There’s a certain guilt implicated in blogging about a song that you can’t get out of your head.

It’s as if the high Scripture of blogging has said to you that blogging must be a noble intellectual pursuit. You must be introspective all the time. If you’re not being introspective, you must scream more shrilly about something you don’t like than anyone else. Only in these two modes are you fulfilling your divine duties. Blogging about music is emphatically not part of the equation.
Whatever, I’m going to do it anyway. After all, the song’s new to you, isn’t it?

Duke Ellington recorded his album New Orleans Suite near the end of his life in 1970. It actually won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance the next year, although it’s not considered to be especially important in the grand scheme of Ellington’s long career. The album showcases a lot of the longer forms that Ellington enjoyed experimenting with late in his life.

Check out “Portrait of Mahalia Jackson.” This has to be one of the best songs I have ever heard. Everything about it is absolutely gorgeous, no matter how many times I listen to it. The whole album displays a maturity beyond almost anything in jazz, but this song, one of the simplest, somehow captures my imagination to no end.

On a side note, before I heard this song, I have to admit I’d probably never heard jazz flute that I didn’t think was absolute garbage. Ellington takes the instrument that is the symbol for everything that is bad about elevators in America today and turns it into one of the most beautiful and contemplative pieces I have ever heard.

Under penalty of several years in PMITA prison/many times more money than I have in my pocket, I can’t upload and link you to the full version of this song. Very sad. However, I can at least link you to an excerpt. May the ‘fair use doctrine’ gods smile upon me:

Yeah, I drool over good jazz music. I know it’s weird. Sorry.

Posted on April 27th, 2006 by Lee
Filed under: Uncategorized