Reviews (page 8 of 11)
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.
It was hard to find the original album, on Spotify i only found the "complete edition" which runs for 2 hours. I cobbled together the original tracks of that album and listened to that. Even then the run time doesn't match exactly but i hope I managed to emulate the original Even though I was not too impressed by this album Duke Ellington's piano playing makes it worth a listen all by itself. Was super impressed and made me wish I delved further into jazz piano when I was playing a lot myself. Worth a listen just for that. Will come back to this one and see if more sticks.
3 Not only is this album apparently pretty historical, but the entire concert as a whole. Like, I guess the interludes here entitled “Pandemonium” and “Riot Prevention” are pretty literal, as the crowd at the show were going about as nuts as a tweenage girl at a Taylor Swift concert, borderline Fear on Saturday Night Live level. The performance was also allegedly supposed to end with the three-part Festival Junction suite, but after a lukewarm response, Duke kept the show going and egged on the crowd with bigger and bigger numbers, much to the festival organizers’ annoyance - to the point that his saxophonist ended up collapsing out of exhaustion after his solo on Diminuendo in Blue. So, I gotta say, I find that all to be pretty cool, but listening to it in album form… I mean, it just feels like two hours of jazz. It was a pleasant listen to get work done to, but for as acclaimed as this performance supposedly is, I never once came close to feeling mind blown or wowed - maybe you just had to be there? I also find the pandemonium especially surprising being that it feels like this kind of thing was already outdated by 1956 standards (I would have thought everyone had dropped big band music for Elvis at this point). I guess that ultimately speaks to Duke and his band’s talents, but it doesn’t speak to me much as a listener here now in 2024. I went back and forth on this one a few times. It’s certainly not bad, but it doesn’t do much for me, and it’s also way too long. Granted, I guess if you’re listening to the “Complete” edition on Spotify, you’re actually listening to two different versions of the album smushed together, so maybe I shouldn’t let that sway my opinion too much. At the end of the day, I think the overall talent of the group does shine through whether I find it to be overly enjoyable or not, so given that - and the fact that the recent Fallout TV show has reminded me of the charm of this era of music - I’ll shoot for the higher end of “okay”.
Good but nothing memorable.
It's fine. Couldn't finish, not my style
Not of any interest to me, this sort of jazz (big band) isn't my taste. I only woke up when Spotify started playing John Coltrane and Junior Mance tracks.
The album didn't blow me away.
Leuk weer een jazz album Lang, niet helemaal geluisterd
I'll be honest, I didn't listen to the whole thing but I heard at least half. It was beautiful and if I was going to have a dinner party I might ask Siri to play Duke Ellington but I wouldn't ask for any album in particular.
Would’ve been a great show to see during the era, but listening to this in the year of our lord twenty and twenty-four leaves a lot to be desired. 3.0 stars for a jazz great.
It's a very long jazz concert, what else can I say about it? To my own surprise, I listened to the full thing. It was pretty nice as background music, but not all too interesting and I didn't pay very close attention either.
I've come to notice that when it comes to jazz I'm really clueless, all I can say is that it sounds jazzy
A little more noodley than I like my Jazz but still a great album
Great live album, nice hearing the intros and the crowd speaking in the background Setting: Listened at work, great listening music
Not as good as count Basie but still solid jazz from the 1950’s.
Duke was pushing 60 and had a legendary performance. Diminuendo in Blue is so fun, I really like the up tempo pace in this, which seems very different than the jazz we have heard recently, (there’s been quite a bit) Idk with all the jazz and blues lately, I’ve really found a newfound respect for the genre. I’ve found myself cooking to jazz and popping in a Guy Lombardo record frequently. I will definitely be Digging deeper into dukes catalog, I’m interested to hear what his studio LP’s sound like.
Not really a jazz dude, but as a musician I can appreciate the God-tier musicianship of those involved in making this record. This showcases Ellington's prowess as a band leader moreso than a pianist, which is fine, but overall, it was much more difficult to appreciate than a studio album given the sound quality. The horns were blaring and the drums front and center, but the piano was all but lost most of the time (assuming there was piano at all?). Overall not bad, but not something I'd actively seek out to listen to again.
‘Skin deep’ is F I R E.
Intellectually, I understand it jazz and it's complexities. I just don't like to listen to it that often.
Remarkable how many people feel the urge to detail their relationship with Jazz in the reviews. So... Me? I'm not a stranger to it, but (or therefore?) I can't say that I'm a great connoisseur of jazz', say, pre 60ies years. Unless it's ~smooth~ but then it becomes music for dinner parties. This here is cool, however, but solely because of the energy that's conveyed through the live recording, which also cuts it into slices that makes it unwieldy and too long. It's wild and again: cool, but - in 2024 - this album doesn't hold my attention or interest enough to grant these 2 hours more than a 3.
The music's good but not to my taste. But it's not really a live album if Wikipedia's comment that only about 40% is actually live recording is true (how do they measure that?).
I enjoyed listening to this, but I don't think it's something I would ever return to. Glad to have listened to it. Makes me feel like I earned my fandom of Whiplash that much more.
A deep, long listen. Lots of interrupting vocal announcers, and I didn't find I could lose myself in it as much as I could with cello or piano or irish music.
wow niche. a good listen though
I'm not big on jazz but this is the best one I've come across on this list.
I'm. ot a huge fan of patriotic songs, so that first one doesn't do much for me. The remainder of this album was clearly innovative and felt like the kind of thing I might have listened to with my grandfather on the porch sipping sweet tea on a summer afternoon. Really enjoyable.
The guys are outstanding musicians, but I need more structure and less meandering.
I have tried multiple times to get through this. After about 30 minutes it all blends together. You know when you are reading a book but not paying attention and realize three pages later you have no idea what's going on? Audio version of that. Lovely music, great musicians, too damn long.
Ok
Riktigt bra musikaliskt och många riktigt sköna låtar. Nu är kanske inte denna typen av jazz riktigt exakt vad jag älskar just nu men kommer förmodligen komma tillbaka till några av dessa låtar.
Mastering and mix is pretty terrible, unfortunately.
Well I didn't hate it and for anything in this genre, that's a really big compliment for me to pay. I guess I'd be happy for it to play as background music at some gathering. I could hear it at a coffee shop and not put on headphones to drown it out. Yay Duke.
I like jazz. Sometimes more than others. This is classic, like the jazz my mother listened to in the 1950's at smoky Chicago clubs while smoking cigarettes and drinking gin. Ellington is a master of brass and the entire band grooves like cool cats of days gone by. It is simultaneously awesome for this world and not for me.
The Duke is great. An all time classic. But not really one I’m gonna go back to for more than just background music.
Para muchos críticos y aficionados al jazz la aparición de Duke Ellington y su orquesta en Newport en 1956 es una de las mejores interpretaciones de la historia y supuso el regreso de Ellington a la cima de la fama. Destacó sobre manera el solo de tenor al saxofón de Paul Gonsalves en "Diminuendo in Blue". No obstante, la grabación que nos ha llegado no es la grabación en directo sino una mezcla en la que se incluyen fragmentos de la reconstrucción en estudio que realizó la banda al día siguiente. El famoso "Diminuendo" se había grabado en un micrófono equivocado y la única forma de arreglar aquel desaguisado era reinterpretando toda la "Suite del Festival", introduciendo falsos aplausos, introducciones y ruidos del público. Aún así, sigue siendo una grabación extraordinaria.
Pretty decent jazz, with some fun announcing and crowd-noise bits. Love hearing a jazz festival riot, just sounds so silly to me. 6/10
I wouldn’t consider myself a jazz fanatic, and this album didn't seem too different from any of the other stuff i'd heard before. At first I thought "okay just your regular jazz-elevator music"- but by track five "tea for two" I was starting to get the hype. An album to make anything you do feel aesthetic- in my case lying in bed at 3pm on a wednesday- but I felt like I was transported into a scene of Pink Panther or Tom and Jerry. Personally, I will never opt for a live version over a studio recording but in this case, the atmosphere of the audience made the experience all the more electric- I really envied the audience. Overall, despite its length I really enjoyed this piece, although I think more intended to be listened to while doing something other than fantasising about being in whiplash- which I defs did NOT do. favourites: "Tea for Two", Jeeps Blues" skips: The introductions and announcements
This is some good big band jazz. There are some particularly strong tunes on here, including Festival Junction and Jeep's Blues. I would have preferred to listen to the original release's track list, as the version I am listening to seems to be an expanded version so it's a bit long for me at over 2 hours and includes some repeats, but I can't hold that against the original album. This is a solid listen, but maybe not one that I would come back to very often.
Duke Ellington beat Apoleon at the Attle of Aterloo.
squee! squeeze! I SAID SQUEEEE
An Amazing Jazz album in the Big Band era , personally I prefer Quartet jazz musicians, hard bop and modal jazz...
I enjoyed this album. I am a fan of jazz so probably ginna be a bit biased in my review. Tbh there were only a few moments that really caught my attention. This was probably very imaginative for it's time. I'll probably have to listen again to get an actual opinion on it.
A 2 hour live album??? Come on guys we're all busy people
Pretty good live.
Sounds great live and some really good players in the band. I listened to the complete version so it did run a bit long and started to blend together. The announcements were a bit obnoxious too (3.5/5)
This is a very long album . The musicians are extremely skilled and I can appreciate this but how much jazz can one person take ? And is that a kazoo?
Been wanting to listen to this one. Good old school jazz.
I've been putting off listening to this because it's so long. I had to come back to it a few times but it is impressive, just not for me.
Pass, will listen on CD at some point
Great jazz band, no lyrics & easy listening
classic jazz orchestra big band
Not bad, enjoyed more than i thought i would
Good to go somewhere different
There's some really enjoyable songs in here, but it's a lot of Jazz in one go and I found myself drifting in and out of it. "Blues to be there" I really liked.
Cool jazz album. Didn’t move me but enjoyed listening to it.
Appreciate the skill and musicianship, but doesn't move me much.
Live jazz album dans un festival en 1956. C'est vraiment loin d'être mauvais, mais je suis aussi vraiment loin de connaître assez ma musique pour savoir que c'est le meilleur album jazz de tous les temps. S'écoute super bien quand même, mais dur d'avoir des chansons prefs quand tu dois choisir sur 38 pistes de 2heures de long.
I’m not a fan of live albums, but this one was good until the last song. Drum solos are better in person.
Enjoyable once I started skipping thru the intros.
Disco de jazz gravado ao vivo
Decent, just super long
Even though I’m not that into jazz, I know enough to know Duke Ellington is a, if not the, premier name in the genre. This was a relaxing listen for a Friday work afternoon, I committed to the full 2 hour experience. I could picture cool cats like Cab Calloway wearing black suits and dark shades just jamming away. I can tell this is a selection of top notch players, and the pace is very measured and the set is arranged well. I like the commentary, adding context for the listener that may not be as familiar with the genre. 3.5/5 rounded down
I love what Sir Duke represents in music but I don't think this is what we here are calling an album.
Its tough for me to rate a jazz album as I don't listen to a lot of it. This was enjoyable, but not to the point where I felt it was vastly different from other albums I've listened to.
Just a solid big band jazz set. I’ve got no complaints, but I wasn’t wowed either.
Classic big band music. The intro voice introduction was a nice touch to bring the listener into a mindset of a live performance.
I listened to the original, not the remake that's quadruple the length. It's talent and big band.
Over 2 hours? Really? Could have cut half of this including the pointless tracks introducing the songs and telling the crowd that a white Ford Transit van is blocking the exit.
Enjoyable but I feel like the crowd interactions could've been cut and I just don't have this much love for jazz in me.
So far live albums have been a major source of disappointment for me on this list. This is better - jazz gets a lot more from a live performance than rock imo. Still my favourite track here is probably Take the A Train - always a bop. Fave Tracks: Take the A Train 3.2/5
Much babbity. Not my favourite jazz at all but 2 seems a bit harsh
Wel Chill, die hele hoge trompet geen fan
Wel nice, beetje piep jan knor jazz dus je mot er wel zin in hebben
It's good that they switched up the upbeat tracks with the slower ones. I really enjoyed the upbeat ones.
talented for sure but i don't think i need a 2 hour long listen
Enjoyed. The live element was interesting but made for bad distracting focus music
It's fine. It's not really my thing. The recording is good. Washes over me a bit.
Great jazz album good energy
Good easy listening album, wish it did not have all the speaking sections. I do like live performances though. Perfect for a small bar and enjoying a cocktail. Favorite track is Jeep's Blues.
Meh. Its the Duke but still meh.
Good jazz album, some yapping
I don’t listen to much jazz, and I found this to be pretty good. Still not my favorite genre but it definitely has its place.
It isn't my taste in music. This doesn't mean it's bad.
Tolle Musiker, nicht meins.
Ellington's revival at Newport launched his career forward. His performance, particularly on "Diminuendo in Blue", excited the crowd to stand up and dance as Paul Gonsalves kept going forever on his sax, followed by a crazy improvisational piano solo by Ellington. It's the highlight of this album, and showcases the impact jazz can have on audiences. Much of the album is filler. There are plenty of showcases of the orchestra's capabilities and improvisations, which makes it better than most live jazz albums, especially for its time. There is a sense of liveliness and space, and various members get their time to shine. But I wasn't able to find a track that blew me away as much as "Diminuendo in Blue". It was a mix of "pretty great" and "forgettable". And I'm not even including the outtakes after the closer "Mood Indigo."
I rather enjoyed this as a historical document. However, no particular tracks stood out, though I did appreciate the arrangements and musicianship. Perhaps not my favourite jazz form, predating the 'Kind of Blue' era, but still an interesting listen which reminded me of my late grandfather's record collection.
It’s a long way to the top if you wanna…play jazz. But this album is a great example of what many artists can’t do: perform live! The commentary in between was interesting and made you feel like you were there. And the players were top notch. Like cool, daddio!
This album has two things working against it that would typically doom it for me: 1) Jazz 2) Live recording But to my surprise, the live aspect really elevated the album. Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue Is a perfect example where the band is feeding off the audience and the audience is loving it. Doesn’t take it to 4* category, but ended up enjoying more than I expected. 3.25/5
As a person who has never listened or been exposed to any jazz, this was a pleasant surprise for me. Although not the most entertaining album to listen to, it is incredible in terms of musicality, with countless impressive solos and strange synchronization with the instruments to keep you on your toes. it was fun to admire the skill of these musicians, and I now have a newfound appreciation for jazz.
Too Big Band for me.
Totally fine. I'm not a live album person and the recording sounded awful, which really hurts my experience, maybe unfairly.
Mastery on display. These are top notch musicians doing a live show for a very lucky audience. The quality of the recordings aren’t the best, but in this case it creates more of a longing; not a longing to better recordings, but a longing to be in the same exact setting as the band goes through these numbers. I almost enjoyed listening to how hype the crowd was getting as the show went on as much I enjoyed the masterclass of musicians just enjoying the crap out of some jazz. I am not sure I would listen to this album a lot though, as it is one of those experiences that are great the first time, but maybe not as much with consecutive listens. 3/5
Big-variety jazz. Super long album, didn't have time to finish it
Probably the hardest album to get through so far. I enjoy jazz live but struggle listening to it at home. Impressive horns, though not super pleasant to listen to at the points of showing off breath work. Parts I liked, and otherwise my attention span was put to the test. Important to listen music like this though, especially since I'm not a musician
Quite a pleasant listen actually, preferred it to the John Coltrane. Simpsons reference: Yes
I liked it more than I thought I would to be fair. Not usually a fan of big band but most of this worked. Really enjoyed the opening piece, the rest interested me less.