WILLIAM GRANT STILL: Symphony No. 1, (“Afro-American”)....

WILLIAM GRANT STILL: Symphony No. 1, (“Afro-American”). DUKE ELLINGTON: Suite from “The River.” Detroit Symphony, conducted by Neemi Jarvi. Chandos CHAN 9154. Still’s 1931 “Afro-American” Symphony, the first such work by a black composer to be performed by a major American symphony orchestra, remains more than a quaint footnote. Richly scored and easygoing, bluesy and jazzy, the symphony achieves success through not being too “symphonic”--Still was true to his folksy, tuneful materials by setting them simply, elegantly and luxuriantly. Ellington’s 1970 Suite from “The River” effectively conjures up the course of a river using jazz for pictorial purposes. This is cool, snazzy, evocative and engaging music comparable to the Americana by Leonard Bernstein, Thomson and Gershwin. Jarvi is a too-polite interpreter of both works, but he leads pleasant and polished readings, nevertheless.