Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & JoAnn Falletta - Ellington: Black, Brown and Beige (2013/2015) [Hi-Res]

Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington wrote some of the twentieth century’s greatest Big Band music, but he also wrote in a variety of forms. The boisterous and evocative Harlem pays tribute to Ellington’s roots, Black, Brown, and Beige sets work songs and spirituals, whilst the suite from The River shows his genius in writing for the stage. Three Black Kings, scored as a ballet, was left unfinished at his death, but shows no lessening of invention. Ellington’s arrangement of Billy Strayhorn’s Take the ‘A’ Train became famous around the world after the outbreak of World War II, and ranks among the most widely recorded standards of all time.

„…this new set of Ellington compositions by JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic shows the ducal legacy right at home in the concert hall. While arranged for symphony orchestra by other hands, the pieces all display Ellington’s genius for captivating melodies, dramatic effect and surging energy. The Buffalo forces deliver his portrait of Harlem with bounce and brio… Similarly, his magnum opus Black, Brown and Beige shines in its orchestral setting, even without such legendary solo voices as altoist Johnny Hodges.“ (BBC Music Magazine)

„What with the dodgy availability of Mauric Peress’ benchmark Musicmasters Ellington recordings, we badly needed a top-notch survey of Ellington’s orchestral music, and this inspiring disc fits the bill perfectly. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic have yet to make a finer record. The performances are just marvelous. JoAnn Falletta catches the music’s “swing” in vivid interpretations that challenge Peress in their vitality, color, and verve. The various instrumental soloists, especially Sal Andolina’s clarinet in Three Black Kings and Tony Di Lorenzo on trumpet in Take the ‘A’ Train (and elsewhere), are all brilliant, and captured by Naxos’ engineers in bright, natural, high-impact sound. This is a very necessary release, but one that should get a lot of play as well. It’s a joy.“ (David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com)

Sal Andolina, clarinet, alto saxophone
Tony Di Lorenzo, trumpet
Amy Licata, violin
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta, conductor

Recorded at Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, New York, USA, from 9th to 11th May, 2012
Produced and engineered by Tim Handle
2xHD Mastering by René Laflamme

Digitally remastered