Anthony Brown - Far East Suite

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:23
Size: 143,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:43)  1. Tourist Point of View
( 3:06)  2. Bluebird of Delhi (Mynah)
( 7:02)  3. Isfahan
( 2:47)  4. Depk
( 1:29)  5. Mount Harissa (Prelude)
( 8:24)  6. Mount Harissa
( 5:51)  7. Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues)
( 3:43)  8. Agra
( 8:02)  9. Amad
(15:12) 10. Ad Lib on Nippon

Of all the compositions Duke Ellington rolled out during his 1960s tenure on the U.S. State Department international touring circuit, Far East Suite was clearly the jewel in 1966 and has remained so since. The Ellington orchestra's famed recording of the work is cited as the best of his '60s material. And perhaps he could have imagined the suite as it appears in the thriving context of percussionist Anthony Brown's Asian American Orchestra. Brown spirits the work away, keeping central parts extra-Ellingtonian, with flourishes from different band sections running headlong across each other, especially on "Ad Lib on Nippon." Brown's band is incredibly resourceful, making a dozen players frequently sound like a much fuller orchestra. Jon Jang plays a double-take-worthy rendition of the original's piano parts, sprucing them with big keyboard blasts here and there but otherwise remaining largely faithful to the score. The horn soloists step out from the tight arrangements in stunning fashion, especially Hafez Modirzadeh's tenor solo on "Mount Harissa" and Melecio Magdaluyo's growling baritone on "Agra." The band interpolates several traditional Asian melodic additions into the Ellingtonian foundation, adding Chinese wind instruments beautifully to "Blue Pepper" and enlivening the overall piece with elements that make it in many ways even more compelling than the original. Brown has been nominated for a 1999 Grammy Award for this work, recognition of a flawless nod to and updating of an Ellington classic. It's one of the most thoughtful and creative tributes to the Duke on record. ~ Andrew Bartlett – Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Far-East-Suite-Duke-Ellington/dp/B00004DTMB

Asian American Jazz Orchestra: Anthony Brown (leader, drums, gong); Hafez Modirzadeh (alto & tenor saxophones, Persian flute, alto clarinet, double-reed instruments, frame drum); Jim Norton (alto & baritone saxophones, piccolo, clarinet, bassoon); Francis Wong (tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet); Melecio Magdaluyo (alto & baritone saxophones); Louis Fasman, John Worley (trumpet, flugelhorn); Qi Chao Liu (reed trumpet, bamboo flute, Chinese mouth organ); Wayne Wallace, Dave Martell (trombone); Mark Izu (Chinese mouth organ, bass); Jon Jang (piano).

Far East Suite

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