“This record is a 1965 compilation release by the UK arm of the record label Pickwick, known mainly for their cheap sound-alike releases and knock-up compilations. But I like this record particularly because it contains tracks I don’t have on any other of my/grandfather’s Ellington LPs (of which there are several); compositions such as his 1947 The Beautiful Indians Suite with two sections: Hiawatha and Minnehaha, inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha. The second of these is a little surprising when, after the instrumental Hiawatha we get an almost operatic voice vocalising on Minnehaha. I discovered this is Kay Davis, a singer who often performed with the Duke. She has a crystal clear voice, a “classically trained coloratura” according to her obituary in the NYT. . Side Two has another jazz suite on offer, this time his 1946 Happy Go Lucky Local, which offers in only 3.5 minutes a fantastic mood piece of the Deep South, where you can hear the trains a-moving, chugging down the line. The second part heats up, with some jumping piano and screams from the trumpet. It’s very inventive, it’s perfectly played, it’s just brilliant jazz...” . FOR FULL REVIEW & PLAYLIST CLICK LINK IN PROFILE: https://randomrecordreview.wordpress.com/2019/09/27/440-duke-ellington-in-a-magenta-haze/ . #dukeellington #inamagnentahaze #johnnyhodges #kaydavis #thesongofhiawatha #tuliporturnip #happygoluckylocal #jazz #swingorchestra #pickwickrecords #vinyl #vinylcollection #recordcollection #nowplaying #nowlistening #randomrecordreview https://www.instagram.com/p/B26TwgJpfE0/?igshid=ib4jp9k87qa4