This might be the first time I've reviewed a jazz album. Might as well start with a great one, right?
On a production note, I'm happy to say that most of the thought process behind this occurred last night at work at Walgreens, where I literally listened to the whole album and took notes. Busy night.
Anyways, I initially got into this album because our "signature" piece in Jazz Orchestra was Limbo Jazz, which is the title track of this album. If any of you recall, we used to process in and dance around like idiots whilst playing the sweet, sweet sounds of Sir Ellington here. This song was actually more of a joke than anything else. If you listen closely, you'll find that Limbo Jazz is based off the chord progression of the happy birthday song. Apparently, during the session, someone had a birthday, and Duke and the gang just started riffing off of it, coming up with Limbo Jazz. It just happened to get caught on tape, and voila. I love its joyousness, especially when band members start singing along. You can tell these guys are having fun.
One of my favourite moments in the entire history of Western music happens in Mood Indigo, the second tune on this album, at about 2:56 in, when Duke starts playing these series of three chords that are heartachingly gorgeous. I still get chills listening to it. I also love the swirling tenor solos of Hawkins. Listen to it, it legitimately sounds like he's up there just sort of spinning stuff out of nothingness. His improvisations just have this great quality of motion and circular motion. Love it.
Incidentally, Coleman Hawkins is regarded as the first great tenor sax soloist, coming up in the big bands of the 1930's. He's the one that really helped to assert the sax's dominance in jazz over the clarinet. Forever afterwards he was known as the President of the Tenor Sax. Or Prez, for short.
For me, Mood Indigo and Limbo Jazz make this album worth the price of admission, but the whole damn thing really is unbelievable. Nearly every song has what I can best describe as a very chocolately sound, a lushness of orchestration and sound. One of the more interesting tracks is the last song, The Recitic. This features some jazz violin, with a really fascinating marching band-esque rhythm on the trap set going on throughout. I love when the violin interacts with Hawkins.
When two masters of their craft meet together to create something both new and old, good things happen. If you want a perfect illustration of this, go buy this. Two of the most influential musicians in jazz history, supported by an all star group (most of them Ellington regulars such as Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Sam Woodyard, and Harry Carney) doing what they do best. Absolutely fantastic. Jazz lovers, heed this call.
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