Duke Ellington and His Orchestra • Masterpieces By Ellington
 or reasons known only to the suits
who ran Columbia Records, at the beginning of the long-play-record era, the label decided
to wait a full two years before allowing one of its biggest acts to benefit from the
extended playing times available on LP. Why anyone would keep the Duke Ellington Orchestra
chained to the limits of the 78 while other lesser lights took advantage of the extended
playing time of the 33 1/3rpm record is a question for the ages and remains a mystery
today.
But then, in late 1950, Columbia finally got around to giving Ellington and the boys their first shot at the LP format (for a 1951 release), and they did it right. Masterpieces By Ellington is exactly what the title suggests. Four tracks, two per side, allowed the public who may have never heard the Ellington Orchestra live to hear what they’d been missing. Classic tunes, "Mood Indigo," "Sophisticated Lady," "The Tattooed Bride," and "Solitude," all 11+-minutes-long concert versions, made up this album, which until the recent reissues by both Pure Pleasure and Analogue Productions, was near impossible to find in any condition -- much less in the pristine shape of these reissues. Music lovers everywhere should be turning cartwheels, for this album is not just great music but also a slice of history, a record by the Ellington band, at the time comprised of either Ellington or Billy Strayhorn on piano; Russel Procope, Paul Gonsalvas, Johnny Hodges and Jimmy Hamilton on saxophone; Nelson Williams, Andrew Ford, Harold Baker, Ray Nance, and William Anderson on trumpet; Quentin Jackson, Lawrence Brown and Tryee Glenn on trombone; Mercer Ellington on horn; Wendell Marshall on bass and Sonny Greer on drums (they were also joined by vocalist Yvonne Lanauze), who were at the height of their collective powers. The music is only part of what made this album special. Those who were able to lay hands on a decent original copy claimed the sound, mono though it is, was spectacular. This Pure Pleasure reissue shows that that claim was founded on solid fact. I’ve reviewed quite a few Pure Pleasure offerings, and I can confidently state that this Pallas-pressed LP, remastered from analog tapes, not digital files, is, if not at the very apex of sound quality, then damn close to it. All of the instruments have a sense of realness, and there is space around the band -- something of a surprise from such an early LP, and in mono to boot. From the plucked bass lines to the sparkle of each cymbal strike, everything rings true. The musicians seem to exist in their own space while still being part of the whole. There is a choice of which version of this album to invest in, given that there at now two 33 and one 45rpm reissues available. I’ll put this one by Pure Pleasure right at the top of the list. I simply can’t imagine this LP sounding better. No matter which you choose, this is an album you really need to have in your library. Getting the chance to hear one of Ellington’s greatest bands give full-length versions of these four tunes is using your stereo for its intended purpose -- stepping back in time and reliving an era when this was the music to hear. This Pure Pleasure LP is flat, dead silent, and wonderfully musical. Oh, and one last tidbit to really ice the cake: Pure Pleasure's deluxe gatefold sleeve is of superior quality and includes pictures of Ellington at work in the center. To restate: top-quality sound, top-quality packaging, and
perhaps the greatest big band in jazz history to whisk you back to late 1950 and delight
you with exquisite music. What more can one ask for from a reissue? |
