The Great Summit: Complete Sessions [Deluxe Edition] [Limited]

Performer: Duke Ellington/Louis Armstrong
Artist: Trummy Young; Barney Bigard; Mort Herbert; Danny Barcelona
Engineer: Ray Hall
Producer: Michael Cuscuna (Reissue)
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: 2 LPs on 1 CD. Full performer name: Louis Armstrong/Duke Ellington. THE GREAT REUNION was recorded April 3, 1961. Includes liner notes by Stanley Dance. 2 LPs on 1 CD. THE GREAT SUMMIT: THE MASTER TAKES was originally released as THE COMPLETE LOUIS ARMSTRONG & DUKE ELLINGTON SESSIONS. Personnel: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet); Duke Ellington (piano); Trummy Young (trombone); Barney Bigard (clarinet); Mort Herbert (bass); Danny Barcelona (drums). Producer: Bob Thiele. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at RCA Studios, New York, New York on April 3 & 4, 1961. Includes liner notes by Dan Morgenstern. Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster using 24-bit technology. Disc 1 is the previously released THE COMPLETE LOUIS ARMSTRONG & DUKE ELLINGTON SESSIONS. Disc 2 is a bonus CD of conversations, false starts and outtakes from the same sessions. Personnel: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet); Duke Ellington (piano); Trummy Young (trombone); Barney Bigard (clarinet); Mort Herbert (bass); Danny Barcelona (drums). Producer: Bob Thiele. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscana. Recorded at RCA Studios, New York, New York on April 3 & 4, 1961. Includes liner notes by Dan Morgenstern. Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster. Personnel: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet); Barney Bigard (clarinet); Trummy Young (trombone); Duke Ellington (piano); Danny Barcelona (drums). Audio Remasterer: Ron McMaster. Audio Remixer: Ron McMaster. Liner Note Author: Dan Morgenstern. Recording information: RCA Studios, New York, NY (04/03/1961/04/04/1961). Formerly available as a two-LP set and also released on CD by Roulette, these 17 selections are the entire results of the only meeting in the studios by Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Although it might have been preferable to have Armstrong perform with Duke Ellington's orchestra, Ellington's performance as pianist with Satch's All-Stars is quite satisfying. The all-Ellington program gave Armstrong a rest from his usual repertoire and permitted him an opportunity to work his magic on fresh material. Lots of surprises, some sensitive vocalizing and fine supporting work from trombonist Trummy Young and clarinetist Barney Bigard make this a gem. ~ Scott Yanow Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were (and are) two of the main stems of jazz. Any way you look at it, just about everything that's ever happened in this music leads directly -- or indirectly -- back to them. Both men were born on the cusp of the 19th and 20th centuries, and each became established as a leader during the middle '20s. Although their paths had crossed from time to time over the years, nobody in the entertainment industry had ever managed to get Armstrong and Ellington into a recording studio to make an album together. On April 3, 1961, producer Bob Thiele achieved what should be regarded as one of his greatest accomplishments; he organized and supervised a seven-and-a-half-hour session at RCA Victor's Studio One on East 24th Street in Manhattan, using a sextet combining Duke Ellington with Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars. This group included ex-Ellington clarinetist Barney Bigard, ex-Jimmie Lunceford swing-to-bop trombonist Trummy Young, bassist Mort Herbert, and drummer Danny Barcelona. A second session took place during the afternoon of the following day. The music resulting from Thiele's inspired experiment is outstanding and utterly essential. That means everybody ought to hear this album at least once, and many will want to hear it again and again all the way through, for this is one of the most intriguing confluences in all of recorded jazz. Armstrong blew his horn with authority and sang beautifully and robustly. "Azalea" is a harmonically pixilated melody with complicated, peculiarly rhymed lyrics composed by Duke many years earlier with Armstrong in mind. Other highlights include the bluesy "I'm Just a Lucky So and So," a smoking hot, scat-laden rendition of "Cotton Tail," and "The Beautiful American," a marvelously modern exercise composed on the spot by Ellington that leaves one with the curious impression that Armstrong has just finished sitting in with Charles Mingus. It's also a premonition of the Ellington/Mingus/Roach Money Jungle session that would take place the following year. Since Thiele had "borrowed" Ellington from Columbia without permission, Roulette compensated by "lending" Count Basie & His Orchestra for the big-band blowout album entitled First Time! The Count Meets the Duke. The Armstrong/Ellington master takes were originally issued on two long-playing records; Together for the First Time came out on Roulette in 1961 and The Great Reunion appeared in 1963. Both albums later resurfaced as a Roulette LP two-fer entitled The Duke Ellington/Louis Armstrong Years. This material is also available in a Roulette Jazz Deluxe Edition with The Making of The Great Summit, a fascinating supplementary disc containing an hour's worth of rehearsals, conversations, and alternate takes. Those who truly love and respect Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington will want to obtain, absorb, study, and cherish the Deluxe Edition of The Great Summit. ~ arwulf arwulf An album with Duke Ellingtion, this is a joyful collaboration by two of the greatest names in jazz. Tunes include "Mood Indigo," "Black and Tan Fantasy," and other Ellington pieces. Sideman Barney Bigard (cl) adds particular charm to "It Don't Mean a Thing." ~ Bruce Boyd Raeburn One of the most historic jazz records ever recorded, THE COMPLETE SESSIONS brings together, for the first and only time, the two most influential figures in jazz. Living up to the expectations placed upon such a meeting would, of course, be impossible, but this album is wonderful by any standard. The format is an interesting one in that basically Duke Ellington assumed Billy Kyle's piano chair in the 1961 version of Armstrong's All Stars band. Rather than performing Armstrong's usual repertoire, however, the two giants chose to record a selection of Ellington's best compositions. The resulting album allowed Duke to play some of his most sensitive, relaxed jazz piano on record and gave Satchmo a chance to stretch out on some unfamiliar material, which he does with his usual flair and inventiveness. High points include Armstrong's boisterous solos, amazing improvised scatting and extra lyrics on a high-energy version of "Cottontail" and Ellington's lean, supple lines on "Duke's Place." The seemingly infallible trombonist Trummy Young contributes swinging, bluesy solos throughout and clarinetist Barney Bigard plays with an air of sophistication that well suits the Ellington vibe. These are Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington's only recorded studio sessions working together. As the two men were arguably the most definitive improviser and bandleader/composer of the century respectively, that alone makes this collaboration of high interest. Originally released as two LPs on Roulette, "Together for the First Time" and "The Great Reunion of..." these sessions were well produced and well recorded the first time around. This two CD set brings together all 17 official cuts, and elegantly places all the outtakes, false starts, alternate takes, and session conversations on a second disc with its own set of liner notes. Historical significance aside, this is simply some really great music. Armstrong's singing is relaxed and full of humor and grit, and the small combo setting means we get to hear more of Ellington's piano than usual. The group is rounded out with members of Armstrong's band, and includes the reunion of Duke and his former employee, clarinetist Barney Bigard. Duke's repertoire brings out the best in Armstrong, and he returns the favor, casting even the most familiar of these tunes in a fresh light. An exceptional recording through and through. The master takes of this two-CD set have appeared previously on a number of reissues on both LP and CD as a compilation of the original two individual records Together for the First Time and The Great Reunion, but this release easily beats all of the previous issues. Two music legends, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, met in the studio for two days in 1961 with Armstrong bringing his group in to play an all-Ellington program and Ellington playing piano. This music has received high praise from numerous critics with good reason; everything seems to fall into place with little effort and a maximum of swinging jazz. It didn't hurt to have former Ellington band member Barney Bigard on clarinet or the equally talented trombonist Trummy Young on the date. Having Armstrong play Ellington's music was a nice change of pace, as the repetitious nature of Satchmo's repertoire in concerts didn't reveal his potential to audiences of the 1950s and 1960s. His newly improvised update of the lyrics to "Drop Me Off in Harlem" got Ellington into a great mood, while both Bigard and Armstrong responded well to Ellington's on-the-spot composition of "The Beautiful American," which closed the first recording session; he also shines on the obscure "Azalea," proving he was a quick study. Armstrong seems very familiar with Ellington's works and his solo on "Black and Tan Fantasy," which had been written in 1927 and recorded many times by a variety of trumpeters in Ellington's orchestra, rivals that of any of them. Bassist Mort Herbert and drummer Danny Barcelona are quite effective in anchoring the rhythm section on a solid foundation. Ellington seems energetic throughout both dates and he is great at providing just the right accompaniment behind the soloists as well as showing off his own chops. What is even more interesting is the addition of the previously unreleased rehearsals, alternate takes, and breakdowns (which are only on this expanded two-CD reissue) as the group worked through each number during the two days of sessions. An additional improvement is the glorious 24-bit remastering that dwarfs the sound of the earlier Mobile Fidelity, Mobile Fidelity Ultra, and Roulette reissues. Dan Morgenstern's informative liner notes and a number of previously unseen session photos add to the desirability of this set. The late producer Bob Thiele should be praised as well for working hard to make these recordings come into being. This landmark reissue should be the part of any jazz collection. ~ Ken Dryden

Q (7/01, p.130) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Overall, it's a bluesy and upbeat set....but the band has no trouble getting mean and moody for the likes of 'Solitude'. Still wonderful..." JazzTimes (10/00, p.79) - "...Disc one provides the thrills, while disc two offers serious fans insights into the process of collaboration between the 2 most important jazz musicians of the 20th century."

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