Duke Ellington - Piano In The Foreground (1961)
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Duke Ellington's piano style influenced generations of pianists, from Thelonious Monk to Randy Weston. This 1961 trio recording, with his orchestra's rhythm section of drummer Sam Woodyard and Aaron Bell, clearly unveils the maestro's powerful touch, black-and-tan chords, and unstoppable swing, all often overshadowed in the work of his bigger bands. The standard "Body and Soul" shows Ellington's debt to James P. Johnson's Harlem stride style, while "Blues for Jerry," recalls Count Basie's Kansas City grooves.

"Cong-go" masterfully marries Nigerian highlife and Cuban congorhythms, while Gershwin's "Summertime" and "Springtime in Africa" become surprising, evocative tone poems that foreshadow the avant-garde abstractions of the '70s. There's also a deeply personal rendering of Billy Strayhorn's "Lotus Blossom," which was not included on the original LP. The last six bonus tracks come from a pair of 1957 sessions with Jimmy Woode on bass. All in all, this disc is a worthy addition to Ellington's other keyboard classics, Money Jungle and Piano Reflections.

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Tracklist:
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01. I Can't Get Started
02. Cong-Go
03. Body And Soul
04. Blues For Jerry
05. Fontainebleau Forest
06. Summertime
07. It's Bad To Be Forgotten
08. A Hundred Dreams Ago
09. So
10. Searching (Pleading For Love)
11. Springtime In Africa
12. Lotus Blossom
13. All The Things You Are (take 1)
14. All The Things You Are (take 2)
15. Piano Improvisation No.2
16. Piano Improvisation No.3
17. Piano Improvisation No.4
18. Piano Improvisation No.1

*2004 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | CK 87042

Personnel:
Duke Ellington (piano)
Aaron Bell (#1-12) or Jimmy Woode (#13-18) (bass)
Sam Woodyard (drums)



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