Search - James Newton :: The African Flower

Ellington will always be avant-garde

greg taylor | Portland, Oregon United States | 04/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the disadvantages of having a (ridiculously)large collection of CDs is that I forget about true masterpieces. Then I do something like create a list of '80s CDs that are masterworks that are neglected (enter Irony) and I pull this one off the shelf for the list. I listen to it and freak out all over again at the majesty of the music.

Ellington will always be avant-garde. The man was too sophisticated, too knowledgeable, too damn elegant to belong to any one mere era. There are several CDs from the 80s that put those facts on plain display. One was the World Saxophone Quartet's Ellington CD and the other was this bad boy.

Savor the personnel for a moment. On all selections but Sophisticated Lady we have the following:

James Newton- flute and arrangements

John Blake- violin

Arthur Blythe- alto sax

Olu Dara- cornet

Sir Roland Hanna- piano

Jay Hoggard- vibraphone

Rick Rozie- bass

Anthony Brown- maracas and hand cymbals

Billy Hart or Pheeroan Aklaff- drums depending on the selection. They both play on Virgin Jungle.

In addition, Milt Grayson, provides iconic vocals on Strange Feeling. I am not much of a fan of singers. I much prefer to listen to instrumentalists. It is just one of my many failings. There are however several performances that I find endlessly enjoyable in the jazz realm. Almost anything by Billie Holiday but especially Strange Fruit, Leon Thomas on The Creator Has a Master Plan and this one by Grayson among others. Grayson's voice is so rich, his phrasing so evocative of the meaning of the words that I could almost believe that Strayhorn wrote these lyrics with him in mind.

Which brings up one of the many strengths of this CD. Look at that personnel list again. We have an octet of alto, flute, violin and cornet playing off a rhythm section of piano, vibraphone, bass and drums. But more importantly it is these particular men playing alto, piano, bass, etc.

Arthur Blythe is perfect as a modern facsimile for Johnny Hodges. They both play with a very pure and unique tone on their horns. Sir Roland Hanna plays with both power and an encyclopedic harmonic knowledge. Rick Rozie, who I am not really familiar with, is a monster on this set. He reminds me of Mingus in the way he pushes the whole band. And Newton is one of a kind on his instrument. Listen to his solo performance on Sophisticated Lady.

People, I am standing and testifying on this one. This is a great CD for any sort of jazz listener. When as fine a mind and as fine a performer as James Newton wrestles with the music of the daunting Ellington only a graceful and elegant greatness can result.



"

Please, Blue Note, reissue this CD!

Charles Ford | Whittier, CA | 10/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having played my original vinyl LP many, many times, I was inspired to get this on CD. To my great surprise, it's out of print. I was lucky and got a copy for about $25.00 (good luck on that!) and now can play it on my computer. Great album from the amazing James Newton, who arranges these songs for flute (not an instrument Ellington or Strayhorn used much) to wonderful effect. The song selection, arrangements, and playing are all wonderful. One of the best albums of Ellington and Strayhorn tunes ever.



The only drawback is that this CD is no longer available. Please, Blue Note, reissue this 5-star album!"