Duke Dreams

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Duke Dreams
Duke Dreams.jpg
Studio album by Ran Blake
Released 1981
Recorded May 27 and June 2, 1981
Barigozzi Studio in Milano, Italy
Genre Jazz
Length39:14
Label Soul Note
Producer Giovanni Bonandrini
Ran Blake chronology
Improvisations
(1981)
Duke Dreams
(1981)
Suffield Gothic
(1984)

Duke Dreams (subtitled The Legacy of Strayhorn-Ellington) is an album of solo piano performances of material written by or associated with Duke Ellington by the American jazz pianist Ran Blake recorded in 1981 and released on the Italian Soul Note label. [1]

Duke Ellington American jazz musician, composer and band leader

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death over a career spanning more than fifty years.

Ran Blake American musician

Ran Blake is an American pianist, composer, and educator. He is known for his unique style that combines blues, gospel, classical, and film noir influences into an innovative and dark jazz sound. His career spans over 40 recording credits on jazz albums along with more than 40 years of teaching jazz at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he started the Department of Third Stream with Gunther Schuller.

Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz.

Contents

Reception

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4½ stars stating "While hinting at Duke's piano style, Ran Blake often reharmonizes and greatly reinvents his music... Highly recommended". [2]

Scott Yanow is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Track listing

All compositions by Duke Ellington except as indicated
  1. "Duke Dreams" (Ran Blake) - 2:58
  2. "Something to Live For" (Ellington, Billy Strayhorn) - 5:42
  3. "Me and You" [Take 1] - 2:20
  4. "Drop Me Off in Harlem" - 2:04
  5. "Duke" (Dave Brubeck) - 3:45
  6. "Blue Rose" - 2:49
  7. "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" - 2:52
  8. "Black and Tan Fantasy" (Ellington, Bubber Miley) - 5:15
  9. "Animal Crackers" (Sam Coslow, Harry Link, Fred Rich) - 1:26
  10. "Me and You" [Take 2] - 1:58
  11. "Sophisticated Lady" (Ellington, Mills) - 2:27
  12. "Take the "A" Train" (Strayhorn) - 5:38

Personnel

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References

  1. Soul Note discography accessed July 13, 2011
  2. 1 2 Yanow, S. Allmusic Review accessed July 13, 2011
  3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 131. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.