Acoustic Sounds

Duke Ellington and His Orchestra

Indigos

Music

Sound

Ellington Indigos

Label: Columbia/IMPEX

Produced By: Irving Townsend (original producer), Abey Fonn, (producer of this reissue)

Engineered By: Fred Plaut (assisted by Frank Laico)

Lacquers Cut By: Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering

By: Michael Fremer

June 26th, 2024

Genre:

Jazz Big Band

Format:

Vinyl

Hi-Fi Has Been Very Good to Duke Ellington

Indigos is but one example why

Hi-Fi has long been very good to Duke Ellington, beginning in 1950 when long playing records and tape recording allowed him to finally deliver Masterpieces by Ellington an album of previously impossible to release to the home listening public, live concert length arrangements of his most popular and enduring compositions. Until then only attendees of his live concerts got to hear them.

Finally Ellington was freed from the constraints of the three minute 78rpm single—not that many people got to hear the album when first released. Few owned long playing record players. Over time that changed and by the time stereo became a reality, Ellington was able to present his big and glorious sounding orchestra to music lovers and "hi-fi nuts" throughout the world. The sound on many of these Columbia "6-eye" Ellington recordings are near-religious experiences, which makes sense since the 30th street studio was a de-sanctified church.

But let's not get carried away here: by the time Ellington began recording in hi-fi for Columbia Records, he'd moved well past his creative peak and mostly he was re-hashing his and Strayhorn's past compositional glories but with spectacular sound and sumptuous arrangements designed to squeeze every last bit of hi from the fi. Mostly because Ellington's Columbia catalog contains many adventurous highlights including his Anatomy of a Murder soundtrack, and especially the "folk opera" A Drum Is a Woman recorded in 1956 for Columbia and produced later as a television special and later his 1961 piano trio album Piano in the Foreground.

This set, recorded in the Fall of 1957, is of mostly covers, with "Mood Indigo" and the opener "Solitiude" the only Ellington compositions. And of course among his greatest collection of veteran musicians were delivering the musical goods.

One can only imagine guys like Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Ray Nance and the others finally (and of course Duke himself) hearing their instruments and performances reproduced with this high level of timbral, textural and dynamic verisimilitude on a really wide 50's era stereo soundstage.

The pace is slow, the fireworks few though the highlights are deep. The opener, a version of "Solitude" written by Ellington in 1934 is a stunning arrangement profoundly performed. This album sounds as if it was made for your mommy and daddy or your grandparents or great grandparents to get up and dance to real close. If you're in the wrong mood, it can come across as hopelessly corny. In fact, even if you're in the right mood, it can feel like that. When Donald Fagen covered Ellington it was his "jungle music" tune "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" from 1926. He wasn't looking here!

Nonetheless, Indigos makes a great late night sonic "nightcap". The stunning sound is guaranteed to not put you to sleep, but once it's over, you might be ready. The Plaut/Laico recording team knew every inch of the studio and where best to place the instruments. The wide stage may be too wide by today's stereo standards but as an exercise in musical and sonic nostalgia this production is tops with Neumann condenser mics and Ampex 300 series tape machines doing the pick up and storage.

IMPEX once again sets a high bar for presentation and sonics. Charles Granatas notes are a good read, though there's not much to illuminate or analyze here so he goes for the context, the tech and the record's place in Ellington's recorded history. The full sized booklet is filled with great photos. and there are four mono bonus tracks following the original stereo track order. It's available on limited edition purple vinyl and standard black.

This album's original mono edition and subsequent reissues contain a jumble of different takes, alternate takes and the like, but that's for completists and jazz historians to ponder.

My original "6-Eye" pressing has a warm, somewhat distant sound compared to this vibrant, alive sounding reissue that no doubt gives you what's on the tape or as close as a record can come to a tape, which on a good playback system is closer than some of the "tape heads" listening to and buying third and fourth generation tapes might want to hear. Let's fight!

Music Specifications

Catalog No: IMP 6060-45

Pressing Plant: RTI

Speed/RPM: 45

Weight: 180 grams

Size: 12"

Channels: Stereo

Source: 1 to 1 master tape transfer

Presentation: Multi LP

Comments

  • 2024-06-27 02:15:46 AM

    Josquin des Prez wrote:

    How does this compare to the Impex 33 RPM version? I'm thinking about picking that one up.

  • 2024-06-27 10:28:42 AM

    JackG wrote:

    I've loved this ever since you introduced me to it years ago and I love the 45 even more. I may even buy the purple just to have. The Beatles are my favorite artists but I think Duke may be second. This record melts me in my chair.

    Is this a Chico Escuela reference? lol

  • 2024-06-27 07:04:41 PM

    Jeff wrote:

    I have the original 6 eye mono, and this is a great record to put on when the wife comes into the listening room, wink-wink ! Amazing recording and performances, mine does need replacing. I may get this Impex, although the mono recording is great.

  • 2024-06-28 08:49:37 PM

    Rich wrote:

    I'm sorry Michael, but wish you considered this review more broadly. I'll stick to two critiques: First, Ellington released a remarkable number of magnificent performances over his almost 50 year recording career -- this year marks the centenary of the earliest 1924 Washingtonian recordings! Yes, the 1939-41 "Webster-Blanton" era recordings represent a high water mark, but consider among his post-1955 recordings: Such Sweet Thunder, Afro Bossa, Far East Suite, New Orleans Suite, The Afro-Eurasion Eclipse, The Sacred Concerts, plus small group sessions like Money Jungle, This One's for Blanton, Duke's Big 4 and the classic ...And His Mother Called Him Bill (yeah, there were some older compositions sprinkled in but this remains one of the greatest albums in jazz). To say by 1957 "...moved well past his creative peak and mostly he was re-hashing his and Strayhorn's past compositional glories" is simply absurd.

    Second, the basic premise of "Hi-Fi" being good to Ellington is certainly true but a broader consideration of Ellington's use recording technology suggest this started way before the 50's. Ellington was always on the forefront of taking advantage of recording technology and using it to the fullest. Listen closely to the sound quality of Ellington's recordings compared to those of many of his contemporaries: the sonic interaction of the arrangements and how reeds and brass come together underpinned by the baritone of Harry Carney, the plaintive beauty of Johnny Hodges alto, the growls of Bubber Miley or Cootie Williams, the "yah-yahs" of Tricky Sam Nanton. No other contemporaneous recordings sound quite like Ellington's band. Then consider the extended composition Reminiscing in Tempo that was released over four 78's in 1935 -- Ellington was not allowing the time limitations of the format to restrict his creativity and took advantage of the multi-disc 78 "album." Or more amazingly the extended medley stereo recordings from 1932 (!!) that were discovered in the mid-80's. Okay, this last may have been an accident as opposed to prescient, but I'd say recording technology was very, very good to Ellington from almost the start of his career and an often overlooked aspect of his genius and the wonderful music he left us.

    • 2024-06-28 09:11:56 PM

      Rich wrote:

      Upon re-reading your review the "mostly" in the statement I quoted didn't quite register -- but still think it's inaccurate; personally feel "sometimes" or "occasionally" more apropos if excluding the many "live" albums and requisite "greatest hits" collections demanded by the labels. And the many private recordings of new material that surfaced after his passing. While "big band" (or for that matter orchestral recordings of classical war horses) were no longer topping the charts, Ellington strived to continue as a creative artist and not just an oldies act.

    • 2024-06-29 04:02:46 AM

      AnalogJ wrote:

      I had a similar reaction as you had, Rich. I was scratching my head at "past his peak" in the early '50s. Ellington did have a lull. His historic concert at Newport was a sort of comeback for him. But his Sacred Concert albums were yet to come, and those are some of the most glorious music ever conceived. And there were other masterpieces yet to come.

    • 2024-06-29 04:02:49 AM

      AnalogJ wrote:

      I had a similar reaction as you had, Rich. I was scratching my head at "past his peak" in the early '50s. Ellington did have a lull. His historic concert at Newport was a sort of comeback for him. But his Sacred Concert albums were yet to come, and those are some of the most glorious music ever conceived. And there were other masterpieces yet to come.

    • 2024-06-29 04:02:51 AM

      AnalogJ wrote:

      I had a similar reaction as you had, Rich. I was scratching my head at "past his peak" in the early '50s. Ellington did have a lull. His historic concert at Newport was a sort of comeback for him. But his Sacred Concert albums were yet to come, and those are some of the most glorious music ever conceived. And there were other masterpieces yet to come.

    • 2024-06-29 04:02:53 AM

      AnalogJ wrote:

      I had a similar reaction as you had, Rich. I was scratching my head at "past his peak" in the early '50s. Ellington did have a lull. His historic concert at Newport was a sort of comeback for him. But his Sacred Concert albums were yet to come, and those are some of the most glorious music ever conceived. And there were other masterpieces yet to come.

    • 2024-06-29 04:02:55 AM

      AnalogJ wrote:

      I had a similar reaction as you had, Rich. I was scratching my head at "past his peak" in the early '50s. Ellington did have a lull. His historic concert at Newport was a sort of comeback for him. But his Sacred Concert albums were yet to come, and those are some of the most glorious music ever conceived. And there were other masterpieces yet to come.

    • 2024-06-29 09:33:01 PM

      Michael Weintraub wrote:

      Couldn’t agree more. Audiophiles might also be interested in Ellington Jazz Party, which featured a couple of numbers with an expanded percussion section intended specifically to show off their developing stereo technology. At the Bal Masque is another 50s gem that sounds great and is an awfully lot of fun. Many of the albums you already mentioned are flat out classics and hold their own with the greatest American music ever recorded. Past his prime indeed!

    • 2024-06-29 09:33:03 PM

      Michael Weintraub wrote:

      Couldn’t agree more. Audiophiles might also be interested in Ellington Jazz Party, which featured a couple of numbers with an expanded percussion section intended specifically to show off their developing stereo technology. At the Bal Masque is another 50s gem that sounds great and is an awfully lot of fun. Many of the albums you already mentioned are flat out classics and hold their own with the greatest American music ever recorded. Past his prime indeed!

    • 2024-06-29 09:33:05 PM

      Michael Weintraub wrote:

      Couldn’t agree more. Audiophiles might also be interested in Ellington Jazz Party, which featured a couple of numbers with an expanded percussion section intended specifically to show off their developing stereo technology. At the Bal Masque is another 50s gem that sounds great and is an awfully lot of fun. Many of the albums you already mentioned are flat out classics and hold their own with the greatest American music ever recorded. Past his prime indeed!

    • 2024-06-29 09:33:06 PM

      Michael Weintraub wrote:

      Couldn’t agree more. Audiophiles might also be interested in Ellington Jazz Party, which featured a couple of numbers with an expanded percussion section intended specifically to show off their developing stereo technology. At the Bal Masque is another 50s gem that sounds great and is an awfully lot of fun. Many of the albums you already mentioned are flat out classics and hold their own with the greatest American music ever recorded. Past his prime indeed!

    • 2024-06-29 09:33:08 PM

      Michael Weintraub wrote:

      Couldn’t agree more. Audiophiles might also be interested in Ellington Jazz Party, which featured a couple of numbers with an expanded percussion section intended specifically to show off their developing stereo technology. At the Bal Masque is another 50s gem that sounds great and is an awfully lot of fun. Many of the albums you already mentioned are flat out classics and hold their own with the greatest American music ever recorded. Past his prime indeed!

    • 2024-06-29 09:33:09 PM

      Michael Weintraub wrote:

      Couldn’t agree more. Audiophiles might also be interested in Ellington Jazz Party, which featured a couple of numbers with an expanded percussion section intended specifically to show off their developing stereo technology. At the Bal Masque is another 50s gem that sounds great and is an awfully lot of fun. Many of the albums you already mentioned are flat out classics and hold their own with the greatest American music ever recorded. Past his prime indeed!

    • 2024-06-29 09:33:12 PM

      Michael Weintraub wrote:

      Couldn’t agree more. Audiophiles might also be interested in Ellington Jazz Party, which featured a couple of numbers with an expanded percussion section intended specifically to show off their developing stereo technology. At the Bal Masque is another 50s gem that sounds great and is an awfully lot of fun. Many of the albums you already mentioned are flat out classics and hold their own with the greatest American music ever recorded. Past his prime indeed!

  • 2024-07-04 11:07:15 PM

    Come on wrote:

    Got it meanwhile.Absolutely worth the 45 release compared to the 33 and I rarely had such a quiet modern pressing. As I have a flattener, I don’t bother about warps. This one was also slightly warped, but every record nowadays is, independent of the label/plant. In my experience just about every 20th record might be really flat, if at all that many.