Came home to listen to some Duke Ellington. An excellent idea. Wondered why I didn't do this everyday. The CD in question was a nifty collection entitled The Ellington Suites comprising three of his suites written for specific occasions, the recordings stretching from 1959 to 1972.
It's all good (needless to say) but I was knocked sideways by A Single Petal of a Rose, an old favourite, featuring just the Duke on piano with some tasteful bowed bass from Jimmy Woode towards the back end. I'd forgotten just how wonderfully spare the Duke's playing is. There's a bit of ornamentation around the lovely melody, but it remains a bit. Billy Strayhorn, I suppose technically the better player, would have been all guns firing on it, and, much as I love his playing, I don't think that florid approach would do the piece justice.
No comments:
Post a Comment