Search - Claude Bolling :: Drum Is a Woman

It's good, but the narration is in French.

Mark Barnett | Paso Robles, CA USA | 10/17/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As indicated in my earlier review, I listened to some RealAudio segments of a few musical cuts and ordered a copy on the basis of what I heard. Unfortunately, for those who don't speak French, the NARRATIVE portion of the work, done in the original by Duke, is in French. Lyrics are in English, but "Congo Square," the narrative highlight of the work (for me) is not. Caveat emptor."

I hope it's nearly as good as Ellington's LP album

Mark Barnett | Paso Robles, CA USA | 08/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm 60 years old, and this has been my favorite musical work for about 45 years. It's a tone-poem history of drums. I heard it one Sunday afternoon (Bell Telephone Hour, I think) and never forgot it. It was one of my first selections in the old Columbia Record Club (it's CL 951, by the way), and I still listen to it. (Copies of the LP are fairly scarce.)I've seen no other CD or cassette version of this work, which I'm buying "hearing unheard" -- something I rarely do. I've looked in vain for a transcription of the original album, but if the Real Audio selections are an indication, I'll like it; you will, too."