“""The Mooche," made in 1928, is a piece that reflected Ellington's love of New Orleans and had been played in many versions. (Ellington constantly remade his pieces, and they are thus examples of how an inventive jazz composer works. He personally wrote or co-wrote new arrangements, commissioned new arrangements, or, upon listening to the improvisations of his players, found fresh material that could enrich or reinterpret a familiar part of his repertoire.) On "The Mooche," we hear the two colors that were essential to Ellington's sound. There's the clarinet, which Ellington never abandoned even though jazz orchestras usually set the instrument aside after the emergence of Charlie Parker in the middle '40s. Then there is the equally important plunger-muted brass that also remained a fundamental element of his style." #SundaySoother”

4 more comments  /  30 loves