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DUKE ELLINGTON At the time of this live performance the Duke Ellington Orchestra was in a period of revival. After a career low in the early '50s, a period that saw the demise of many of the big bands that had ruled in the 1930s and 1940s, Ellington's band was reborn at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. There, tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves played an incredible and spontaneous 27 choruses on "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue," sending the crowd into an ecstatic epiphany not seen since the days of Benny Goodman and Chick Webb at the Palomar and Savoy ballrooms. Duke and his band became a hot propert once again, and though there would be ups and downs, Ellington would keep the band going until his death in 1974. He continued to produce new music throughout his life and sought to continue to develop as a composer. Duke Ellington At the Alhambra is certainly not a perfect record, it may not even be one of the Ellington group's best in terms of execution or recording quality, but there is a lot of energy here and a sense of victory that is palpable. The band is top drawer, a selection of unique musicians who could provide the Ellington ensemble sound while also offering individual solo voices that would attract and hold the interest of the listener. The sax section, led by Johnny Hodges, includes Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, and Russell Procope, while the trumpet section of Ray Nance, Clark Terry, Cat Anderson, and Shorty Baker is superb, as are trombonists Quentin jackson, Britt Woodman, and John Sanders. Jimmy Woode handles the bass and Sam Woodward propels the whole machine from the drum kit. For whatever reason, things get off to a ragged start on "Take the 'A' Train," which sounds like a barely adequate high school ensemble until Ray Nance comes in with a unifying solo. Much better is the medley of early Ellington material (Duke says these were "in the book before I joined the band" in his typically charming introduction) which includes "Black and Tan Fantasy," "Creole Love Call," and "The Mooche." These numbers are given a beautiful reading, with Hodges' sumptuous alto and Nance's trumpet leading the way. Procope offers some spicy clarinet work and the reed section plays the brilliant clarinet trio of "The Mooche" perfectly, with Harry Carney on bass clarinet. "Newport Up" is played fast, and there is not much here in the way of execution or solos, until the trade-off choruses between Clark Terry and Paul Gonsalves, which are brilliant. "Juniflip," featuring Clark Terry on the flugelhorn, is wonderful thanks to Terry's usual solid musicianship. "Frustration," a challenging piece of music for listeners in 1958, is put over by the perfect baritone sax work of Carney, certainly one of the two or three greatest to ever play the instrument. Things perk up noticeably with the arrival of a trio of numbers featuring Johnny Hodges: "Rockin' In Rhythm," "Jeep's Blues," and "All of Me." Here the band sounds much cleaner, and Hodges' playing is, as always, beyond category. The high spirits carry the band straight through to the final number, "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue," which became de rigeur following the Newport performance. Gonsalves doesn't provide the same spontaneous fire as he did at Newport, but he does demonstrate his talent for improvisation and proves that his showstopper was no fluke. At the Alhambra isn't for everyone--there are much better Ellington recordings from this period, and other live performances of note as well--but it does present a solid performance by one of jazz music's most important and influential big bands, and will prove enjoyable listening to anyone who counts themselves an Ellington fan.
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