Producer: Seth Goldman, Engineer: David Lawson, Tracks: Don't Get Around Much Anymore; There; Woman; My Father's Island; Prelude to a Kiss; I Didn't Know About You; It Don't Mean a Thing; The Chocolate Shake; I Got it Bad and That Ain't Good; In a Sentimental Mood; Caravan; Love You Madly (Takes 1 & 2)
Making a debut album a tribute to Duke Ellington can be quite a challenge. There's certainly a large selection of songs to pick from as Duke was a prolific songwriter. There's a wealth of the Duke's own recorded material out there, as well, to be compared with. What Cleve Douglass has going for himself is talent and a very good understanding of Ellington's music. On this recording there are even three tunes that the Duke never got to record himself - songs that were being worked on when he died in 1974. That wouldn't matter if Douglass were a lesser singer. However, Douglass more than does these tunes justice. In his liner notes, Jed Distler suggests that, based on singers past, Ellington "would have been attracted to Cleve Douglass' artistry and gone on to work with him, just as his son Mercer Ellington has in recent years." After hearing _Duke Ellington Boulevard_, I'm inclined to agree with that. The Goldman Media Group, P.O. Box 3260, NY, NY 10185, (718) 377-7905.
Rating : ****