I bought this 2xLP set recently as part of my introduction to Jazz....
On first listen I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the music of Louis Armstrong from the period 1923-33. It contains New Orleans jazz and also some early blues songs. The music making is rough as opposed to unsophisticated due to the age of the recordings but the music making is wonderful. When I say that the recordings are rough I am trying to get across the idea that they are not overproduced or layered in a sophisticated modern recording; it is like they are spontaneous and are like single takes and are all full of life for that. It will certainly get many more spins!
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
fergus wrote:I bought this 2xLP set recently as part of my introduction to Jazz....
On first listen I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the music of Louis Armstrong from the period 1923-33. It contains New Orleans jazz and also some early blues songs. The music making is rough as opposed to unsophisticated due to the age of the recordings but the music making is wonderful. When I say that the recordings are rough I am trying to get across the idea that they are not overproduced or layered in a sophisticated modern recording; it is like they are spontaneous and are like single takes and are all full of life for that. It will certainly get many more spins!
Great choice Fergus, you can't go wrong with Armstrong's music-making from the twenties and thirties, he was an inspiration to a great many Jazz musicians.
"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler
Number 1. At His Very Best
Quite often “the best of“ compilations are anything but, however, this album is a glorious exception, it may even be Ellington’s finest album.
A1 Jack The Bear
Written-By – Duke Ellington
A2 Concerto For Cootie (Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me)
Trumpet [Solo] – Cootie WilliamsWritten-By – Bob Russell, Duke Ellington
A3 Harlem Air Shaft
Written-By – Duke Ellington
A4 Across The Track Blues
Written-By – Duke Ellington
A5 Chloe (Song Of The Swamp)
Written-By – Gus Kahn, Neil Moret
A6 Royal Garden Blues
Written-By – Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams (2)
A7 Warm Valley
Written-By – Duke Ellington
A8 Ko-Ko
Written-By – Duke Ellington
B1 Black, Brown, And Beige
Vocals – Joya SherrillWritten-By – Duke Ellington
B2 Creole Love Call
Written-By – Miley*, Ellington*, Jackson*
B3 Transblucency (A Blue Fog That You Can Almost See Through)
Vocals – Kay DavisWritten-By – Duke Ellington, Lawrence Brown
The music on the first side was recorded in 1940. Most of the musicians had played with Duke for 10 years or more and it shows. The two notable exceptions were Jimmy Blanton (bass) and Ben Webster (tenor saxophone) both of whom joined in 1939.
Jimmy Blanton replaced the two bass players that Duke had with him at that time and Ben Webster was a welcome addition to the sax section bringing it from a 4 to a 5 man section and enriching the saxophone section with a new deeper, richer sound and with a finer tonal balance. Blanton was a sensational bass player and revolutionised bass playing in Jazz. Ben Webster came out of the Coleman Hawkins school of tenor players and had a big, fat, warm and at times gravelly-forced tone and went on to influence many Jazz musicians. Because of the strength of their personalities, their wonderful musicianship and the effect that they had on the band the Ellington Orchestra was often referred to as the Blanton-Webster band.
Poor Jimmy Blanton died of TB at the tender age of 21 in 1942 and a brokern hearted Ben Webster then departed the band. Blanton’s playing brought the Ellington Orchestra on to a new plain and Duke featured him as a soloist at every opportunity. Ellington wrote Jack the Bear to feature Blanton and recorded it in March 1940, it was Blanton's first studio outing with the band:
The astonishing trombone playing @ 1’50’’ is by Joe “Tricky Sam” Nanton using a combination of trumpet mute in the bell of the trombone and a bathroom plunger too:
And the wonderful “Concerto for Cootie” (later Duke would add lyrics and call it “Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me”. Cootie plays trumpet with a mute, plunger mute and open trumpet too. It is beautiful.
A year later Cootie fell out with Duke over money and joined the Benny Goodman Orchestra, he did not return until 1962.
The last track on side one is "KoKo", it was recorded on the same date as Jack the Bear, Tricky and Duke are in great voice and again Blanton is an inspiration:
Extracts from the the first of Ellington’s great suites, “Black, Brown and Beige: Tone Parallel to the American Negro” adorns side two and was recorded in 1944, it is wonderful. The beautiful, spine-tingling sax solo @ 6’30” is by Johnny Hodges performing “Come Sunday”:
I bought this album at the tender age of 15 and I fell in love with it on first hearing, beg, borrow or steal a copy of the thing, you will not regret it.
"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler
B5 All Too Soon
Soloist – Ben Webster, Lawrence Brown
B6 Sepia Panorama
Soloist – Cootie Williams, Ellington*, Harry Carney, Jimmy Blanton
B7 Rocks In My Bed
Bass – Jimmy Blanton, Soloist – Barney Bigard, Duke*, Johnny Hodges, Vocals – Ivie Anderson
B8 What Am I Here For?
Soloist – Ben Webster, Duke*, Rex Stewart, Tricky Sam*
The music on this album was recorded in 1940, 1941 & 1942. It is a perfect compliment to At His Very Best and, in fact, some of the tracks were recorded on the same day and features the first recording of Duke’s signature tune, “Take the A Train” and introduced Cootie William’s replacement, Ray Nance. Nance stayed with Ellington until 1963 when he was replaced by Cootie Williams who had returned in 1962. It is wonderful music.
It's all here:
"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler
At 10'40" Duke introduces "Such Sweet Thunder", which will be familiar to you. Duke has his "pep" section -- the plunger mute specialists -- come out front and in this case it's Andres Merenguito & Ray Nance on trumpets and Quentin Jackson on trombone. Next up is Britt Woodman who solos on "Sonnet for Hank Cinq" and at 22'40" Johnny Hodges solos on "All of Me". At 29'00" Duke uses "Jam with Sam" to introduce members of the orchestra, starting with the inimitable Clark Terry....
"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler
The music on this album was recorded between 1947 and 1951.
A1 Three Cent Stomp
Written By – Ellington
A2 On A Turquoise Cloud
Written By – Ellington-Brown
A3 New York City Blues
Written By – Ellington
A4 Hy' A Sue
Written By – Ellington
A5 Golden Cress
Written By – Ellington
A6 Lady Of The Lavender Mist
Written By – Ellington
A7 The Clothed Woman
Written By – Ellington
A8 Monologue [Pretty And The Wolf]
Written By – Ellington
B1 Stop Look And Listen
Written By – Ellington
B2 Rock-Skippin' At The Blue Note
Written By – Strayhorn
B3 Change My Ways
Written By – J. Latouche-Ellington
B4 Sultry Serenade
Written By – Ellington
B5 Women
Written By – Latouche-Ellington
B6 Fancy Dan
Written By – Ellington
B7 Brown Betty
Written By – Strayhorn-Ellington
B8 Smada
Written By – Strayhorn
The music is from a period when there were several changes in personnel in Duke’s orchestra. Tyree Glenn proved to be an adequate replacement for the recently deceased Tricky Sam. Al Sears replaced Ben Webster who in turn was replaced by Paul Gonsalves and Jimmy Hamilton replaced Barney Bigard.
On A Turquoise Cloud - featuring the soprano Kay Davis, I think this is beautiful:
Golden Cress - featuring Lawrence Brown:
H’Ya Sue - featuring Tyree Glenn on trombone, Al Sears on tenor and Johnny hodges on alto saxophone:
Women - Duke’s politically incorrect “tribute” to women featuring his song and dance man Ray Nance on trumpet and vocals and Johnny Hodges on alto.
Lady of the Lavender Mist – Hodges leads the saxophones and features soloists Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet and Lawrence Brown trombone:
This album represents a worthy addition to anyone’s library.
"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler
