Customer Reviews

Intense, varied, DUKE! - By: , 19 Oct 2000
This is Duke's soundtrack to a 1959 Otto Preminger film. The sound is pure Ellington at its best. The tracks on the original release are integrated by many additions (such as alternate takes, rehearsals & whatnot). The additions, however, are not always musically outstanding, only just over half of the time. That's why I gave this CD only 4 out of 5 stars, which for a CD of this length is a high score. You'll get about 70 minutes of music, with 50 minutes who belongin the best orchestral jazz ever heard.

Here are a few details about the music. The soloists are--you bet--top notch, but space for improvised solos (as opposed to written ones) is less than we are accustomed to. I guess Duke approached the soundtrack work with a mentality somewhat different from his ordinary.

The themes are good as ever, from the Main Title to the romantic "Midnight Indigo", passing through the small reduced-personnel gem "Sunswept Sunday", solemnin the A section & lightin the clarinet (written) solo B section. This track has probably been edited-reassembledin the mixing room (there are two apparently identical repetitions of the A-B structure, & the junction is musically awkward to my ear), but so what? The liner notes say thatin the movie you could only listen to a few seconds of this piece. Also "Almost Cried" is an instant classic. I bet your favorites might vary from mine, because the quality is high throughout.

Summing up, this record is a must for Duke's lovers & a good listen for anyone who likes good jazz.