Mood Ellington

The always impressive vocalist, Paul Marinaro, collects 25 of Duke Ellington's most revered tracks and brings along a large cast to flesh them out across 2 discs and 3 sets.

"I'm Beginning To See The Light" starts with Tom Vaitas' lively piano that suits the bright brass and Marinaro's smooth pipes, and it isn't long until "Sophisticated Lady" emits a powerful and emotive landscape thanks to the expressive singing and Neil Hemphill's light drums.

Further into disc 1, "It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream" moves with an elegant mood that picks up the pace thanks to Mike Allemana's frisky guitar and the soaring winds, while "Mood Indigo" starts set 2 with a rich mood that's melodic and booming.

Moving towards the end, "I Didn't Know About You" integrates sweeping strings into the romantic spirit that allows for Marinaro's inimitable voice to shine, and "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me" exits with John Tate's meticulous bass plucking that suits the timeless and cozy mood.

Rich Moore (sax, clarinet, flute), John Wojciechowski (saxes, flute), Ted Hogarth (sax, clarinet), Eric Jacobsen (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Raphael Crawford (trombone) lend their excellent talents to the occasion, and it truly does add even more beauty to this harmonic and heartfelt project.