Duke Ellington released Money Jungle in February 1963, a trio album with bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach. Fast forward to 2013 and a new generation of jazz lovers will be introduced to a re-imagined version of this album titled Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue which has been released by drummer and educator Terri Lyne Carrington. She is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ellington release with her trio featuring bassist Christian McBride and pianist Gerald Clayton. The trio is joined by an array of stellar guests including trumpeter Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Robin Eubanks on trombone, vocalist Lizz Wright, saxophonist Tia Fuller and several other respected musicians.
In addition to the musicians who gave their heart and soul to the making of this awesome recording, audio clips from speeches spoken by Martin Luther King, Hilary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Condoleeza Rice, and others set Carrington’s version apart from Ellington’s. Gerald Clayton is absolutely masterful at the piano as is Christian McBride who keeps the rhythm logic appropriate throughout and during his creative solos. But it is the GRAMMY- winning drummer Teri Lyne Carrington who digs deeper to redefine and reflect the real stories behind the music that Ellington composed. Her drumming and creativity ignite the cultural, political and socially relevant speeches that makes this recording accessible to another generation of music lovers as well as to those who may have missed the message Ellington wanted to convey in 1963.
Overall, the music is genuinely creative with no processed, over-saturated ingredients that pollute the musical genius of Ellington. If you enjoyed Mosaic Project, then you’ll absolutely love Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue. Click HERE to buy this CD now.
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