoon goede muziek! FAVO: pt 2. Blues to be there, pt 3. Newport Up, Diminuendo in Blue
I recognise the great skill of the musicians, but I just cannot enjoy a lot of jazz music. It can get very repetitive to me, no matter how much I love a saxophone solo. Music inspired by elements of jazz is always far better than actual jazz to me. Also, as this is a live album, the crowd sounds and various conversations that are given their own track listing can be quite annoying and distracting. I'm unsure how to rate this album due to my own bias combined with the live album aspect, so I'll go with a 3 to recognise the musical skill involved and leave it at that.
good, jazzy, newport up and skin deep good. waaaayyyy too long, skipped the talky bits
Pretty enjoyable, super super long. Especially with the added introductions and talking intermissions spread throughout.