Simon Rattle / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - Ellington: Mainly Black (2010)

The uniquely American art form of jazz has spread all over the world, yet many great jazz artists are not of American origin. English violinist Nigel Kennedy has often been known for his willingness to push boundaries, musical and otherwise, and he teams up with bassist Alec Dankworth for the first half of this album, while Simon Rattle and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra join forces with a roster of jazz legends to play some of Ellington's most well-known tunes. However, the end product is not so satisfying, as the album does not cohere and adequately convey the richness and soulfulness of this great composer. The Kennedy/Dankworth half of the album explores Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige suite, pared down for the violin and double bass. Sadly, the result is a disappointment. For one instrument, the violin, to carry the melody of the lushness of Ellington's work, is an unreasonable task to expect of any musician. Therefore, the melody very frequently gets lost, emerging only in brief snippets. This could perhaps be overlooked if the spirit of jazz were present in the suite; but it, too, is also missing. The "Introduction" lacks the seductive tension that the jazz idiom necessitates, and this is not helped by Kennedy's style of playing without vibrato through most of the suite. By "Work Song," the energy picks up with a walking bass, but the violin sounds tentative and light, with little attention paid to phrasing. Most of the suite sounds like a stream of sound that lacks mystery and focus. The second half of the album is certainly more interesting, as Ellington's melodies are arranged by Luther Henderson for orchestra and (what sounds like) big band. However, the orchestra almost sounds excessive, because the big band itself is enough to capture Ellington's sensuality. As with the first half of the album, some of the tracks, such as Harlem, seem to be lacking adequate energy. Certainly Isfahan is majestic, and Take the A Train is grand, but not much seems to be inspired in this whole recording, despite the high caliber of the musicians. To quote Ellington directly, "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing, "and despite its attempts, this album doesn't swing.