In an attempt to remedy last week's bebop perversion of young minds, this week brings a double helping of wholesome jazz—straight from one of America's most beloved band leaders, Duke Ellington. The last time we heard from the Duke, he was going head-to-head with Count Basie; this week his band has the stage to themselves.

Ellington Uptown was first recorded in late 1951, amidst a somewhat difficult time for Ellington: his signature big band style was long past its commercial heyday, and several key members of his band departed earlier that year (most notably Johnny Hodges). Meanwhile, one of Ellington's main creative ambitions was to move jazz beyond the three-minute compositions that had originally brought him fame and success. Those forces all coalesce here, and the result is our most symphonic album yet: multiple tracks (especially "A Tone Parallel to Harlem", "The Controversial Suite", and "The Liberian Suite") are extended compositions, featuring semi-formal structures more reminiscent of classical music than of traditional jazz. (There's even strings!) Might this be a precursor to what would later be dubbed "Third Stream?"

I really enjoyed listening to Ellington Uptown, and this week I'd like to comment on some of the individual tracks in more detail. We begin with "Skin Deep," and what a way it is to start! This one grabs your attention from the first note and never lets go. This is also the album's biggest dose of percussion—I haven't measured it exactly, but I'm pretty sure that fully half of this song's 6:49 runtime is just drum solos.

"The Mooche" is slinking and sly; it makes me want to strut around once again in Grim Fandango's Rubacava. There's plenty of solos to go around here, from clarinet to saxophone, but most remarkable is the rumbling wah-wahs from the trombone. (Wikipedia mentions that Tricky Sam Nanton, a long-time member of Ellington's band, was one of the pioneers of that distinctive wah-wah sound, though sadly he passed away before this album's recording.) Side note: I assumed that the titular "mooche" was meant to evoke the French mouche, but apparently Ellington just meant someone who's always borrowing off of you—y'know, a mooch—which is sometimes how the title gets spelled. Oh, how I love a side of orthographic pedantry to complement my jazz.

'Take the "A" Train' is the only track I'm mixed on. I first fell in love with that tune—an Ellington standard—in the band battle version with Basie; in my opinion, that recording still has more raw energy. The Ellington Uptown version adds some vocals (including scatting) that I could take or leave, but doubling the track length to eight minutes gives them more liberty to explore and experiment, which is fun.

"A Tone Parallel to Harlem" captures the quotidian routines of a community, from the bustle and excitement of dancing in the street, to quiet, reflective evenings in the park. Wikipedia cites a favourable comparison to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which I find quite apt. Listen carefully to the trumpet voice at the very beginning, which plaintively welcomes you to "Haaar-lem."

Of the two Controversial Suite tracks, "Later" is the one that sticks with me, owing to its distinctive "tick-tock" pulse throughout. I need a mod to make it the background music for a certain Mario Kart course…

Finally, in the Liberian Suite, I love the sax solo at the end of Dance No. 1, as well as the strings in Dance No. 3, but the vocals in "I Like the Sunrise" are the real show-stopper for me. The lyrics are simple, but the melody is so moving, and delivered with such confidence, that I'm enthralled every time. This was commissioned by the government of Liberia to celebrate their centennial—I wonder if it's still known there.

So there you have it: nearly 80 minutes total (in this extended CD re-release) and I like it all. Perhaps this makes me unhip, but I have a real soft spot for big band: not to pooh-pooh the bebop virtuosos, but by dint of sheer numbers, big bands offer a fullness and richness that no small ensemble can equal. Couple that with some pointers on structure and instrumentation from the classical world—without any of the possibly attendant stodginess—and you've got a recipe for some great tunes.

Favourite track: The Mooch(e)