Carnegie Hall Concerts: 1943-1947

This nicely-packaged set doesn't even have completist's value. Each concert is limited to two discs, and where the entire concert wouldn't fit, tunes were cut. Producer Orrin Keepnews writes it was mostly pop tunes and vocal features that fell under his axe, but hey! I would have liked to have heard some vintage Al Hibbler or Betty Roche. A fuller, if slightly earlier, picture of the live Ellington band can be heard on the exciting Fargo set, while the V-Discs collection does a nice job representing mid-1940s Ellington in generally spectacular sound. There is history here and a lot of musical gems sitting in the sonic murk, but this should be a low priority for an Ellington collector.

excellent.

Listing to this 1943 performance, how can anyone doubt that Ellington is a genius.Centuries from now, as other names fade away, Ellington will be known as one of the great and important composers of the 20th century.Also highly recommended for all musicians: RCA all Webster - Blanton performances, 1940 Fargo disks, RCA 1940-41 Great Ellington units, RCA 1940 Ellington-Blanton Duets, 1940 2 disk set of Ellington Radio Transcriptions, Atlantic 1963 Great Paris Concert, 1970 Atlantic New Orleans suite.

I have been buying a lot of Ellington of late, his body of work is just awesome. This is a live concert recording most notable for having the original version of Black Brown and Beige. I have read that following the criticism that Ellington received from sections of the press he rewrote large sections of the work. I can only assume that those listening must have had an agenda other than musical appreciation driving their views. The recording quality , given the period is good, the level of playing and composition is exceptional. This is a very rewarding disc to listen to and a very important element in developing an understanding of this master musician. The most interesting point of a recording like this is that at this time the limitations of recording technology limited the duration of the tunes here the band can stretch out and play.

It is good to have all of this historically important music together in one package and quite nicely presented.The booklet includes the extensive notes from the 1977 LP issues, but crucially omits a track listing and personnel details from the 1943 concert,arguably the most significant of the four as it contains the most complete version of Black, Brown and Beige ever recorded.Contrary to another review, no improvement in sound is discernible over previous issues

In diesem Box Set gibt es tatsächlich die vier Carnegie Hall Konzerte aus der Mitte des vorigen Jahrhunderts (1943, 1944, 1946, 1947) als Budget-Editon. Dabei sind je vier CDs in einer doppelbreiten Bio zusammengefasst, das Ganze dann in einem dünnen Papierschuber. Im Booklet finden sich eine Reihe mikrofilmartig reproduzierter Texte zu früheren Ausgaben.Vom Inhalt her dürften die CDs aber identisch zu den separat erhältlichen Doppelalben sein -- zumindest werden die einzelnen CDs von Musicbrainz / FreeDB als diese erkannt. D. h. auch, dass die Konzerte aus Platzgründen nicht (alle) vollständig sind bzw. in Originalreihenfolge enthalten.Was man allerdings bedenken muss, ist, dass die Tonqualität wenig mit Hi-Fi gemein hat. Während man den deutlich älteren  Never no Lament  und  The Duke at Fargo 1940  ihr Alter nur stellenweise anhört, ist dieses Material hörbar dumpf und verrauscht.Fazit: Als historische Dokumente einzigartig, davon abgesehen gibt es einen Großteil der Stücke anderswo in besserer Qualität. Never no LamentThe Duke at Fargo 1940

Ad un prezzo risibile, una testimonianza eccezionale di quella che è stata forse la migliore orchestra jazz di tutti i tempi. Otto CD, quattro cicli di concerti diversi, interpreti e solisti di eccezione, una carrellata di pezzi che rappresentano la miglior produzione musicale di Duke Ellington: una miniera di musica, il sound autentico di un'epoca in cui, nonostante la guerra, i concerti di jazz radunavano folle di spettatori entusiasti ed appassionati.

Là encore, mes microsillons ont bien mérité de prendre leur retraite.Petit regret: autant je comprends qu'i ait fallu abandonner certains morceaux pour l'édition 33 tours autant on aurait pu les publier dans l'édition CD. Plusieurs galettes auraient accepté 20 minutes de musique supplémentaire.