Released 1985 On Duke's Birthday
(1985) The Ass
(1985) Release date 1985 Label Hathut Records | Length 74:34 Artist Mike Westbrook Producer Fiachra Trench Genre Jazz | |
Recorded May 12, 1984 at Le Grand Theatre, Maison de la Culture, Amiens Love For Sale
(1985) On Duke's Birthday
(1985) Jazz albums The Minimalism of Erik Sa, The Golden Age of Ap, Loved Ones, Ballads by Cobb, Bahamut | ||
On Duke's Birthday is a live album by the Mike Westbrook Orchestra performing a five song suite dedicated to the memory of Duke Ellington which was recorded in France in 1984 and released on the Hat Hut label in 1985. The suite was commissioned by two festivals, Le Temps du Jazz and Jazz en France-Angouleme, to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Ellington.
Contents
Reception
The Penguin Guide to Jazz identified the album as part of their suggested "Core Collection" of essential jazz albums and awarded the compilation a "Crown" signifying a recording that the authors "feel a special admiration or affection for".
The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek stated "Ultimately, this is one of Westbrook's most accessible records, in that he leaves the vanguard completely out of the mix and moves instead toward opening up diatonic harmony to a set of colors and shades it perhaps hasn't encountered before, and the winner, of course, is the listener -- just take in the rave applause this band gets from the crowd. If you can only have one Mike Westbrook record, let it be this one".
On All About Jazz Chris May called it "An enduring album of idiosyncratically conceived and brilliantly realized orchestral jazz".
The Guardian's John Fordham rated the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "Westbrook's catholic taste has made him more popular on the European continent than in his homeland, but this 1984 tribute to Duke Ellington not only confirms the depths of his jazz roots, but also how effectively he can evoke the spirits of his biggest heroes without mimicking them".
Track listing
All compositions by Mike Westbrook
- "Checking in at Hotel Le Prieure" - 8:50
- "On Duke's Birthday 1" - 16:20
- "East Stratford Too-Doo" - 23:00
- "On Duke's Birthday 2" - 19:00
- "Music Is..." - 13:00
Personnel
Songs
1Checking in at Hotel Le Prieure8:33
2On Duke's Birthday 116:10
3East Stratford Too-Doo21:13