Criss Cross Jazz 1353 CD

Wycliffe Gordon

The Intimate Ellington: Ballads And Blues

Available: February 19, 2013

On his eighth Criss Cross leader date, Wycliffe Gordon (awarded 2012 Trombonist of the Year by both the DownBeat Critics Poll and the Jazz Journalists' Asssociation) distills his exhaustive knowledge of the oeuvre of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on a wellcrafted, ten-piece program spanning a timeline from 1927 (Creole Love Call) to 1967 (The Intimacy Of The Blues).

Throughout the proceedings, which explore a broad array of flavors, Gordon -- spurred by a killer rhythm section of pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Alvin Atkinson -- plays with characteristic effervescence and tonal creativity, matched by Adrian Cunningham on saxophones and woodwinds and, on several selections, the soulful violin virtuoso Zach Brock and vocalist Dee Daniels.

Wycliffe Gordon
Barcode 8 712474 135325
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Wycliffe Gordon (Tb / Tp /
Soprano Tb / Vc)
Adrian Cunningham (Ts / Ss / Cl)
Zach Brock (Vi)
Aaron Diehl (P)
Yasushi Nakamura (B)
Alvin Atkinson Jr. (D)
Dee Daniels (Vc)

1. Pie Eye's Blues (Duke Ellington)  6:38
2. Jeep's Blues (Duke Ellington)  6:10
3. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good (Duke Ellington / Paul Francis Webster)  7:04
4. Creole Love Call (Duke Ellington / Bubber Miley / Rudy Jackson / Lorraine Feather)  8:03
5. Stevie (Duke Ellington)  7:32
6. The Intimacy Of The Blues (Billy Strayhorn)  7:02
7. Lotus Blossom (Billy Strayhorn)  5:17
8. Something Sexual (Duke Ellington)  8:03
9. Sophisticated Lady (Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Mitchell Parish)  8:25
10. Caravan (Juan Tizol / Duke Ellington)  8:19

Total Time: 72:37
Recorded October 10, 2012 in Brooklyn, NY, USA
Engineer: Michael Marciano (recording / mixing / mastering)
Producer: Gerry Teekens