View basket “A Blow For Me, A Toot To You” has been added to your basket. Ellington Al Jarreau & NDR Bigband SKU: ACTLP9060-1 Barcode: 0614427906014 29.00 £29.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ACT Released Date: 8th November 2024 Buying Format: 2LP Forthcoming Pre Order Add to your Wishlist Description Product Info Al Jarreau always said he sang Al Jarreau music, and he truly was one of a kind: his six GRAMMY awards and nineteen nominations as Best Vocalist cover no fewer than three categories – jazz, pop and R&B – in other words, musical genres didn’t really concern him. “Music may well fall into categories for other people, and I understand that,” he said, “but for me, if I like a song, I have to do it, and that’s that. If you come to my concerts, I sit on your shoulder and whisper in your ear. I open minds and walk through many doors.” This kind of rich, descriptive imagery evokes the flights of vocal fantasy which his singing was capable of at any moment. He could suddenly take a song in new and unexpected directions. He used to explain it thus: “If there is a backbone to what I do, it’s the jazz vernacular.” “I saw Al Jarreau for the first time in the Troubadour in Los Angeles in 1974 and was instantly hooked by his voice and his stage presence,” ACT founder Siggi Loch recalls. “The next day I went to see Mo Ostin, President of WEA, to convince him to sign him.” After encountering initial resistance, Loch was given the go-ahead and Jarreau’s debut album for WEA, ‘We Got By’, was released in 1975. ‘We Got By’ won the German Record Critics’ Award and his first German tour sold out large concert halls. Jarreau’s long association with NDR prompted Jörg Achim Keller, chief conductor of the NDR Bigband, to suggest a collaboration with the singer in 2016, “Doing a production with Al and Ellington’s music was something I had wanted to do since the early 2000’s,” he remembers. “Al’s reaction was very positive from the start.” Jörg prepared a list of some hundred Ellington titles and, as Jarreau later recalled, “We just went down the list, and it was a case of, ‘Oh, that one works for me,’ and ‘Let’s do this one as an old gut-bucket blues – what was important for me was to find myself inside the music and maybe make a different kind of statement about Ellington so people could hear the music in a different way from anything they had heard before.” In writing the charts, Jörg was careful to respect Jarreau’s approach to the material by giving him space. Tracks such as ‘I’m Beginning to See the Light’ or ‘I Got It Bad (and that Ain’t Good)’ also give the band’s soloists headroom to give of their very best. “These are highly evolved, intelligent soloists who can play with anybody in the world,” said Jarreau. “They’re pushing me, and I love the push, and they’re making me sound like a real singer!” Jarreau and the band toured the music during the latter part of 2016, “There was still some fine-tuning going on during the tour, from concert to concert,” Jörg added with a smile. “He loved doing those ballads – and each one had a different feel. ‘Come Sunday’ was very important to him, though. That chart was reworked twice before he was finally happy with it! On some songs, he went for a pure ballad style – ‘I Got It Bad (and that Ain’t Good),’ some tunes were put into a pop / R&B bag (‘Lush Life,’ ‘Come Sunday’) and he loved that ‘old gutbucket blues’ feel of ‘I Ain’t Got Nothing but the Blues.’” Looking back on those sessions and tour, Jörg says, “It was Al’s style and personality that held it all together. The whole thing was a true combination of Jarreau’s and Ellington’s musical mastery – it appealed to audiences all over Europe, they loved the programme.” This feeling is echoed by Siggi Loch, who caught Jarreau with the NDR Bigband in Paris, “It was obvious that he really enjoyed performing this music and he did it with so much energy and emotion, it was a joy to see and hear. Sadly, Al was to pass away only a few months later.” In many ways, ‘Ellington’ closes a circle: it feels very right that Jarreau’s final album should be released on ACT, the label founded by Siggi Loch, whose strong and unwavering advocacy for the singer originally set him on the road to superstardom. And the fact that it was recorded by broadcaster NDR and their in-house big band is a fitting reminder that this was the very broadcaster whose TV programme had once made Jarreau famous in Germany overnight. Furthermore, just like ‘Look to the Rainbow’ which was Jarreau’s international breakthrough album, ‘Ellington’ was also recorded live. Sometimes there are threads of connection between events which at first appear to be unrelated, and the result turns out to be not just special and magical, but also meaningful and deeply affecting. It certainly has done here. Artist Al Jarreau & NDR Bigband Genre Jazz Label ACT Buying Options 2LP Format 2LP Condition New Country UK Track Listings Drop Me off in Harlem I Let a Song Go out of My Heart Lush Life Come Sunday In a Mellow Tone Take the 'A' Train I'm Beginning to See the Light Sophisticated Lady Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues I Got It Bad Satin Doll Share this On Facebook On Twitter Via Email More from Jazz View Product Quick View Ray Barretto Barretto Power Jazz | Concord | 1LP Released 20th November 2020 £25.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Ray Barretto Barretto Power £25.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Concord SKU: 7217634 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 20th November 2020 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Nils Landgren & Jan Lundgren Kristallen Jazz | ACT | 1LP Released 10th January 2020 £19.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Nils Landgren & Jan Lundgren Kristallen £19.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ACT SKU: ACTLP9628-1 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 10th January 2020 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers Africaine Jazz | Blue Note | 1LP Released 10th June 2009 £14.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers Africaine £14.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Blue Note SKU: LT1088 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 10th June 2009 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Charles Tolliver Music Inc Impact Jazz | Pure Pleasure | 180g, 1LP Released 9th September 2022 £34.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Charles Tolliver Music Inc Impact £34.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Pure Pleasure SKU: SES-19757 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 9th September 2022 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Chet Atkins Workshop Jazz | Modern Harmonic | 180g, 1LP Released 1st February 2018 £28.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Chet Atkins Workshop £28.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Modern Harmonic SKU: MH8064 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 1st February 2018 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Michel Legrand Legrand Jazz Jazz | Impex Records | 180g, 1LP Released 13th October 2017 £45.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations Michel Legrand Legrand Jazz £45.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Impex Records SKU: AIMX6028 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 13th October 2017 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket View Product Quick View Bill Evans At The Montreux Jazz Festival Jazz | Analogue Productions | 180g, 1LP Released 25th March 2022 £45.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations Bill Evans At The Montreux Jazz Festival £45.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Analogue Productions SKU: AAPJ8762 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 25th March 2022 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket View Product Quick View Charlie Byrd Brazilian Byrd Jazz | Pure Pleasure | 180g, 1LP Released 25th November 2013 £34.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Charlie Byrd Brazilian Byrd £34.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Pure Pleasure SKU: CS9137 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 25th November 2013 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Jakob Bro & Arve Henriksen & Jorge Rossy Uma Elmo Jazz | ECM | 1LP Released 26th March 2021 £19.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Jakob Bro & Arve Henriksen & Jorge Rossy Uma Elmo £19.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ECM SKU: 3542716 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 26th March 2021 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Ike Quebec Blue & Sentimental Jazz | Analogue Productions | 180g, 2LP, 45rpm Released 26th July 2012 £50.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Ike Quebec Blue & Sentimental £50.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Analogue Productions SKU: ABNJ84098 Formats: 180g, 2LP, 45rpm Released Date: 26th July 2012 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders See more in Jazz Start again
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