''New Orleans Suite'' is a studio album by the American pianist, composer, and bandleader

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

, recorded and released on the

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label in 1970.A Duke Ellington Panorama
accessed April 13, 2010 The album contains the final recordings of longtime Ellington saxophonist Johnny Hodges, who died between the album's two recording sessions. The album won a Grammy Award in 1971 for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band.Grammy Awards Database
/ref> The suite was commissioned by George Wein for the 1970

New Orleans Jazz Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...

Reception

Dan Morgenstern's glowing review of the album in 1971 for ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Ch ...

'' awarded it five stars. "The music is evocative, highly atmospheric and marked throughout by the gorgeous ensemble textures that set this orchestra apart from every other big band in the history of jazz", he wrote. "This is a great record, and by any standard one of the major musical events of 1971." Morgenstern had praise for several of the soloists, especially Johnny Hodges (in his swan song), Paul Gonsalves' "profoundly emotional" tribute to both Sidney Bechet and Hodges, Cootie Williams, Norris Turney, and Harold Ashby.Morgenstern, D
Downbeat Magazine
accessed April 24, 2020 In his review for '' Sounds'', Jack Hutton remarked that "a Creole influence permeates the work, a lazy Delta feel laden with nostalgic sadness which is a probably a truer reflection of the historic city than the good-time trad which has helped to popularise it." He praised the solos of

Norris Turney Norris Turney (September 8, 1921, Wilmington, Ohio, United States – January 17, 2001, Kettering, Ohio) was an American jazz flautist and saxophonist. Biography Turney began his career in the Midwest, playing in territory bands such as the Jeter- ...

, criticized those of Cootie Williams, and concluded that "This suite, while it doesn't rank with Ellington's greatest works, proves that the piano player is still vitally creative well into his seventies." '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' includes the album as part of its suggested "Core Collection," and awards it a four-star rating.

Track listing

All compositions by Duke Ellington. # "Blues for New Orleans" - 7:40 # "Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies" - 4:00 # "Portrait of Louis Armstrong" - 3:02 # "Thanks for the Beautiful Land on the Delta" - 3:38 # "Portrait of Wellman Braud" - 4:05 # "Second Line" - 6:00 # "Portrait of Sidney Bechet" - 3:55 # "Aristocracy a la Jean Lafitte" - 3:57 # "Portrait of Mahalia Jackson" - 4:53 *Recorded at National Recording Studio in New York, NY on April 27 (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 & 8) and May 13 (tracks 3, 5, 7 & 9), 1970.

Personnel

– piano * Cootie Williams – trumpet * Fred Stone – trumpet * Money Johnson, Al Rubin – trumpet (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 & 8) *

Cat Anderson William Alonzo "Cat" Anderson (September 12, 1916 – April 29, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter known for his long period as a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra and for his wide range, especially his ability to play in the altissimo r ...

– trumpet (tracks 3, 5, 7 & 9) * Booty Wood – trombone * Julian Priester – trombone * Dave Taylor – bass trombone (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 & 8) * Chuck Connors – bass trombone (tracks 3, 5, 7 & 9) * Russell Procope – alto saxophone, clarinet * Johnny Hodges – alto saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 & 8) *

– alto saxophone, clarinet, flute * Harold Ashby – tenor saxophone, clarinet *

Paul Gonsalves Paul Gonsalves ( – ) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist best known for his association with Duke Ellington. At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Gonsalves played a 27-chorus solo in the middle of Ellington's " Diminuendo and Crescendo in Bl ...

– tenor saxophone *

Harry Carney Harry Howell Carney (April 1, 1910 – October 8, 1974) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinettist who spent over four decades as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He played a variety of instruments but primarily used the baritone saxophone ...

– baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet * Wild Bill Davis – organ (track 1) * Joe Benjamin – bass * Rufus Jones – drums

References

{{Authority control 1970 albums Atlantic Records albums Duke Ellington albums Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album