Duke Ellington: Memories of Duke

Rating:
Summary: Bad Memories of Duke!
Review: For an Ellington fan, this DVD is a great disappointment. Both video and audio quality are absymal. The disc is supposed to be recorded in both Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and 2-track stereo, but I have heard better sound on 78 rpms from the 1930s. Here it is distorted and muddy. The video is grainy. Even the performance of this magnificent band sounds uninspired. The only really worthwhile section is the Duke playing extended solo piano in the Mexican Suite, which is rarely heard. Many fine stereo vinyl recordings are available from 1968, when this film was shot, so why is its sound quality so poor? Fans of the Duke -- and the world of jazz in general -- deserve much better.