Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins Soundtrack CD

Live Recording

Composer/Lyricists: Richard M. Sherman; Robert M. Sherman.
Personnel: Duke Ellington (piano); Duke Ellington; Russell Procope (clarinet, reeds, alto saxophone, trombone); Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet, reeds, tenor saxophone); Johnny Hodges (reeds, alto saxophone); Paul Gonsalves (reeds, tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (reeds, baritone saxophone); Herb Jones, Nathan Woodard, Herbie Jones, Nat Woodard (trumpet); Lawrence D. Brown, Lawrence Brown (trombone); John Lamb (double bass); Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson (trumpet); Chuck Connors, Buster Cooper (trombone); Sam Woodyard (drums).
Liner Note Author: Stan Cornyn.
Recording information: 09/04/1964-09/09/1964.
Arranger: Billy Strayhorn.
Yes, it's true--the Duke Ellington band did actually make a whole album of songs from MARY POPPINS. Allegedly recorded at the request of Walt Disney himself, this selection of songs from the popular movie is remarkable both for its existence and for its imaginative Billy Strayhorn arrangements. While the source material is inescapably Disney fare, Strayhorn and Ellington work a kind of magic, transforming these children's songs into blues and bebop workouts. The tongue-twisting "Supercalifragelisticexpialidocious" is one of the main beneficiaries of the bebop treatment, while on "Chim Chim Cheree" Russell Procope's lyrical clarinet playing is prominently featured. Even in a one-on-one contest with Mickey Mouse, the Ellington orchestra comes out on top.
This disc is a surprising success. Duke Ellington was somehow persuaded into revising and recording a dozen songs from the score of Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, and the results are actually quite memorable. With such soloists as altoist Johnny Hodges, baritonist Harry Carney, trumpeter Cootie Williams, tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton, and trombonist Lawrence Brown getting their spots, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra turn such songs as "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Chim Chim Cheree" (a much happier version than John Coltrane's), "The Life I Lead," and even "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" into swinging jazz. ~ Scott Yanow