Live in Montreal 1964 [DVD]

Duke Ellington

Overview

When legendary jazz outfit Duke Ellington and his Orchestra kicked off a one-week engagement at Le Jazz Hot Room in Montreal's famed Casa Loma Club on April 20, 1964, the cameras of Radio-Canada were rolling to catch all the action and innovation fans had come to expect from the popular bandleader. Now, decades after the fact, fans can get a rare look at a master in action with this release featuring a kinescope of that famed broadcast and offering such beloved compositions as "Prowling Cat", "Boo-Dah", "Happy Reunion", and "Sophisticated Lady".

Product Details

Release Date:	05/30/2006
UPC:	0089948435891
Original Release:	2006
Source:	VAI DISTRIBUTION
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	1:03:00
Sales rank:	57,789

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Duke Ellington	Primary Artist,Piano
Duke Ellington	Piano,Piano
Paul Gonsalves	Sax (Tenor),Tenor Saxophone,Tenor Saxophone
Sam Woodyard	Drums,Drums,Drums
Chuck Conners	Trombone
Herbie Jones	Trumpet,Trumpet,Trumpet
Major Holley	Bass,Bass,Bass
Harry Carney	Sax (Baritone),Baritone Saxophone,Baritone Saxophone
Buster Cooper	Trombone,Trombone,Trombone
Cootie Williams	Trumpet,Trumpet
Lawrence Brown	Trombone,Trombone,Trombone
Rolf Ericson	Trumpet (Flugelhorn),Trumpet (Flugelhorn),Flugelhorn
Johnny Hodges	Sax (Alto),Alto Saxophone,Alto Saxophone
Jimmy Hamilton	Sax (Tenor),Clarinet,Tenor Saxophone/Clarinet,Tenor Saxophone/Clarinet
Cat Anderson	Trumpet,Trumpet,Trumpet
Russell Procope	Clarinet,Sax (Alto)
Chuck Connors	Trombone,Trombone
Russell Proscope	Alto Saxophone/Clarinet,Alto Saxophone/Clarinet

Technical Credits

Billy Strayhorn	Composer
Earl Oxford	Liner Notes
Manos Hadjidakis	Composer

Editorial Reviews

This Duke Ellington DVD represents the first evening of an extended stay in the spring of 1964 at the Casa Loma Club in Montreal, which was videotaped by Radio Canada Television for broadcast in Canada. This edition of the band had been together for some time, with the only recent addition being bassist Major Holley, who replaced Ernie Shepard a month earlier after his heart attack. The band opens with "Boo-dah" minus Ellington, and after the leader arrives there are many excellent features, including trumpeterRolf Ericson in "Perdido," clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton in "Never on Sunday," tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves in the lush ballad "Happy Reunion" and the blazing blues "Blow by Blow," trumpeter Cootie Williams and the pianist in "Caravan," and the irreplaceable alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges in the bluesy"Things Ain't What They Used to Be." The one disappointment comes from the inevitable long medleys of hits, devised in part by Ellington to knock out a lot of requests but never satisfying his serious fans. Aside from the presence of an annoying French-speaking MC seated in the audience, who drowns out the leader's comments and sometimes talks over the beginning of a piece (probably because his back is to the stage), and the patrons who can't manage to stay seated, blocking the cameras at times, both the video and audio are excellent. ~ Ken Dryden