Duke Ellington

4 STARS ALL MUSIC GUIDE

One of the most interesting of the ten volumes released in The Private Collection series, this CD contains "The Degas Suite" (music for a soundtrack of an art film that was never produced) and a ballet score titled "The River." Ellington is mostly the lead voice but his star sidemen are heard from on these formerly very rare and somewhat unusual performances. Clearly his genius was strong enough to fill three lifetimes full of new music and this CD contains some melodies that might have been more significant if he had lived long enough to find a place for them - SCOTT YANOW

TRACKS:

01.THE DEGAS SUITE:
a) Introduction
b) Race
c) Racing
d) Paino Paste
e) Improvisation - Marcia Regina
f) Piano Patel
g) Daily Double
h) Drawings
i) Promenade
j) Sonnet
k) Race

02. THE RIVER:
a) The Spring
b) The Run
c) The Meander
d) Giggling Rapids
e) The Lake
f) The Falls
g) The Whirlpool
h) The River
i) The Neo-Hip-Hot Kiddies Communities
j) The Village of the Virgins
k) Her Magesty the Sea
l) The Spring