Jungle Joys
Alfred Appel Jr: Wa-Wa-Wa with the Duke, 5 September 2002
“... impossible pace, rushing back and forth, herky-jerky, as in a speeded-up old slapstick comedy – Mack Sennett in blackface, Show Boat aground. Satire and brass can bring down any construct, especially if it’s as friable as the idea of minstrelsy.The Ellingtonians have thoroughly denuded the famous song. The bass-baritone Noble Negro is now just another ... ”
