Not much has been said about Duke Ellington's Reprise Records period, and even less that's enthusiastic, mostly owing to the fact that his output there ran between two extremes: dazzlingly inventive conceptual pieces juxtaposed with re-recordings of classic big-band material, and pop-jazz efforts built around covers of current popular songs. Amid that wildly divergent body of work, it's no surprise that the live material from The Great Paris Concert and Ellington's Greatest Hits eclipsed much of his Reprise studio work. Thus, this five-CD box is the first opportunity that most listeners will have had to assess the music properly.
As with all Mosaic issues, it's in recording session order, and Disc One opens with Ellington's 1962 covers of classic big-band material. Disc Two is where things not only get interesting but downright spellbinding, containing the entirety of the Afro-Bossa Album -- this is some of the most beautiful, engaging, and forward-looking music of Ellington's 1960s output, and the varied rhythms and textures are coupled with some truly luscious playing. Disc Three is largely given over to the material off of Symphonic Ellington, mixed band and orchestra pieces dating from the period in which Ellington began writing concert music for orchestra. Disc Four is devoted to the Ellington '65 and Ellington '66 albums, renditions of current pop and rock & roll hits. Few of Ellington's serious fans have ever professed much love for his Mary Poppins album, the contents of which open Disc Five, but the material holds up quite well, mostly because the soloists are enjoying themselves. As usual with Mosaic, the annotation and sessionography material are thoroughly detailed.
Disc 1
1. Christopher Columbus
2. Let's Get Together
3. Goodbye
4. Chant Of The Weed
5. I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You
6. One O'Clock Jump
7. Tuxedo Junction
8. Ciribiribin
9. It's A Lonesome Old Town When You're Not Around
10. Minnie The Moocher
11. Sentimental Journey
12. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
13. For Dancers Only
14. Rhapsody In Blue
15. Contrasts
16. Sleep
17. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
18. Auld Lang Syne
19. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
20. Woodchopper's Ball
21. Artistry In Rhythm
22. Smoke Rings
23. The Waltz You Saved For Me
24. Cherokee
Disc 2
1. Afro-Bossa
2. Purple Gazelle
3. Absinthe
4. Moonbow
5. Sempre Amore
6. Caline (Silk Lace)
7. Tigress
8. Angu
9. Volupte
10. Bonga
11. Pyramid
12. Eighth Veil
13. Resume #1
14. Resume #2
15. Tricky's Licks
16. Blues In C
17. Limbo Jazz
18. Pretty Little One
19. String Along With Strings
20. The Feeling Of Jazz
Disc 3
1. Take The A Train
2. In A Sentimental Mood
3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
4. Day Dream
5. Cotton Tail
6. Night Creature (First Movement): Blind Bug
7. Night Creature (Second Movement): Stalking Monster
8. Night Creature (Third Movement): Dazzling Creature
9. Non-Violent Integration
10. La Scala, She Too Pretty To Be Blue
11. Harlem
Disc 4
1. Hello, Dolly!
2. Call Me Irresponsible
3. Fly Me To The Moon
4. So Little Time
5. Danke Schoen
6. More
7. The Second Time Around
8. Never On Sunday
9. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
10. Blowin' In The Wind
11. Stranger On The Shore
12. Red Roses For A Blue Lady
13. Charade
14. People
15. All My Lovin'
16. A Beautiful Friendship
17. I Want To Hold Your Hand
18. Days Of Wine And Roses
19. I Can't Stop Loving You
20. The Good Life
21. Satin Doll
22. Moon River
23. Ellington '66
Disc 5
1. A Spoonful Of Sugar
2. Chim Chim Cheree
3. Feed The Birds
4. Let's Go Fly A Kite
5. Stay Awake
6. I Love To Laugh
7. Jolly Holiday
8. Sister Suffragette
9. The Perfect Nanny
10. Step In Time
11. The Life I Lead
12. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
13. Island Virgin
14. Virgin Jungle
15. Fiddler On The Diddle
16. Jungle Kitty
17. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
18. Big Fat Alice's Blues
19. Chelsea Bridge
20. The Opener
21. Mysterious Chick
22. Barefoot Stomper
23. Fade Up Review by Bruce Eder
