Uptown. . .

[mikeweil]

Since Mosaic did the Ellington Cosmic Scene reissue, may we hope for a Mosaic "double" in this case?

[jazzbo]

Someone should ask them. (Not me. Last time I asked, not too long ago in a geological scheme of things, it was "no plans.")

[Big Wheel]

"Controversial Suite" isn't one of Duke's "major" works, but it is certainly one of his most curious (and therefore, intriguing), and I'm looking forward to hearing it without any scratches.

Russell Procope's soprano solo is enough to justify ANYTHING.

Resurrecting this one 7 years later to say: Chuck speaks the truth. Procope absolutely crushes it on the end of the first half of the suite. Why "Before My Time" is not considered one of Duke's greatest performances is beyond me. The arrangement kills and the whole band, especially the rhythm section, is roaring.

Is "Before My Time" a pun on multiple levels? It seems to me that part of the reference is that each section abruptly ends just before you'd expect it to. For example, the first section ends after 7 bars instead of 8, the second section ends after 6 bars, the next section ends after 7 bars (I think - the tempo starts racing), and the final ending is weirdly placed too.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Big Wheel