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John Dankworth Quintet

In a Mellow Tone

Qnote QNT10109

Arranging Ellington classics ('Cotton Tail', 'Prelude to a Kiss', 'Jack the Bear') for a quintet is a brave venture; tackling the tone poem 'Harlem Airshaft' as a bass/alto duet could be seen as a downright foolhardy one.

John Dankworth, however, in the words of sleevenote writer Alyn Shipton, has an 'astute ear for what makes a jazz arrangement work' and an 'ability to get to the heart of a piece of music', and both skills are heavily drawn upon to make this consistently absorbing and at times startlingly beautiful album work.

Leading a superb, unshowy yet wonderfully imaginative band (son Alec on bass, pianist John Horler, drummer Allan Ganley, in addition to himself and trombonist supreme Mark Nightingale), Dankworth operates on soprano, alto and clarinet with equal facility, but it is the neatness, suppleness and sheer musicality of his arrangements that immediately impresses: the creation of a viable ensemble sound with so few resources, the deployment of the soloists (Horler all playful yet controlled brio, Nightingale superbly tailoring his approach to the pieces' varying moods, Dankworth himself powerfully affecting on alto, agile and surefooted on clarinet and soprano) and, above all, the palpable love and respect for the various examples of Ellingtonia on display here make this album both immediately listenable and subtly rewarding.

Highlights are the alto features 'Tonight I Shall Sleep' (what happened to 'the smile on my face'?) and 'Prelude to a Kiss', the gently insinuating 'Blue Goose' and an imaginative reworking of 'A Train' by Nightingale featuring a characteristically intelligent piece of solo piano from Horler, but whatever they're playing, the Dankworth quintet address it with (appropriately Ducal) poise, elegance and aplomb.