For the Guv'nor (Tribute to Duke Ellington)

For the Guv'nor (Tribute to Duke Ellington) Artist: Ben Webster
Label: Charly UK
Category: Music



Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 5031731010223
ASIN: B000000JK4


Release Date: 1999-07-01

Related Categories:

General General
Related | Jazz | Styles | Music
Swing General Swing General
Related | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Traditional Jazz General Traditional Jazz General
Related | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Pop | Styles | Music
Traditional Pop Traditional Pop
Related | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Listmania:

  1. Some of Evening Ocean's Favorite CD's/60's-00's Influences

Tracks:

  1. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
  2. Drop Me Off In Harlem
  3. One for the Guv'nor
  4. Prelude to a Kiss
  5. In a Sentimental Mood
  6. Rockin' in Rhythm
  7. John Brown's Body
  8. Worksong
  9. The Preacher
  10. Straight, No Chaser

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Some Same Old, Some Surprises.......2006-12-19

It's Ben Webster after emigrating to Europe, a little slower & playing some of the same old favorites of his with many of his oft-repeated phrases. But, beyond that, there are a couple of surprises worth checking out; primarily because it is 2 sessions on 1 CD.

The "Guv'nor" Ellington tunes are all fine, if somewhat predictable. The treat therein for me is "In A Sentimental Mood," not as improvisationally adventurous as the Coltrane/Ellington collaboration, but full to the brim with the emotion that makes this one of Duke's most moving compositions.

The other session yields Monk's "Straight, No Chaser," covered over & over, but never at the slow tempo favored by Webster, giving it a somewhat different feel. Nice to see some nod from Ben to the Bop era, when he helped to encourage & employ many rising stars, such as Charlie Parker among others, despite his stubborn adherence to the tried & true.

Also from the 2nd session is "Worksong," credited to Nat Adderley, but I seem to remember it being a Joe Zawinul tune, like "Mercy, Mercy," which he penned & performed in his Adderley days - could be wrong on that, but the rendition here is quite enjoyable.

As a piano lover, I like the 2 pianos sound, despite the negative reviews of Franz Wieringa's playing vs. Kenny Drew's, the 2 players on that date. The bitch is that Franz is way louder than Kenny -who is better, no doubt.

Criticism dept: Like many of Webster's later recordings, the sidemen's solos do run longer than their talent should allow, and the recording quality is less than par - primarily the botching of the sax tracks, of all things! Re-mastering with some corrective signal processing almost eliminates that problem, if you have such means at your disposal.

Good to hear a little Ben-Bop - also found on that live recording with the Modern Jazz Quartet, another CD with gems plagued by even worse mastering, again largely correctable with some signal processing software.

This CD is better than most reviews tell the tale.

Music CD:

  1. City of the Blues
  2. Complete Fifties Recordings ~ Pee Wee Erwin Sextet
  3. The Way Out is Via the Door
  4. Sacred Hymns ~ Keith Jarrett
  5. Simplicity/A Sign of the Times ~ Joe Pass
  6. Skipper at Home ~ Henry Franklin
  7. Swingtet ~ Allan Vache
  8. A Proper Introduction to Ike Quebec: Blue Harlem ~ Ike Quebec
  9. Circles ~ Paul Bley
  10. Come Join The Dance ~ Kingsway

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

Greatest Hits, Vol. 4 ~ Bass Patrol

Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance ~ Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance

Down to Kill ~ Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers

Hunkpapa ~ Jeffrey Halford & the Healers

Dream Babies, Vol. 2 ~ Various Artists

No More Music ~ IfIHadAHiFi

Suicide Remixes ~ Suicide Sports Car

Urban Renewal Program ~ Various Artists

Body Rock ~ Mos Def Featuring Q-Tip & Tash

Collections: Bootlegs & G-Sides ~ 11-5