Soul Call

During the month of July 1966, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra performed at the Juan-les-Pins/Antibes Jazz Festival on the French Riviera, locally known as the Côte D'Azur. Situated near a stand of towering pine trees, the stage allowed the instrumentalists to gaze at vessels sailing by on the surface of the Mediterranean Sea. Ellington and His Orchestra, sometimes graced with the presence of vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, were filmed and taped extensively, and the massive stash of recorded evidence was eventually released on an eight-CD set. Highlights appeared over the years, sometimes showcasing the exciting combination of Ella and Duke, or simply focusing upon the Orchestra. When Ellington's Soul Call album was released as an LP in 1967, there was only room for what would appear on a CD reissue in 1999 as tracks one-five. Although this included the world premiere recording and what could stand as the definitive version of "La Plus Belle Africaine," "West Indian Pancake," a smoking hot feature for saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, and "Skin Deep," a 12-minute feature for Duke's "first chair percussionist" Sam Woodyard, (whose name the leader repeatedly pronounced with dramatic emphasis), most appraisals of Soul Call (including both producer Norman Granz's original liner notes and a latter day commentary by Louisville, KY radio host Phil Bailey) have for some reason damned the album with faint praise and emphasized that this is not "essential" Duke Ellington. On the contrary, the expanded CD edition of Soul Call does contain the essence of what Duke and his men were all about during the '60s. Its nine bonus tracks include two movements from Ellington's "Shakespearean Suite," the magical "cha-cha" arrangement of "Caravan" (by request from a Czechoslovakian fan), a rocking rendition of Johnny Hodges' "Wings and Things," a profoundly beautiful "Sophisticated Lady" featuring the circular breathing of baritone saxophonist Harry Carney, and exciting versions of "Kinda Dukish," "Rockin' in Rhythm," "Main Stem" and "Take the 'A' Train." This edition of Soul Call cannot be recommended highly enough. It is late period Ellington at his most exciting.