Norman Granz Presents Duke Ellington at the Cote
d’Azur with Ella Fitzgerald & Joan Miro + Duke: The Last Jam Session
(Eagle DVD)
Picture: C Sound: C/C+ Extras: C Concerts: B
Jazz is
such an enduring genre and though sometimes it can be too lazy, predictable and
common for its own good, it has some great moments and in the hands of its masters
can really deliver. Continuing their
release of many Norman Granz-produced Jazz programs on DVD, Eagle has issued
one of the more interesting titles in a double set showing off the great Duke
Ellington at his peak and in the end. Norman Granz Presents Duke Ellington at the
Cote d’Azur with Ella Fitzgerald & Joan Miro + Duke: The Last Jam Session show the master in power all the way to
the end.
“Sir Duke”
as Stevie Wonder’s classic song refers to was a song about the joy his music
brought and was. You can see that as he
works with Joan Miro and in segments with Ella Fitzgerald that re-remind us
that she is simply one of the greatest vocalists ever since sound recording was
invented and could go a few rounds with any vocalist ever. Her with Ellington is like Aretha Franklin
with Ray Charles; just an amazing combination that is unstoppable. Makes you want to run out and buy a
Fitzgerald Anthology.
As for
the latter concert, it shows Ellington able to more than hold his own against a
very good, energetic, talented group of young musicians and all too at home,
especially since he is the one who built the art form they thrive on. It is something to behold and some of the
great things happening here are easy to miss.
If you are a Jazz fan, this set is a must-see.
The 1.33
X 1 image on both are soft, but different, with the d’Azur concert on black and white film a generation down and the
Duke performance on NTSC video that is a bit dated itself. The sound on the d’Azur concert is sadly harsh and shrill in all three cases, while
that of the Duke taping is just aged
with background hiss. All thee come in
PCM 2.0 16/48 Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 mixes. Extras include sketches and a Granz intro on
the d’Azur concert, plus about ten
minutes with Ray Brown on the Duke disc and a booklet inside the case with
three good essays and the songs on each disc.
For more
DVDs in this series, start with this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5915/Norman+Granz+–+Improvisation+(DTS
- Nicholas Sheffo
