Product Description:
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: Duke Ellington (arranger, piano); Billy Strayhorn (arranger); Russell Procope (alto saxophone, clarinet); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Jimmy Hamilton (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Paul Gonsalves (tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (baritone saxophone); Mercer Ellington, Herbie Jones (trumpet, flugelhorn); Cootie Williams, William "Cat" Anderson (trumpet); Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors (trombone); John Lamb (bass); Rufus Jones (drums).
Recorded at RCA-Victor Studio "A", New York, New York on December 19-21, 1966. Originally released on RCA-Victor (3782). Includes liner notes by Stanley Dance and Orrin Keepnews.
The 1995 CD release of this great 1967 Duke Ellington-Billy Strayhorn suite provided an opportunity for reissue producer Orrin Keepnews to correct certain tape speed anomalies which marred the initial LP by going back and remixing the original multi-track tapes. The sparkling result can perhaps be compared to a cleanup of the Sistine Chapel or at least The Last Supper. For THE FAR EAST SUITE is not only one of the Duke Ellington Orchestra's greatest sessions, it is one of the greatest jazz records of the '60s, not bad for a band that made its first significant recordings exactly 40 years before.
Sinewy, chromatic, Eastern-flavored compositions like "Isfahan" and "Agra" provide utterly fresh-sounding showcases for veteran Ellingtonians like alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges and the apparently ageless baritone saxophonist Harry Carney. All the Duke's men rise to this special occasion however, especially the fluent and witty clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton and the piano player himself, whose lush ruminations on the 11-minute-plus "Ad Lib On Nippon" closed the original set.
Entertainment Reviews:
Jazziz - 3/93, p.62
"...this 1966 session is full of fresh melodies and new ideas..."
