Duke Ellington & John Coltrane

ah, ellington and coltrane. two of my favorites. here they produced a very fine set of jazz, indeed. this disc has a bit more bite than the ellington and johnny hodges duo albums, but the bite is tame by coltrane's usual standards. coltrane is more restrained here than is usual, but that tone remains a spellbinder. while this is not amongst the very best work that either of these gentlemen have done, it is an album that any jazz fan would do well to acquire.

These classic albums Coltrane did for Impulse are some of my personal favorites (i.e. 'John Coltane w/ Johnny Hartman', 'Ballads', and 'Ascension') of all the jazz recordings I own on either CD or Vinyl. This one is a beauty! Every song on this album is perfect. So many times two greats would meet and cut an album of less than superior quality. This is definitely not one of those cases. From the moment the first song 'In a Sentimental Mood' comes on you are taken on a magical journey that truly showcases just how brilliant these artists were as musicians and composers. Of course it's always great to have such a fine rythm section backing you up - Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones (awesome as always!), Aaron Bell, Sam Woodward, ... all playing at their best. If you are a fan of Ellington and/or Coltrane than obviously this is a must have album. All in all, it's just fun, exciting music that gives you a warm, cushy feeling inside every time you listen to it. Those of you who are relatively new to jazz, this is a must have. You won't be disappointed I promise.

How can I say anything negative about two of the greatest jazz musicians who ever lived. The music was subperb.

Amazon sent me this CD in a most timely fashion. All went smoothly.

The album starts with one of the greatest versions of a jazz song - "In A Sentimental Mood". Coltrane's playing on it is brilliant, and Duke's piano playing sounds much better than in the 1941 version of the same song. The bass & drum alternate between Duke's & John's. At the tempos and volumes they're playing at, there isn't a significant difference between the two sets. Coltrane's playing is a slight retreat in terms of adventurousness. It may have been mouthpiece problems or maybe because he was playing with Duke Ellington. Either way, it's lack of challenge doesn't diminish the beauty of the playing. Some have said Duke sounds more modern than Coltrane, but I don't hear that. This album won't turn your personal jazz world on its ear, but it is a lot of fun to listen to. It's also fine for non-jazz fans.

this pairing of jazz greats is such a strange idea. two very different musical thinkers who you might think would clash in the studio, join together in a nice little collaboration. the problem is, it's a little too nice. there is no real spark here and the players seem to be genuinely delighted to be playing together, but there is no overt displays of passion in these songs. "In A Sentimental Mood" starts off very warm and nice and it's great to hear Coltrane's playing over Duke's piano. but once you get the general idea, it's all of the same. overall, it's a nice little cd, but i cannot recommend it highly, there are many many more worthwhile albums that were made seperately by these two artists. still, if the mood hits you, you can slip on your cardigan and your pipe and slippers and listen to this by the fire.