View basket “King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa” 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 Phil Ranelin The Time Is Now Jazz | Now Again | 1LP Released 18th February 2022 £31.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Phil Ranelin The Time Is Now £31.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Now Again SKU: NA5211LP Formats: 1LP Released Date: 18th February 2022 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Madeleine Peyroux The Blue Room Jazz | Universal Play 33 1/3 Series | 180g, 1LP Released 11th September 2017 £34.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Madeleine Peyroux The Blue Room £34.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Universal Play 33 1/3 Series SKU: LP43078 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 11th September 2017 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano, Jan Lundgren Mare Nostrum III Jazz | ACT | 2LP, 45rpm Released 11th January 2019 £20.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano, Jan Lundgren Mare Nostrum III £20.00 Genre: Jazz Label: ACT SKU: ACT98771 Formats: 2LP, 45rpm Released Date: 11th January 2019 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Wayne Shorter Emanon Jazz | Blue Note | 180g, 3LP, Includes Booklet, Includes CD Released 28th September 2018 £179.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Wayne Shorter Emanon £179.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Blue Note SKU: 6714397 Formats: 180g, 3LP, Includes Booklet, Includes CD Released Date: 28th September 2018 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Stanley Turrentine Mr. Natural Jazz | Blue Note Tone Poet | 180g, 1LP, Gatefold Sleeve Released 7th April 2023 £33.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Stanley Turrentine Mr. Natural £33.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Blue Note Tone Poet SKU: 3837101 Formats: 180g, 1LP, Gatefold Sleeve Released Date: 7th April 2023 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Louis Armstrong The Platinum Collection Jazz | Not Now Music | 3LP Released 5th June 2020 £21.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Louis Armstrong The Platinum Collection £21.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Not Now Music SKU: NOT3LP244 Formats: 3LP Released Date: 5th June 2020 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View José James No Beginning No End Jazz | Blue Note | 2LP Released 28th January 2013 £20.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders José James No Beginning No End £20.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Blue Note SKU: 732971 Formats: 2LP Released Date: 28th January 2013 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Damu the Fudgemunk Peace of Action Jazz | Def Pressé Editions | 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released 22nd November 2024 £21.00 Select options Damu the Fudgemunk Peace of Action £21.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Def Pressé Editions Formats: 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released Date: 22nd November 2024 Read More Select options View Product Quick View Jacob Collier Djesse Vol. 4 (Deluxe) Jazz | Decca | 2LP Released 28th February 2025 £35.00 Pre Order View Pre/Back Orders Jacob Collier Djesse Vol. 4 (Deluxe) £35.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Decca SKU: 7529517 Formats: 2LP Released Date: 28th February 2025 Read More Pre Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Miles Davis Miles in The Sky Jazz | Music On Vinyl | 180g, 1LP Released 26th April 2019 £27.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Miles Davis Miles in The Sky £27.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Music On Vinyl SKU: MOVLP2385 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 26th April 2019 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders See more in Jazz Start again
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