Duke Ellington: New Orleans Suite Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Duke Ellington: New Orleans Suite Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 13, 2024

The name Duke Ellington and quadraphonic sound may seem like "odd bedfellows" at first glance, but this 1970 recording offers a sumptuous if appropriately "Big Easy" languid listening experience that is of special interest since it features the last recordings by Ellington's longtime sax man Johnny Hodges, although the band is positively "littered" with fantastic players in all of the sections. Several musical portraits of prominent people are on tap, but the music is consistently captivating and envelops the listener in some really gorgeously colored textures, something that's especially noticeable in Ellington's classic blending of snaky, sinewy saxes (including Hodges) and punchier brass.

The albums' track list can be seen in the screenshots of the disc menu I've uploaded to accompany this review.

Duke Ellington: New Orleans Suite Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This is another Quadio release with my personal preference of authoring choices, letting the listener toggle between audio codecs courtesy of the colored buttons on the remote. That means you strictly don't need to have a monitor or display on to enjoy the album.

Duke Ellington: New Orleans Suite Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

New Orleans Suite features DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options. The quadraphonic track takes a while to really announce its immersive proclivities, since Blues for New Orleans is pretty front and center anchored, with just a bit of ambient spill emanating from the rear channels (along with some pretty noticeable hiss). However, beginning with Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies and continuing on, perhaps especially in some of the musical "portraits", there is really nicely handled separation, where, for instance, you can hear the sax section in the rear channels and frolicking brass (as in trumpets and trombones) in the front. There's a nicely consistent use of all four channels once things kick into high gear. Fidelity is superb, offering really beautifully clear renderings of the massed band forces. Ellington's piano tends to be toward the front a lot of the time.

Duke Ellington: New Orleans Suite Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As with most Quadio releases, there is no on disc supplemental content. The insert booklet reprints the original album's rather extensive liner notes (in a teeny tiny font, so have your magnifying glass handy), as well as Rhino's "traditional" photo of the master tape boxes, along with their standard setup verbiage.

Duke Ellington: New Orleans Suite Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Pour yourself a nice Sazerac and sit back and enjoy this musical tour through the Big Easy. This is obviously "late" Ellington, but that means a mastery of craft and tonal color in the big band idiom that is unmatched. Audio is fantastic, though you have to be a bit patient for the full effect of the four channel version to make itself known. Highly recommended.