Like Nat Cole, it's art so close to perfection that it seems almost artless. I've heard many new singers, and no one has touched me as deeply as this guy. He's got it all.
Mood Ellington is a lavishly ambitious collection from acclaimed vocalist Paul Marinaro, presenting twenty-five of Duke Ellington's finest vocal compositions, vividly reimagined by thirteen of the world's most celebrated arrangers—including Alan Broadbent, John Clayton, Bill Cunliffe, Chuck Israels, and Chuck Owen—and performed by his Chicago quartet along with horns and a lush string section. Praised for his masterful phrasing, rich tone, and deep emotional connection to a lyric, Marinaro inhabits Ellington's masterpieces with wit and elegance, resulting in a sweeping 21st-century celebration of Ellington's timeless artistry. While flowing as one cohesive whole, the themes of rhapsodizing on love ("I'm Just a Lucky So & So"), somber reflection ("Mood Indigo"), and tunes suggesting a little more of real life ("Don't Get Around Much Anymore"), divide the songs into three distinct thematic story arcs.
"One of the most beautiful vocal instruments in the business today." Chicago Tribune
Track Listing:
DISC ONE - SET ONE
1 I'm Beginning to See the Light 3:52
2 A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing 5:34
3 I'm Just a Lucky So and So 4:16
4 Love You Madly 3:26
5 Sophisticated Lady 4:58
6 I Like the Sunrise 5:15
7 Just Squeeze Me 4:53
8 It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream 4:11
9 In a Mellow Tone 3:42
SET TWO
10 Mood Indigo 5:43
11 Azure 3:54
12 Don't You Know I Care (or Don't You Care to Know) 4:52
13 I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) 5:02
14 (In My) Solitude 6:21
15 All Too Soon 4:39
16 Lush Life 3:52
17 (I Want) Something to Live For 5:11
DISC TWO - SET THREE
1 Don't Get Around Much Anymore 5:05
2 Take Love Easy 3:56
3 Day Dream 5:05
4 I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues 5:46
5 Caravan 4:53
6 I Didn't Know About You 4:14
7 In a Sentimental Mood 4:39
8 Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me 5:42
Performers:
Paul Marinaro - vocals
Tom Vaitsas - piano
Mike Allemana - guitar
John Tate - bass
Neil Hemphill - drums
Rich Moore - alto sax, clarinet, flute
John Wojciechowski - tenor & soprano sax, flute
Ted Hogarth - baritone sax, bass clarinet
Eric Jacobson - trumpet, flugelhorn
Raphael Crawford - trombone
VIOLINS:
Lisa Fako (Concert Master), Eleanor Bartsch, Stephen Boe, Chuck Bontrager, Christina Buciu, Kathleen Carter, Karl Davies, Wendy Evans, Elizabeth Huffman, Carmen Kassinger, Kathryn Siegel, Jeff Yang
ARRANGERS:
Mike Allemana, Alan Broadbent, John Clayton, Ryan Cohan, Bill Cunliffe, Carey Deadman, Mike Downes, Jim Gailloreto, Tom Garling, Chuck Israels, John Kornegay, Tom Matta, Chuck Owen
Production Info:
Produced by Paul Marinaro & Jim Gailloreto
Executive Producer: Lois Cory
Musical Assistants: Mike Allemana, John Kornegay
Recorded & mixed by Mat Lejeune
at Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, IL
Recorded on Aug, Nov, Dec 2022
Mixed at Chicago Recording Co, Chicago, IL
& Lost Boy Sound, Chicago, IL
Mastered by Dave McNair at Dave McNair Mastering
All photos by Frank Orrico
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Mood Ellington
Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Old School vocalist Paul Marinaro takes a double disc release to prove that you can never have enough Duke Ellington. The takes on 25 tunes from The Duke's songbook, mixing and matching arrangements from small group to jazz orchestra with and without strings from classy charts penned out by the likes of J ohn Clayton, Alan Broadbent and Chuck Israe ...
Paris Move (Thierry De Clemensat)
4-STARS In an era when most jazz vocalists seem to chase innovation through phrasing acrobatics or pop-inflected crossovers, Paul Marinaro's new double album feels almost radical in its restraint. The Chicago baritone approaches Duke Ellington's canon not as a museum piece but as a living, breathing songbook, reimagined through thirteen of today's ...
