Search - Various Artists, Grady Tate, Kirk Whalum :: Going Home: Tribute to Duke Ellington

Ostentatiously billed as "the only true tribute to the man known as the Greatest American Composer of the Twentieth Century," this program puts a decidedly contemporary spin on Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. At times dripping with pathos and oversentimentality, this is a largely successful smooth-jazz-infused polishing of classic Ellingtonia. Going Home is a pop-R&B crossover producer's all-star dream date, crafted by George Duke, Kashif, and Dwayne Wiggins, who hip hops "It Don't Mean a Thing" with Guru. Six Ellington classics are given a millennium twist, and four new pieces make extensive use of Duke-like themes, lyrics, and tune titles. The best example of the latter is Jerry Butler, Grady Tate, and the Dells' spirited collaboration "Swinging at the Cotton Club." Two fortuitous partnerships are forged when Nancy Wilson and Kenny Lattimore team up for a mellow "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," while Jon Hendricks, Al Jarreau, Take 6, and Gregory Hines's tap-dancing render "Going Home" a moving, polystylistic tribute. --Willard Jenkins