** Dr. John

DUKE ELEGANT

(Blue Note)

Oh goody, another Ellington tribute. Actually, this one seemed promising, since Dr. John's lazy, hazy vocal style was bound to emphasize the more salacious aspects of the Duke's oeuvre. But the surprise here is that the whole thing's kind of dull. Three of the cuts are longish instrumentals, and though the band work hard at maintaining a pleasant groove, the result rarely sounds like more than near-jazz, with the Doc's Hammond B-3 shuffling and dealing out some standard-issue bar-room licks. And on the songs you've heard so many times before you're not sure you want to hear them again unless the interpretation is really super -- i.e., "Satin Doll," "Do Nothing till You Hear from Me," "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" -- the singer's approach is so lugubrious that you begin to think maybe the disc's title is meant to be ironic. On the plus side, guitarist Bobby Broom has some nice solos, putting his back into trying to freshen up the familiar changes, and Dr. John's weary, wavering intonation fits "Solitude" like a glove. But for the most part this is like hip background music, a group of sophisticated songs flattened down to an earthy monotone.

-- Richard C. Walls