This is the penultimate 2 cd set of radio broadcasts from Duke Ellington’s Orchestra from Storyville Records. What will have to look forward to? I feel like I’m being abandoned by a generous uncle!
This set is a bit different, in that it focuses on the 1953 band that had landed a Capitol Records contract, which had the bopping Rick Henderson replacing the recently departed Johnny Hodges and featured deep voiced vocalist Jimmy Grissom. Grissom sounds impressive on Horace Silver’s “Come On Home,” “Is It A Sin” and jams a nice duet with violinist Ray Nance. Henderson makes the band sound quite hip on “Rock Skippin’ at the Blue Note” while “Ting-A-Ling” and “The Hawk Talks” feature the new drummer Butch Ballard.
A handful of broadcast from 1944 have Nance impressive on “Concerto For Cootie,” trombonists Lawrence Brown and Sam Nanton on “Johnny Come Lately” and a stomping “Blue Skies.” The reed section includes the brief inclusion of reedist Elbert Williams, and rich vocals by Al Hibbler on “My Heart Tells Me.” Rewards are found in every song by a band that made music sound fresh more than ½ a century ago.