Album Reviews

Duke Ellington in a hard charging trio session may surprise some listeners expecting the Duke's usual light touch. Spurred on by Charles Mingus's angry plucks and Max Roach's polyrhythms, Ellington hits the keyboard harder than usual, punctuating his flourishes with greater dynamic gusto than one hears on his big band recordings.

The opener, “Money Jungle,” is an urban landscape far removed from that of, say, “Happy “Go Lucky Local.” Recorded in 1962, the set reflects the cultural, sociological and racial turmoil occurring throughout America. Yet it was written not by Mingus, but by Ellington himself-as were all the tunes on the set.

That's followed by the beautiful and delicate debut of “Le Fleurs Africaines,” which Mingus punctuates with busy, nimble fingerings. Originals and familiar tunes such as “Caravan,” “Warm Valley,” and “Solitude” fill out the 7 tune set.

Engineer Bill Schwartau, famous in audiophile circles for his stupendous recording of Peter Paul and Mary's debut album on Warner Brothers, handles the engineering chores here, but he can't quite escape the 'boxy piano” sound and occasional overload distortion typical of keyboard recordings from this period.

Ellington's piano is front (and I do mean front) and center, placed in its own isolated acoustic, with Mingus hard-right and Roach hard-left. As a means of hearing Ellington's deft keyboard touch, this intimate recording can't be beat, as long as you're willing to put up with the boxiness and occasional nasty overloads (it's not your cartridge mistracking).

Side two's, jumpy, angular opener, “Wig-Wise,” could have you thinking you're listening to Monk, while a fresh take on “Caravan” reflects the changing times and the charged musical scenery from which Ellington operates on this session. Maybe Schwartau wasn't prepared for the “loud Ellington,” who showed up for the session, because the distortion on peaks occasionally gets downright nasty. It's a ferocious, careening “Caravan,” however, more like a car chase than a camel ride, and a worthwhile one. The set ends with “Solitude,” almost a Duke solo, with Mingus and Roach joining in toward the end. The playing is punctuated by stride moves, giving it the wistful feel of musical nostalgia.

Neither musically or sonically essential, Money Jungle is more of a one-shot curiosity and somewhat of a rarity, as it originally came out on the short-lived United Artists Jazz label. For Ellington fans though, it showcases an unusually aggressive, hard charging Duke, with time-outs for the more familiar introspective and delicately drawn, embellishing Ellington.

This reissue is a huge step upward from the UA “Douglas Collection” '70's vinyl reissue I have, but nothing can be done about the distortion built into the tape. Don't let that stop you, if you're an Ellington fan. Sound snobs should stay away.