1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #6 Duke Ellington - Ellington At Newport (1956)

DUKE ELLINGTON - ELLINGTON AT NEWPORT

Track Listing (standout tracks in bold
Disc: 1
1. Star Spangled Banner
2. Father Norman O'conner Introduces
3. Black And Tan Fantasy
4. Duke Introduce Cook & Tune
5. Tea For Two
6. Talk About The Festival
7. Take The A Train
8. Duke Announces Strayborn's A Train & Nance/Duke Introduces
9. Part I -Festival Junction
10. Duke Announces Nance & Procope
11. Part Ii-Blues To Be There
12. Duke Announces Nance & Procope
13. Part Iii-Newport Up
14. Duke Announces Hamilton,Gonsalves & Terry/Duke Introduce Car
15. Sophisticated Lady
16. Duke Announces Grisson & Tune
17. Day In,Day Out
18. Duke Troduce Tune(S) And Paul Gonstaves Interludes
19. Diminuendo In Blue And Crescendo In Blue
20. Announcements,Pandemonium
21. Pause Track

Disc: 2
1. Duke Introduce Johnny Holges
2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
3. Jeep's Blues
4. Duke Calms Crowd,Introduces Nace & Tune
5. Tulip Or Turnip
6. Riot Prevention
7. Skin Deep
8. Mood Indigo
9. Studio Concert
10. Father Norman O'connor Introduces Duke Eillington To
11. Part I- Festival Juncion
12. Duke Announces Soloists:Introduxe Part Ii
13. Part Ii-Blues To Be There
14. Duke Announces Nance & Procope,Introduces Part Iii
15. Part Iii-Newport Up
16. Duke Announces Hamilton,Gonsalves & Terry/Pause/Duke Introd
17. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
18. Jeep's Blues
19. Pause Track

This review is not actually of the album put out in 1956, but the 1999 complete concert re-issue. BUT this album is actually too much of a good thing. I had never really ever listened to Duke Ellington, and this forty tracks long "tour de force" is probably not the album you should start with!!
I DID like the album for about the 1st half - but then I had definately had enough.
I felt exhausted after the disc finished and need not to listen to Ellington for a LONG while. Now don't take that wrong, the band is amazing, it's a historical document and I do GET IT - it's just not for me.
Still, there are some really nice tracks here, and deserves a listen. But I should have listened to the way the album was released way back in the 50's. I would have definitely enjoyed it much more.