Live and Rare
This 70-track, three-CD set contains a lot of seldom and never-before-released Ducal selections, from the mid-'60s to the early '70s. The 1965 Tanglewood recordings with the famed conductor Arthur Fiedler feature some rousing, jazz-and-strings renditions of "Caravan" and "The Mooch," along with a long-lost recording of a Duke radio interview. For those who love Ellington's beautiful but underrated piano playing, there are some spicy tracks from a keyboard jam session withEarl "Fatha" Hines. Some behind-the-scenes sides from a Newport Jazz Festival party are included, and 26 tracks from a previously unreleasedReader's Digestrecording with organist Wild Bill Davis are unveiled. Ellington's last major concert from the United Kingdom in 1973, one year before his death, reveals his high level of musicianship till the end. Of course, stars like alto and tenorJohnny HodgesandPaul Gonsalvessolo sweetly, and Duke Ellington shows us, once again, why we loved him madly.--Eugene Holley Jr.