Can anyone have too much Duke Ellington? I have over 200 recordings, and all I can say is “MORE!” Here are two wonderful capsules of the band in different eras, united by sound and vision.
In the Camelot days of the Kennedy Administration, Ellington’s band still had the All American Sax Section of Jimmy Hamilton/ts-cl, Russell Procope/as-cl, Johnny Hodges/as, Paul Gonsalves/ts and the inimitable Harry Carney/bs-cl-bcl. The trombone section of Lawrence Brown, Chuck Connors and Buster Cooper wasn’t far behind, and with a trumpet section that included Rolf Ericson, Cootie Williams and Ray Nance, you’re set for an evening of Ducal Delights. The orchestra is performing at the Dance Inn at Grona Lund in Stockholm on June 8, 1963. Ellington was on one of his creative zeniths in the early 60s, doing stints with Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane as well as Stephane Grappelli while the band had just released a smoking and percussive Afro Bossa.
Yes, you’ve got some expected pieces such as an exciting “Black and Tan Fantasy” as well as a nice “In A Sentimental Mood” with Paul Gonsalves. Hodges is at his swooning best on a trio of pieces, the best being a gloriously intimate “”I Didn’t Know About You” that oozes with delight. The fun parts of this gig are the unexpected ringers: a cooking take of “Mr. Gentle and Mr. Cool” that features Nance and Gonsalves, and a wonderful twenty minute delivery of “Suite Thursday” with Brown and Hamilton providing some gracious sounds. On his two features, Cootie Williams squawks like a duck that’s getting its neck wrung, but Hamilton almost steals the show as he surf rides over the percussion on an addictively alluring “Silk Lace.” Ellington displays some amazing prowess himself at the piano on a six minute free form“Intermission Music”, a wide ranging “Kinda Dukish” and the introduction to “‘A’ Train” which has him going deep into the world of minor scales, while the closing “One More Bossa Nova/Twist” with Ray Nance’s vocals is an absolute hoot. Music that featured art, beauty, talent and was even danceable. Was this the last hurrah of Western Civilization?
Here is Volume 18 of Ellington’s Treasury Shows that were broadcast through the airwaves, and I hope and pray that we’re only 1/5 done. These recordings range from 1944 (NYC and DC) to 1946 (Texas and Mass) with a team that has a molasses thick reed section and blistering trumpet section. The tenor chair switches between Al Sears and “Skippy” Williams, and a few rotations occur here and there. The whole band swings like there’s no tomorrow on “Jam-A-Ditty” and “Stompy Jones” while, if you want solos, Johnny Hodges makes you swoon on “Passion Flower” and “The Mood To Be Wooed.” Carney takes over on a gloriously rich “Jennie” and is as thick as molten gold on “Sono” and as long as we’re talking about the sax players, Al Sears gets down and dirty on “Just-A-Sittin and A-Rockin’.” Between obligatory hits like “Just A-Sittin’ And A-Rockin'” are delightful obscurities like “Riff Staccato,” “Hollywood Hangover,” “Rockabye RIver” and “Subtle Slough” which all have cooking ensembles between solos by the likes of Brown and Hodges. Ellington even has time for a solo treatise of “A Train” which is quite a rare treat. Rich textures that out-class anything done in the 21st Century are in abundance on “Moon Mist” and eleven minute ventures into “Black, Brown and Beige” include a stained glass window glistening “Come Sunday.” With music like this, we could have won WWII simply with a battle of the bands between Ellington and Furtwangler’s Berlin Philharmonic, winner taking all!
Storyville Records