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Review by analogue February 20, 2009 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
It botherred me for the longest while.I just had to hear what all the fuss was about. I broke down and spent 100 dollars on Ebay for this sacd. I got really lucky. Some vendors had it for 500. I love Duke Ellington so I just had to have it. I just kept hearing stories of how good it sounded and I have a great respect for the work that Mobile Fidelity does. Everyone it seemed couldn't say enough nice things about this album and it;s sacd counterpart.I had to hear for myself how Duke and his big band with all their talent from late 1958 sounded.
I was not let down in any regard. In fact this is one of my top sounding sacd's. Even my friend said the horns were unbelievably realistic sounding. What is the real bonus aside from the magnificent sacd transfer is the musicianship. A person cannot possibly sit still listening to this. The music literally reaches out of the speakers and shakes you up. It grooves and makes you move.
This sacd is a keeper and reaches the highest pinnacles of transfer quality. It's fifty years old and sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday. But hey.....we don;t have musicians and music like that today do we??
Duke Ellington is a giant in the jazz world and it's easy to see why.
Yes I know with the terrible economy and it's depressing uncertainty it might seem excessive to spend 100 bucks on a single piece of music. But I could never regret it. This album brightens my life. It's that good. And that my friend is worth a hundred bucks.
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Review by JMCIII1 November 8, 2006 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
One of the first (and, from the original Mobile Fidelity only and last) hybrid SACD's to come to market. And you know what? It's still one of the best sounding. it's biggest drawback - besides the short playing time - is the left/right feel to the band. Ellington is center stage, but he doesn't play that much himself. But the depth is superb, and the instruments sound spot on tonally. Sure it's going to be expensive to find, as you have to look to the used market, but it'll be money well spent - especially if you, like me, are an Ellington Band fan.
John Crossett
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Review by JW April 7, 2003 (1 of 1 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
This album was recorded in one night, directly after a tour in 1959. The story goes that the sheet music for these tracks was not available for some reason necessitating much improvisation that night. The music flows and flows and flows on this album. Ellington's piano is accompanied by trombone, sax, various reeds, violin, trumpet and naturally bass. The muted trombone on "Sweet And Pungent" is a sound for sore ears :-) - absolutely wonderful and on SACD the midrange is an audiophile's delight.
There is blues, slow blues, swing, jazz standards and jamming. Try and get this on Mofi if you can, but otherwise just buy the CD or LP.
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