Classic 1119: Duke Ellington 1947-48

Classics 1119
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
1947-1948
Release Date: 2000
Rating: A

Other notable musicians in this CD:
Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Oscar Pettiford, Russell Procope, Al Sears.

label(s): Columbia, V-Disc, FDC (an Italian label -- only reissue of Columbia materials)
Number of sessions: 10
Unissued materials: None
Track Highlights: The Liberian Suite, New York City Blues
Other Ratings: Allmusic 4 1/2 (from 5), Penguin Guide 3 1/2 (from 4)

Other issue or reissues:
Anniversary (a 256-track retrospective CD)
Magneta Haze (History CD 204158)
Ellington Uptown (only in the bonus tracks CD edition of the very famous LP]

About the period: An awkward period for Ellington. With the new LP format waiting in the wings, he could begin to think more about his extended works. But Columbia, which suspended his contract in 1950, wasn't so enchanted.


The Album: Starts from a very fine male vocal interpretation of Ellington standards, then falls into an inappropriate territory of classical-oriented compositions. Liberian suites -- one of Ellington's most important early suites -- arrives effectively. The rest of the album are very moody songs with smaller number of instruments.
Dig New York City blues with its majestic solos by Johnny Hodges and Duke and also a Bebopian piece, called Let's go blues, near the end of the collection.
Thje set closes with two-part The Tattooed Bride, an extensive work from Duke Ellington's 1948 Carnegie Hall concert that was originally released on V-Disc. It must belongs to a live radio broadcasting with an Ellington witty speech at the end.

A great example of exploratory quality in Ellington's music; there are perfoct pop tunes, classical sides, a bebop track, suites, nice solos and even nearly an atonal piano exploration on the clothed woman. Typical Ellington in its mixing of the commercial and the aspirational.

-- Ehsan Khoshbakht

Details:

• November 18, 1947

Shelton Hemphill;Francis Williams;Wilbur Boscomb;Herman Grimes(t)/Ray Nance(t,Violin) /Claude Jones;Lawrence Brown(tr)/Tyree Glenn(tr & Vib)/Jimmy Hamilton(clr & ts)/Johnny Hodges(as)/Russell Procope(clr,as)/Al Sears(ts)/Harry Carney(bars)/Fred Guy(g)/Duke Ellington(P)/Edgar Brown(b)/Sonny Greer(d)/Al Hibbler;Delores Parker(voc)

Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (Ellington-Russell)

• November 20, 1947

Harold Baker;Shelton Hemphill;Francis Williams;Wilbur Boscomb(t)/Ray Nance (t,Violin) /Claude Jones; Lawrence Brown(tr)/Tyree Glenn(tr & Vib)/Jimmy Hamilton(clr & ts)/Johnny Hodges(as)/Russell Procope(clr,as)/Al Sears(ts)/Harry Carney(bars)/Fred Guy(g)/Duke Ellington; Billy Strayhorn(P)/Oscar Pettiford(b)/Sonny Greer(d)/Al Hibbler;Delores Parker(voc)

Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Ellington-Russell)
Once Upon A Dream (Ellington-Strayhorn-Hee-Coltrell)
It's Love I'm In (Ellington-Hee-Coltrell)

• December 22, 1947

Harold Baker;Shelton Hemphill;Francis Williams;Al Killian(t)/Ray Nance(t,Violin)/Claude Jones;
Lawrence Brown(tr)/Tyree Glenn(tr & Vib)/Jimmy Hamilton(clr & ts)/Johnny Hodges(as)/Russell Procope(clr,as)/Al Sears(ts)/Harry Carney(bars)/Fred Guy(g)/Duke Ellington; Billy Strayhorn(P)/Oscar Pettiford;Alvin Raglin(b)/Sonny Greer(d)/Al Hibbler;Delores Parker(voc)

I Could Get A Man (Ellington-Hee-Coltrell)

• December 22, 1947

Lawrence Brown;Tyree Glenn(tr)/Jimmy Hamilton(clr)/Johnny Hodges(as)/Al Sears(ts)/Harry Carney(bars)/Duke Ellington(P)/Oscar Pettiford;Alvin Raglin(b)/Sonny Greer(d)/Ray Nance(Violin)/Kay Davis(voc)

On A Turquoise Cloud (Ellington-Brown)

• December 24, 1947

Harold Baker;Shelton Hemphill;Francis Williams;Al Killian(t)/Ray Nance(t,Violin)/Claude Jones;
Lawrence Brown(tr)/Tyree Glenn(tr & Vib)/Jimmy Hamilton(clr & ts)/Johnny Hodges(as)/Russell Procope(clr,as)/Al Sears(ts)/Harry Carney(bars)/Fred Guy(g)/Duke Ellington; Billy Strayhorn(P)/Oscar Pettiford;Alvin Raglin(b)/Sonny Greer(d)/Elayne Jones(tympani)/Al Hibbler;Delores Parker(voc)

The Liberian Suite (Ellington)
I Like The Sunrise
Liberian Suite: I Like The Sunrise [vocal]
Dance No. 1
Dance No. 2
Dance No. 3
Dance No. 4
Dance No. 5

• December 30, 1947

Harold Baker;Al Killian(t)/Lawrence Brown(tr)/Jimmy Hamilton(clr)/Johnny Hodges(as)/Al Sears(ts)/Harry Carney(bars)/Duke Ellington(P)/Alvin Raglin(b)/Sonny Greer(d)/Dolores Parker(voc)

A Woman And A Man (Ellington-Russell)

• December 30, 1947

Harold Baker(t)/Johnny Hodges(as)/Harry Carney(bars)/Duke Ellington(P)/Alvin Raglin(b)/Sonny Greer(d)

The Clothed Woman (Ellington)

• December 30, 1947

Harold Baker;Al Killian(t)/Johnny Hodges(as)/Harry Carney(bars)/Duke Ellington(P)/Alvin Raglin(b)/Sonny Greer(d)

New York City Blues (Ellington)

• December 30, 1947

Harold Baker;Al Killian(t)/Lawrence Brown;Tyree Glenn(tr)/Johnny Hodges(as)/Harry Carney(bars)/Duke Ellington(P)/Alvin Raglin(b)/Sonny Greer(d)

Let's Go Blues (Ellington)

• November 13, 1948

Shorty Baker;Shelton Hemphill;Francis Williams;Al Killian;Ray Nance(t)/Quentin Jackson;Tyree Glenn; Lawrence Brown(tr)/Johnny Hodges;Russell Procope(as)/Jimmy Hamilton;Ben Webster;Al Sears(ts)/Harry Carney(bars)/Fred Guy(g)/Duke Ellington(P)/Wendell Marshall(b)/Sonny Greer(d)

The Tattooed Bride; Part I & II (Ellington)

All songs recorded in New York City.
Total Time: 72 mins.

(Available via internet [date of post means the last search's date] in MP3 format on Amazon and also as brand new CD on eBay)


© All rights reserved for Ehsan Khoshbakht.