Portraits Of Duke Ellington

by Scott Yanow

On the second of three quartet recordings (with bassist

Jamil Nasser

, drummer

Idris Muhammad

and percussionist

Eric Asante

) recorded on three consecutive days, pianist Randy Weston plays six

Duke Ellington

compositions. Other than "Caravan" and "C Jam Blues," the tunes are rarely performed ("Limbo Jazz" and "Chromatic Love Affair" are far from standards), allowing Weston to construct inventive improvisations that do not borrow from the original recordings; even "Caravan" sounds fresh. All three of these releases (the others are a set of originals and a program of

Thelonious Monk

tunes) are easily recommended to Randy Weston's fans.