Ellington at Newport

More upbeat than the other jazz records I've listened to. Very improvised. it's like the trumpet is scatting (3.5-4).

First time listening to this album.

I chose to listen to the 2+ hour version of this. This was quite enjoyable.

Great musicians from a dead genre. Like visiting an exhibit at a museum - fine if you want to learn some history or see “how it used to be” but nothing much with a pulse left there now. Of course Big Band was influential, but so were showtunes and religious hymns, and I hope not to see those on this list anytime soon. Ellington was one of the most important figures in 20th century Western music, but this album does not figure into that distinction in any conceivable way. The only Duke we need in the 1001 albums list is the Thin White Duke.

It blew my mind when they introduced a young and talented composer by the name of Quincy Jones. This is just so far back. Still a great listen.

Simple but relaxing jazz. For a moment I thought the police was at my door, though, with the inclusion of a siren in the album.

So foremost, I said it before, and I will say it again - how come the most prolific composer of 20th century has only 1 album on this list, and it's a live one??? Despite all of that, this is absolutely a legendary performance, can't get any better than this, swinging goodness, the best big band ever in my opinion of course along with Count Basie's. So this is easy 5 stars for these reasons for me, real highlights for me are "Festival Junction" and "Jeep's Blues". I love Duke's vocal ad libs in the background.

The Duke!

A 2+ hour live jazz album can only go so far in the ratings. Massive negative points for all the waffling and starting with Star Spangled Banner.

I enjoyed the music about as much as I did many of the other jazz albums before this. I found it fine but tedious to get through, especially considering the length. Some of the faster songs were better, but that trumpet was way too overwhelming and drowned out a lot of the instruments alongside it. Fairly generous 2

A late-ish career achievement from Ellington that I enjoy, and appreciate, but that I personally only get so much out of. He’s really flying the big band jazz flag high here. And it’s a real accomplishment of the form. The band’s mechanical tightness matches a willingness to improvise that exemplifies the best of what this style of jazz can give. And there are some really incredible woodwind passages too. I just don’t have a ton to say, it’s another wildly important, fantastically made jazz album that I just haven’t developed a full appreciation of, and that’s it.

Damn, that clarinet solo on Festival Junction was awesome! And then that trumpet solo at the end! What the fuck? Amazing.

I’ve never been crazy about jazz, but this is something else. I had some Miles Davis records the other day, and they didn’t really capture me. So I wasn’t really champing at the bit to listen to a live jazz album over an hour long.

But this is as vibrant as anything I’ve heard on this list! The fact it’s live adds to it all, you can hear the audience’s excitement and how the band is feeding off their energy.

Das explosive Solo von Tenorsaxophonist Paul Gonsalves über 27 Chorusse in „Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue“ brachte das Publikum in Ekstase und Ellington zurück ins Rampenlicht. Trotzdem bleibt der emotionale Funke aus. Die Virtuosität ist unbestreitbar, aber stilistisch bleibt es ein respektvoller Blick auf ein Genre, das mich nicht interessiert.

Enjoyed the album, can imagine this playing on a record player as I read a book on a wet afternoon. Definitely something I would be happy to play again.

A total masterpiece. Each don't is so bright and full of life, the musicians are feeling it, the crowd is feeling it.
The tracklisting is perfectly paced, moving through smooth soft blues to electrifting jazz that feels like you've been hit by lightning, all while never tiring you out.
The introductions and crowd noise is the perfect reminder that jazz is best experience live and it does it's best job of trying to put you there in the room. I cannot say enough good things about this album, an all time must listen.

I recognize the talent, but this is not my preferred flavor of jazz. Also, way too much talking on this, even for a live album.

Getting the first jazz album of this generator makes me wonder how many jazz albums there are and also if there are any classical albums.
There must be tons of great jazz and classical albums out there and so many of them should probably be on this list but sadly are not.
This album is amazing to listen to for the fact that it’s a big band playing incredible arrangements live, being captured by minimal equipment.
You can totally feel the energy of the crowd build towards the end and it sounds absolutely wild out there!
We are blessed that this moment was captured and available for all to hear.

Nice! Fun throwback music performed by truly talented musicians and fronted by an exceptional arrangement.

Swishy swinging dance music paired with thrilling virtuouso soloists taking turns ripping through the changes. The best of big band, a view into a pre-album era of popular music as, first and foremost, performance, and of jazz in particular as live and living, not the fossil we inherit in the 21st century.

An absolute masterpiece. 4.5⭐

(4.2) very patriotic only got through disc 1 bc it’s 2 hours

Better than Coldplay