Essence of Ellington

Essence of Ellington
Essence of Ellington
Live album by William Parker Orchestra
Released	September 11, 2012
Recorded	February 5, 2012, at the Teatro Manzoni in Milano, Italy
Genre	Jazz
Length	132:39
Label	Centering; CENT1008/9
Producer	William Parker
William Parker chronology

Essence of Ellington (subtitled Live in Milano) is a double live album by bassist and composer William Parker's Orchestra, which was recorded in Italy in 2012 and released on the Centering label. The album features new arrangements of songs written by or associated with Duke Ellington in addition to new songs by Parker.^[1]^[2]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[3]

AllMusic awarded the album 4 stars.^[3] The All About Jazz review noted "Parker has delivered a unique take on the Ellington repertoire which pulls off the trick of being both stridently modern and affectionately reverent".^[4] JazzTimes noted "You know that an orchestra organized by William Parker to pay tribute to Duke Ellington is going to result in something sprawling and stupendous, and Essence of Ellington doesn’t disappoint".^[5]

Track listing[edit]

All compositions by William Parker except as indicated

Disc One:

Introduction by William Parker – 3:12
"Portrait of Louisiana" – 20:15
"Essence of Sophisticated Lady / Sophisticated Lady" (Parker / Duke Ellington) – 26:38
"Take the Coltrane" (Ellington) – 21:09

Disc Two:

"In a Sentimental Mood" (Ellington) – 7:28
"Take the "A" Train / Ebony Interlude" (Billy Strayhorn / Parker) – 16:35
"Caravan" (Juan Tizol) – 23:16
"The Essence of Ellington" – 14:13

Personnel[edit]

William Parker – bass
Kidd Jordan – tenor saxophone
Ras Moshe – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
Rob Brown, Darius Jones – alto saxophone
Sabir Mateen – tenor saxophone, clarinet
Dave Sewelson – baritone saxophone
Roy Campbell Jr.- trumpet, flugelhorn
Matt Lavelle – trumpet
Steve Swell, Willie Applewhite – trombone
Dave Burrell – piano
Hamid Drake – drums
Ernie Odoom – vocals

References[edit]

^ Lopez, R., William Parker discography, accessed June 6, 2014
^ AUM Fidelity catalog, accessed June 6, 2014
^ ^a ^b Allmusic listing, accessed June 6, 2014
^ Sharpe, J., All About Jazz Review, October 22, 2012
^ Robson, B., JazzTimes Review, December 2012

[1] Lopez, R., William Parker discography, accessed June 6, 2014

[2] AUM Fidelity catalog, accessed June 6, 2014

[Allmusic-3] Allmusic listing, accessed June 6, 2014

[4] Sharpe, J., All About Jazz Review, October 22, 2012

[5] Robson, B., JazzTimes Review, December 2012

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v t e William Parker
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
Studio albums	Through Acceptance of the Mystery Peace (1974-1979) Compassion Seizes Bed-Stuy (1995) Painter's Spring (2000) O'Neal's Porch (2000) Piercing the Veil (with Hamid Drake, 2000) Raining on the Moon (2001) Bob's Pink Cadillac (2001) Scrapbook (2002) Luc's Lantern (2004) Summer Snow (with Hamid Drake, 2005) Alphaville Suite (2007) Corn Meal Dance (2007) Petit Oiseau (2007) Beyond Quantum (with Anthony Braxton and Milford Graves, 2008) Uncle Joe's Spirit House (2010) Out of This World's Distortions (with Gerald Cleaver and Craig Taborn, 2010) The Gowanus Session (with Thollem McDonas and Nels Cline, 2012) 2 Blues for Cecil (with Andrew Cyrille and Enrico Rava, 2021)
Live albums	Melodic Art–Tet (with Charles Brackeen, Ahmed Abdullah, and Roger Blank, 1974) In Order to Survive (1993) Harras (with Derek Bailey and John Zorn, 1993) Sunrise in the Tone World (1995) The Peach Orchard (1997 & 1998) Posium Pendasem (1998) Mass for the Healing of the World (1998) 2 Days in April (with Fred Anderson, 1999) Mayor of Punkville (1999) Fractured Dimensions (1999) Raincoat in the River (2001) Eloping with the Sun (with Joe Morris and Hamid Drake, 2001) I Plan to Stay a Believer (2001, 2002, 2007, & 2008) Spontaneous (2002) Historic Music Past Tense Future (with Peter Brötzmann and Milford Graves, 2002) Sound Unity (2004) Requiem (2004) For Percy Heath (2005) Wood Flute Songs (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, & 2012) Double Sunrise Over Neptune (2007) Farmers by Nature (with Gerald Cleaver and Craig Taborn, 2008) Tribute to Albert Ayler Live at the Dynamo (with Roy Campbell Jr., Joe McPhee, and Warren Smith, 2008) Winter Sun Crying (2009) Medicine Buddha (with Billy Bang, 2009) Love and Ghosts (with Gerald Cleaver and Craig Taborn, 2011) Essence of Ellington (2012)
Related articles	Other Dimensions in Music

v t e Dave Burrell
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader or co-leader	High Won-High Two (1968) Echo (1969) La Vie de Bohème (released 1969) After Love (1970) In: Sanity (The 360 Degree Music Experience, 1976) Dave Burrell Plays Ellington & Monk (1978) Lush Life (1978) Windward Passages (hatART, 1979) Live at the Black Musicians' Conference, 1981 (1981) The Jelly Roll Joys (1990) Recital (and Tyrone Brown, 2000) Expansion (2003) Consequences (2005) Margy Pargy (2005) Momentum (2005)
With David Murray	Hope Scope (1987) Ballads (1988) Deep River (1988) Lovers (1988) Lucky Four (1988) Spirituals (1988) Tenors (1988) Daybreak (Burrell, 1989) Remembrances (1990) Death of a Sideman (1991) In Concert (1991) Picasso (1992) Brother to Brother (1993)
With Archie Shepp	For Losers (1968–69) Kwanza (1968–69) The Way Ahead (1968) Black Gipsy (1969) Blasé (1969) Live at the Pan-African Festival (1969) Pitchin Can (1969–70) Yasmina, a Black Woman (1969) Things Have Got to Change (1971) Attica Blues (1972) The Cry of My People (1972) A Sea of Faces (1975) Body and Soul (1975) Jazz a Confronto 27 (1975) Montreux One (1975) Montreux Two (1975) There's a Trumpet in My Soul (1975) U-Jaama (Unite) (1975) Lover Man (1988)
With others	Three for Shepp (Marion Brown, 1966) I Plan to Stay a Believer (William Parker, 2001–08) Essence of Ellington (William Parker, 2012) Epitome (Odean Pope, 1993) Black Woman (Sonny Sharrock, 1969)