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Music

Sun Ra: Duke Ellington's Sound of Space

Dear patrons in attendance at The Bottom Line on the night of February 17, 1987: shut up, won't you?
Recent
Music

Mark de Clive-Lowe & the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra: Take the Space Trane

Mark de Clive-Lowe doesn't turn big band music on its head so much as he injects it with new blood.

John Garratt
Music

Duke Ellington Orchestra: Big Bands Live: Duke Ellington Orchestra

Duke Ellington's legacy continues to shine brightly on Big Bands Live: Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Brent Faulkner
Music

William Parker Orchestra: Essence of Ellington

"Essence" is the key word to this album, steering it clear of the been-there-done-that jazz project.

Music

Laurent Mignard Duke Orchestra: Ellington French Touch

A new concert recording by the formidable Duke Orchestra of Paris led by Laurent Mignard collects Ellington’s French-inspired compositions, including a wealth of unheard music. The album brings into focus the triumphant late period of jazz’s greatest composer.

Music

Duke Ellington and Paris Part 2: An Interview With Laurent Mignard

In this second part of his 'Duke and Paris' series, Matthew Asprey looks into what Laurent Mignard means, when he says, "Our record is called Duke Ellington Is Alive because I'm really sure that Duke's mood is still with us."

Music

Duke Ellington and Paris Part 1: Busy Winters

In this first entry of a two-part series, Matthew Asprey reflects on the relationship between the discography of jazz legend Duke Ellington and a city that gave refuge to many great American expatriates, Paris.

Technology

Duke Ellington Is Heard Loud and Clear on Old 78s, Across Decades of Time

From dusty old 78s placed tenderly on the console to reissue CDs spinning easily on the latest-model boom box, Duke Ellington's music spans generations of technology and memory, as told here by the son of a 90-year-old man who loved the Duke.

Sports

Lil' Pookie's America: Some Big Shoes to Fill

How can a kid from the 'hood today measure up to the likes of Duke Ellington? or Hank Aaron? A mythical boy from the 'hood meets these major black American figures through three recent books: 'Duke Ellington's America', 'The Last Hero' and 'Willie Mays'.

Books

Follow Your Heart: Moving with the Giants of Jazz, Swing, and Rhythm and Blues by Joe Evans

It's fun discovering that Jackie Wilson used to be a prizefighter or imagining band members waking up a drugged-out Charlie Parker right before his solo.

Reviews

Duke Ellington: Love You Madly/A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral [DVD]

Call it a Portrait of an Artist as a Gentleman, the reissued Love You Madly/A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral captures the sophisticated grace of Duke Ellington.

Dan Nishimoto
Music

Duke Ellington: The Essential

While even a dilettante such as myself could easily catalog a number of omissions, it wouldn't really serve any purpose -- this set covers the necessary bases in as fleet-footed a fashion as possible.

Tim O'Neil

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