This exquisite 11-disc boxed set from Mosaic collects the complete output of
Duke Ellington's orchestra on three labels - Brunswick, Columbia, and Master - for an eight-year span from 1932-1940.
After achieving youthful acclaim in Washington, and making a successful move to New York fronting (at first) small groups,
Duke Ellington entered
the 1930s with an expanded line-up and an increasingly creative
approach to composing. Weekly radio broadcasts and swank guests in the
audience spread the word; Hollywood noticed his marquee smile and
musical brilliance; and the orchestra began touring extensively,
including trips to Europe. His fame and popularity were on the rise.
But more importantly, Ellington entered the '30s having perfected his
method of using the group to experiment with arranging and
orchestrating. Ensconced at the Cotton Club in New York at the end of
the previous decade, Ellington catered to a lot of musical interests
and needs - he played for the dancers, and for the jazz lovers. He
relied on ideas from his musicians, and wrote for them as individuals
rather than as anonymous section players. With all that work and a
line-up of marvelous, distinctive musical voices, Ellington began the
most creative period of his life.
This exquisite 11-disc boxed set from Mosaic collects the complete output of Duke Ellington's orchestra on three labels - Brunswick, Columbia, and Master - for an eight-year span from 1932-1940.
No other bassist lived such a controversial life or elicited such a bipolar response as Jaco Pastorius.
Listeners love him or hate him, alternately calling him the greatest
bass player who ever lived (as Jaco often called himself) or claiming
that he was not really a jazz player at all. Regardless of how he is
categorized, one fact is indisputable -- Jaco changed the way fretless
electric bass is performed. He brought the instrument to the
forefront, setting new standards for technique and range of tone on
the instrument. As a sideman, Pastorius displayed a deft sense of
melody and taste, recording classic albums with a range of artists
including Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny and Herbie Hancock. He also
served as an integral member of bands including Weather Report and
Word of Mouth. His self-titled debut (1976) sent many aspiring bassists
home to regroup; the album starts with a blistering version of
Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee" and never lets up. Unfortunately, Jaco's
partying ways and trash-talking proved to be his demise -- he was
beaten to death after trying to force his way into a nightclub in
1987.