Last copy
This is a Prestige, two CD release, with a total playing time of 100 minutes. There‘re 21 live tracks including both a Johnny Hodges and Ellington “Band Theme” medley series.
Also included, is an extended work titled”The Liberian Suite”. One of the lesser known Ellington efforts to create a more serious musical project. It’s a very compelling piece and it helped influence Ellington’s greatest success in this genre,” Far East Suite”.
Performing these extended musical efforts in a concert setting was the primary motivation for the Carnegie Hall appearances.
The CD’s sound is good, given the concert age and the relatively primitive (by today’s standards) audio equipment used at the time. In fact, the 1947 concert provides the best sound experience out of the four Carnegie Hall appearances.
The performers included Ray Nance, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Al Sears, Jimmy Hamilton, Oscar Pettiford and Sonny Greer, just to name a few.
Ellington’s remarkable composing talent could not be confined to three minute dance numbers. He strived to create more serious work. He realized this material would not be accepted in a night club venue. It could only be appreciated in concert. Ellington’s strategy involved the introduction of original extended pieces while intertwining them with familiar commercial numbers.
