Tribute to Ellington

by Daniel Barenboim

Overview

Believe it or not, there is a precedent for this off the wall project -- an ominous one, alas, for classical pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim sounded stiff playing Ellington "jazz piano" for soprano Renee Fleming on the album Star Crossed Lovers (London). Here, though, Barenboim avails himself of some expert help from arranger/conductor Cliff Colnot, who dresses up some Ellington and Strayhorn tunes with a five-piece horn section, two winds, Brad Opland on bass, Joel Spencer or Kyle Woodring on drums, and the maestro himself on mostly custom-written piano arrangements. We're told that Barenboim improvises a bit, too, though one cannot say where for sure. The results are a lot like those of his friend violinist Itzhak Perlman's attempt to play jazz with Andre Previn. Barenboim has enough facility to execute the arrangements with an adequate hint of jazz feeling, and he sounds perfectly comfortable in the ballads. Yet almost nothing in the more swinging arrangements lodges itself in the pocket, so to speak. In the really nifty, swinging treatment of "Squatty Roo," Barenboim is along mainly for the ride, just feeling out the tune and the rhythm, and "'A' Train" finds him pounding out a series of choppy toccatas. Dianne Reeves turns in some very straightforward performances as the band's "girl singer" in "Sophisticated Lady" and "Azure," and chesty vocalese on "Chelsea Bridge." Don Byron turns up on saucy clarinet on "Zweet Zurzday" and "Caravan." You want to say to Barenboim, "Welcome over to our side," while realizing that he's much better off artistically -- and of course, financially -- on the classical side of the divide. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Product Details

Release Date:	05/07/2021
Label:	Wea
UPC:	0190295112615
Rank:	154692

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Daniel Barenboim   Primary Artist,Piano
Mick Mulcahy   Trombone
Amir ElSaffar   Soloist,Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Charlie Harrison   Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String Electric)
Don Byron   Clarinet
Dianne Reeves   Vocals
Joel Spencer   Drums,Percussion
Kyle Woodring   Drums,Percussion
Cliff Colnot   Conductor
Dale Clevenger   Horn
Larry Combs   Soloist,Clarinet,Sax (Alto),Sax (Soprano)
Bradley Opland   Bass
Burl Lane   Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano)
Charles Vernon   Trombone
Michael Mulcahy   Trombone
Charlie Vernon   Trombone
John Hagstrom   Soloist,Trumpet

Technical Credits

Bob Russell   Composer
Irving Mills   Composer
Irving Gordon   Composer
Duke Ellington   Composer
Don Byron   Liner Notes
Johnny Mercer   Composer
Van Morrison   Composer
Billy Strayhorn   Composer
Mitchell Parish   Composer
Ahmet Ertegun   Liner Notes
Daniel Barenboim   Liner Notes
Gus Mossler   Engineer
Cliff Colnot   Arranger,Producer,Liner Notes
Larry Combs   Liner Notes
Barney Bigard   Composer
Dennis Tousana   Assistant Engineer
Manny Kurtz   Composer
Martin Fouque   Producer
Eberhard Sengpiel   Digital Post Production
Deborah Feingold   Photography
Virginie Bauzou   Translation,Liner Note Translation
Renate Kupfer   Executive Producer
Stephane Briand   Engineer
Sandra Kaiser   Design,Artwork
Dirk Lange   Associate Producer
Jens Schuenemeyer   Booklet Editor
Andreas Florczak   Digital Post Production
Nicholas Meyer   Assistant Engineer
Paul Popper   Photography
James L. Collier   Liner Notes
Sarah Seidel   Liner Notes
William Burlingham   Photography
Richard Haughton   Cover Photo,Photography
Stewart Spencer   Liner Notes,Translation
Britta Sweers   Liner Note Translation
Gerd Schuetz   Photography
Nicolas Meyer   Assistant Engineer