Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra • Ellington Masterworks

Duke Ellington’s orchestra has always been a difficult ensemble for other musicians to emulate closely. Ellington’s band, whether in the 1920s or the ’60s, featured very individual voices that his arrangements somehow managed to blend together to form its own unique musical identity. Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra has come pretty close at times to sounding like Duke’s band. On Ellington Masterworks, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra comes even closer.

The 15-piece big band, under the direction of Charlie Young, does not include major names in their personnel but it does boast top-notch musicianship and versatile players who can both solo and play ensembles impeccably. On Ellington Masterworks, which was recorded live, it is remarkable how similar the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra often sounds to Ellington’s band, not just in the ensembles but in the individual solos despite the fact that they do not copy Duke’s recordings.

Of the eight selections which are mostly from the 1950s and ’60s, most are obscure with “Jack The Bear,” “The Flaming Sword” and “Tattooed Bride” being the best-known. On clarinet Scott Silbert sounds like Jimmy Hamilton (particularly on “Ad Lib On Nippon”), altoist Steve Williams could be easily mistaken for Johnny Hodges on the ballad “Race,” trumpeter Josh Kaufman’s high notes hint at Cat Anderson, trumpeter Barbara Laronga brings back the sound of Cootie Williams on “The Shepherd,” and Tony Nalker’s interjections on piano could pass for Duke himself. But despite the dominance of the role models on some of the pieces, the musicians were able to infuse the music with bits of their own personality, and tenor-saxophonist Luis Hernandez avoids sounding like Paul Gonsalves altogether on “Oclupaca.”

Duke Ellington collectors will particularly enjoy hearing the Ellington sound featured on such obscurities as “Race,” “Madness In Great Ones,” “Oclupaca” (spell it backwards), and “Shepherd.” One looks forward to future outing by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.

Ellington Masterworks
MCG Jazz 1062
www.mcgjazz.org

Scott Yanow

Since 1975 Scott Yanow has been a regular reviewer of albums in many jazz styles. He has written for many jazz and arts magazines, including JazzTimes, Jazziz, Down Beat, Cadence, CODA, and the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, and was the jazz editor for Record Review. He has written an in-depth biography on Dizzy Gillespie for AllMusic.com. He has authored 11 books on jazz, over 900 liner notes for CDs and over 20,000 reviews of jazz recordings. Yanow was a contributor to and co-editor of the third edition of the All Music Guide to Jazz. He continues to write for Downbeat, Jazziz, the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, the Jazz Rag, the New York City Jazz Record and other publications.