Search - Alice Babs :: Serenading Duke Ellington

Review by Marty

J. M. Kahn | 05/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, it's Alice Babs, so, as you would expect, the vocals are crisp and stunning. The earlier selections on this album are largely staple, well-known and loved classic Big Band Era vocals, and the latter selections are from Duke Ellington's sacred music.

All wonderful, of course. But this album is not, and does not try to be, all things to all people. The genre is narrow, as outlined above.

Also--if you buy this album thinking it's going to be Alice Babs and Duke Ellington together, that's not what this is. This is Alice Babs, with Swedish band leader Nils Lindberg, doing a posthumous tribute to Duke Ellington.

If you like classic pieces like "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" or "Lady In Blue," and if you like Duke Ellington's upbeat sacred pieces, like "Freedom," you will love this album.

But if you're looking for a broader selection of Alice Babs vocals, which may include scat, folk, and even some rock and roll, You may want to try "Alice Babs and the Swe-danes" for startlingly athletic, fun scat, and most of all, "Music With a Jazz Flavour," which contains a much more varied and interesting range of musical genres.

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