“Ellington Uptown” by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - album review
features in: Album Chart of 1953 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1950s |

Opens badly with “Skin Deep” as "mega-drummer" Louis Bellson gives it laldy… what a yawn-a-thon. Immediately, “The Mooche” recovers things brilliantly – it’s a slow swing creeper for pink panthers everywhere. Duke revisits his 1941 piece “Take The A Train” and I find that Betty Roche’s scatty shooby doops are not without some charm. “A Tone Parallel To Harlem (Harlem Suite)” is the album’s heart and soul – what can only be described as a soundtrack to an eventful, slightly surreal, 13 minute adventure dream. The album closes with “Perdido”, the closest the album gets to a bit of dance hall boogie woogie. I don’t dig jazz man – ain’t no big secret. But this ain’t too bad. Sometimes, I kinda feel this cat…
The Jukebox Rebel
15–Jun–2012
Tracklist |
A1 | [06:49] ![]() |
A2 | [06:36] ![]() |
A3 | [08:02] ![]() |
B1 | [13:48] ![]() |
B2 | [08:25] ![]() |