Ellington Uptown

by Duke Ellington

Ellington Uptown cover art

Released as a high-fidelity showcase for the then-new LP format, 'Ellington Uptown' captures Duke Ellington's 1951–52 orchestra in a program of ambitious, long-form works. The album is anchored by the composer's celebrated tone poem, "A Tone Parallel to Harlem," a nearly 14-minute suite that musically depicts the sights and sounds of the vibrant New York neighborhood. Alongside extended reworkings of classics like "Take the 'A' Train," the recording prominently features Louis Bellson's powerful drum showcase on "Skin Deep," cementing the album as a pivotal statement of Ellington's compositional scope and the orchestra's formidable power.

Genres

  • Big Band

Tracklist

  1. Skin Deep
  2. The Mooche
  3. Take the 'A' Train
  4. A Tone Parallel to Harlem (The Harlem Suite) - 78rpm Version
  5. Perdido
  6. Before My Time
  7. Later
  8. I Like the Sunrise
  9. Dance No. 1
  10. Dance No. 2
  11. Dance No. 3
  12. Dance No. 4
  13. Dance No. 5