Ellington-a-thon

[A Lark Ascending]

Two ususual versions of A-Train:

The NDR Big Band

From an Ellington themed disc by this German orchestra. Played very slowly and harmonised as if it is 'Mood Indigo'!

The World Saxophone Quartet

From their 'Play Ellington' album. 'A Train' opens the album briefly and closes it in a longer version. Most of the tracks on the album are ballads (presumably easier on a record with no rhythm section apart from what can be offered from the horns). 'A Train' is relatively upbeat, playing largely off some unusual, scrunchy harmonies.

I like both of these versions - they don't just imitate.

[Alexander Hawkins]

I'm a huge fan of this version - John Gilmore on blistering form IMHO.

Ra also had an amazing way of inflecting the 7th bar of the melody sometime...sort of interrupting the cadence by going to a Db rather than a C in the melody part (assuming we're in C)....absolutely love it...trying to think - whilst not at my CDs - of where it happens - I think, off the top of my head, perhaps in the solo version from Teatro La Fenice (Leo)?

[A Lark Ascending]

Away for a few days at the weekend so I've put this up today and will put the next up Thursday to tide over until mid-next week.

Ellington-a-thon: 6

Four amazing pieces recorded around the same time:

• Creole Rhapsody Pts 1 + 2 [Duke Ellington] 1931
  
• Limehouse Blues [Philip Braham/Douglas Furber] 1931
  
• Echoes Of The Jungle [Cootie Williams-Irving Mills] 1931
  
• The Mystery Song [Duke Ellington-Irving Mills] 1931
  

Some random pieces

• I Wish You Love [Charles Trenet/Albert Beach] 1962
  
• Stomp, Look And Listen [Duke Ellington] 1944
  
• Sumpn Bout Rhythm [Duke Ellington/Manny Kurtz-Irving Mills] 1934
  
• Cool Rock [Duke Ellington] 1965
  

And the first suite - a short one.

• 
  
  
• The Controversial Suite [Duke Ellington] 1951
  
  

31 down, 1,819 to go.

Edited October 19, 2010 by A Lark Ascending

[jeffcrom]

My first reaction - too many near-masterpieces in one fell swoop here....

[jeffcrom]

I'll start with "Creole Rhapsody." I've loved this piece from the first time I heard the 1931 Brunswick recording - and I kind of expected not to like it. I'm sure most folks here know the basics about it, but in case anybody doesn't: It's Ellington's first "extended" composition, recorded in January, 1931 in a six-minute version for Brunswick that took up both sides of 10" 78. He recorded a revised version six months later for Victor; this one took up both sides of a 12" 78 and was over eight minutes long.

I've always like the Brunswick version better - until tonight. Now I'm not sure. The Brunswick version has three main themes, along with some interludes and transitions. The first theme is a simple, syncopated fanfare over which various soloists improvise, the second theme is a blues, and the third theme is an odd trombone duet. The first theme is just perfect for an extended composition - it's simple, memorable, and lends itself to variation and development (think of the first theme of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony). In the Brunswick version, it keeps coming back in different guises and with different soloists. It's the skeleton which holds the piece together, in my opinion.

It was the third theme, the trombone duet, which surprised me tonight. It's always been my least favorite section of the Rhapsody; even though I thought it was cool that Ellington used unusual phrase lengths, I always thought that it sounded forced and stilted. Tonight I "heard" it for the first time - it's a blues! The harmonies are somewhat altered, but it's a blues. Instead of having three four-bar phrases, like most blues, it has two five-bar phrases and a six-bar phrase. (That last might be thought of as a four-bar phrase with a two-bar tag.) I love it! I now hear how that theme fits into the rest of the piece - it only took me twenty-something years.

The Victor version replaces that third theme with a different one, a beautiful slow melody introduced by Artie Whetsol's trumpet. From the point that melody appears, two and a half minutes into the piece, it dominates the rest of the Victor performance. The first theme loses much of its importance - it never appears again in full, although it's hinted at in some very subtle ways. There's also an up-tempo section featuring Johnny Hodges in the Victor version - I hear this as an interlude, rather than a full-fledged theme (if it matters). As good as the new third theme is, I've always thought that its dominance of the last two-third of the Victor recording weakened the balance and unity of the piece. Tonight I'm not so sure. It's a different approach to the construction of the piece, but I'm not sure it's really inferior to the Brunswick.

Another obvious difference between the two versions is tempo. The Brunswick version is played at a constant tempo throughout; the Victor version uses a different tempo for each section of the piece. There's a lot to be said for each approach. The steady tempo helps give the Brunswick a sense of unity, but that approach wouldn't have worked with the Victor's more varied set of melodies. And the band handles the tempo changes wonderfully - they really have the piece down by the time of the Victor recording, even with the changes Ellington made.

I don't know that "Creole Rhapsody" is a masterpiece, but it's pretty good. Not only is it Ellington's first extended composition, but I guess it's the first real attempt to compose a jazz piece beyond the three-minute limit. And Ellington uses the elements that make jazz unique (like improvisation, individual tone colors, rhythmic approach) in an organic way - it certainly doesn't sound like Gershwin or Grofe.

Sorry about the length of this post - I've been listening to and thinking about this music for many years, and it's still revealing things to me.

[papsrus]

Wonderful insights Jeff. Thank you.

Edited October 20, 2010 by papsrus

[jeffcrom]

Thanks, paps. Thing is, I listened to the Brunswick recording of "Creole Rhapsody" about a week ago, and still didn't hear the blues form and content of the trombone duet theme. After all those years of listening, I had never noticed that until tonight.

[jeffcrom]

"Cool Rock" was only issued years after Ellington's death, on a Laserlight CD of the same name. It's a legit issue, authorized by the Ellington estate and with liner notes by Stanley Dance. The piece sounds like the kind of thing Ellington probably dashed off in 45 minutes, which means it's still better than much big band jazz. It's got a real Basie flavor, down to Duke's spare piano interjections, and Sam Woodyard plays one of the tastiest shuffle beats I've ever heard throughout. Johnny Hodges and Cootie Williams are the soloists, so there you go. It's kind of a throwaway piece Ellington tried and discarded, and it's still pretty great.

[A Lark Ascending]

My first reaction - too many near-masterpieces in one fell swoop here....

Thanks, Jeff. I was just toying with balancing up a number from the same or adjacent sessions where there might be some commentary that overlapped, with lesser or less well known pieces. I'll revert to a more random approach, keeping just a couple of the really well known pieces in each time. Otherwise we're going to be overloaded with the lesser/lesser known towards the end.

I won't have time for a few days but I'm looking forward to listening to Creole Rhapsody with your commentary.

[AllenLowe]

don't you guys have jobs?

actually I'm just jealous. Haven't done any heavy Duke - listening in a long time.

Edited October 20, 2010 by AllenLowe

[jeffcrom]

don't you guys have jobs?

Not me, anymore.

[Hot Ptah]

don't you guys have jobs?

Well, if that was the standard, virtually no one would post on any online site at all.

[papsrus]

Listening to 'Creole Rhapsody' with Jeff's comments in mind, I hear some of what he has described -- the relatively simple structure made ornate by unusual phrase lengths.

Recognizing the trombone duet as a blues is a little more difficult; certainly not something that would have occurred to me without Jeff's comments.

It's a beautiful piece, and I'm glad to have the insights offered here while listening. A big thank you to Bev for starting this thread, and of the ones I have on hand, I love the selections so far. They've directed me toward a period of Ellington I'd pretty much inexplicably neglected.

'Controversial Suite:' Recorded Dec. 11, 1951, Columbia. This is on the 'Ellington Uptown' release. I wasn't aware that the impetus for the piece was the schism at the time between traditionalists and progressives. Of course, knowing this brings the piece into starker relief. I love 'Before My Time,' with Procope, Nance and the rest summoning up flavors of New Orleans. 'Later' is less appealing to me, less flesh on the bone, or something. Comes off a little flat, to me.

I work nights.

[JSngry]

I've always felt that the "Later" movement was a parody/dig at the Kenton school of "progressivism" as being practiced at the time. Straight-faced "random", loud dissonances with no intent or interest in anything resembling "jazz". Very wry, I think.

I also wonder how Duke felt during his term at Capitol, a time when Kenton was being hyped by the label as the most important figure in modern jazz, the man who would propel it into the future & save it from obsolescence, an obsolescence of which Duke was implicity viewed as being a part of.

[AllenLowe]

hey Jeff, I just came up with a joke, related to the Ahmad Jamal thread -

"what do you call an unemployed musician?"

"A critic"

(hope I haven't offended anyone)

now, back to Duke

[BruceH]

Me like Ellington.

[jeffcrom]

hey Jeff, I just came up with a joke, related to the Ahmad Jamal thread -

"what do you call an unemployed musician?"

"A critic"

(hope I haven't offended anyone)

now, back to Duke

Well, I guess that's better than the jazz musician joke with the punchline, "Your pizza's here." And since I offended someone here recently with a joke, I'll try to take this one in stride.

[Clunky]

Four amazing pieces recorded around the same time:

• Creole Rhapsody Pts 1 + 2 [Duke Ellington] 1931
  
• Limehouse Blues [Philip Braham/Douglas Furber] 1931
  
• Echoes Of The Jungle [Cootie Williams-Irving Mills] 1931
  

Picked these up on 78 yesterday to enhance my listening pleasure, had the choice of three copies of Creole Rhapsody, went for very clean Brunswick UK, the 2 Victors were obtained in early UK HMV 78s which both appear to date from 1932 , so I'm guessing they're first issues. As for the music particularly enjoyed Limehouse Blues

[jeffcrom]

Four amazing pieces recorded around the same time:

• Creole Rhapsody Pts 1 + 2 [Duke Ellington] 1931
  
• Limehouse Blues [Philip Braham/Douglas Furber] 1931
  
• Echoes Of The Jungle [Cootie Williams-Irving Mills] 1931
  

Picked these up on 78 yesterday to enhance my listening pleasure, had the choice of three copies of Creole Rhapsody, went for very clean Brunswick UK, the 2 Victors were obtained in early UK HMV 78s which both appear to date from 1932 , so I'm guessing they're first issues. As for the music particularly enjoyed Limehouse Blues

Jeffery is jealous.

[jeffcrom]

Just listened to "Controversial Suite" for the first time in a while. Yeah, it's fun and games, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Did anyone else notice how much the double-stopped bass passages in the "Later" movement (best heard around 3:19) sound like "La Plus Belle Africaine" from 15 years later?

Listening to 'Creole Rhapsody'... Recognizing the trombone duet as a blues is a little more difficult; certainly not something that would have occurred to me without Jeff's comments.

Well, like I said, it took me a long time to notice - it's a stretched, altered, disguised blues. Ellington was pretty good at that. Years ago, after reading that his "The Clothed Woman" was the first atonal jazz composition, I checked out that piece. It ain't atonal, it's also a blues, although it's stretched to the limit. (Oops, sorry to peek ahead.)

Now the unemployed pseudo-critic will expound on "The Mystery Song:"

This is the other piece from the current list that I'm really passionate about. Who else could have come up with that sound in the first chorus? The combination of the harmonies and Ellington's voicing of them, played pianissimo by muted brass, results in something totally original. (And is Harry Carney's bari sax in there, too? I'm not sure.) And while nothing else in the piece is as incredible as that first chorus, the rest is no letdown. The sax section in the second chorus is just delicious - and it was only three pieces at this point. Was there any other sax section in jazz that sounded this good in 1931?

I also like the fact that Ellington didn't just point to someone to solo after the sax chorus - Barney Bigard improvises above and around Carney's light, beautiful statement of the melody. It doesn't really sound to me like Bigard quite grasps the harmonies Ellington plays behind him, but he plays what he knows, and that's good enough.

And there's something different going on in the alternate take. It sounds like the brass players are using a different kind of mute - straight mutes in the master take and cup mutes in the alternate, maybe?

A minor masterpiece, sez I.

And since it was from the same session, I listened to "It's Glory" before "Mystery Song." I had either forgotten or never noticed that it's Ellington's take on the chords of "Sweet Sue."

Edited October 27, 2010 by jeffcrom

[A Lark Ascending]

More to be said about set 6, I suspect, but let me put up another set to tide us over until next Wednesday. I'll be away from the pc until then; hopefully have something to say about 6 and 7:

Ellington-a-thon: 7

• 
  
  
• Bensonality [Duke Ellington] - 1951
  
• If I Were You [Charles Strouse/Lee Adams] - 1962
  
• Grievin’ [Duke Ellington-Billy Strayhorn] - 1939
  
• A Foggy Day (In London Town) [George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin] - 1962
  
• I Could Get A Man [Duke Ellington/Thornton Hee-William Coltrell] 1947
  
• Blues Of The Vagabond [Duke Ellington] - 1929
  
• Intimate Interlude [Duke Ellington] - 1971
  
• Cowboy Rhumba [Duke Ellington/Don George-Paul Reif] - 1947
  
• Chelsea Bridge [billy Strayhorn] - 1941
  

Lesser known stuff mainly, with one obvious exception.

Really enjoying reading all the reactions. I think we should collect Jeff's for publication.

EDIT: Withdrew Dazzling Creature from the list - will reappear as part of 'Night Creature' suite.

Edited October 26, 2010 by A Lark Ascending

[jeffcrom]

Really enjoying reading all the reactions. I think we should collect Jeff's for publication.

A Blowhard's Guide to Ellington will be published in installments this fall, beginning in the November 3rd Weekly World News.

[jeffcrom]

Away for a few days at the weekend so I've put this up today and will put the next up Thursday to tide over until mid-next week.

Ellington-a-thon: 6

Stomp, Look And Listen [Duke Ellington] 1944

One thing I like about this thread is that it motivates me to listen to recordings that I haven't heard for awhile, like this one. "Stomp, Look and Listen" seemed to have been an often-played piece in Ellington's book from 1944 to the early 50s. I've got the 1947 Columbia studio version on volume one of The World of Duke Ellington. It's pretty good, but it's kind of anonymous - it doesn't sound very Ellingtonian. I can hear any number of late-40s big band playing this one. The band was up to five trumpets and four trombones by this point, so it's a "heavy" sounding band. There are other pieces from this period (like "Rockabye River") that have the same "weight," but retain more of an Ellington flavor.

Anyway, it's a good enough piece. I know some folks here aren't crazy about Jimmy Hamilton, but his solo fits this piece perfectly - it's almost boppish.

The 1956 version from the Historically Speaking album makes me nervous - it's too fast, and there's a killer-diller Cat Anderson high-note ending.

[jeffcrom]

Since I had The World of Duke Ellington, Volume 1 out, I gave side four a spin. I had forgotten what an interesting song "I Could Get a Man" is. It's got a melody full of odd twists and unusual intervals, and a fun lyric. ("I could get a man, but the man I want is got.") Dolores Parker is the vocalist, and does a pretty good job with a song that couldn't have been easy to sing. There's a stunning Johnny Hodges solo - as much as I love Hodges, he could coast sometimes. He's fully involved here, though, and his solo kept me on the edge of my seat. Ellington is one of three composers (Hee and Cottrell) are the others), and I would love to know exactly who contributed what. I like this one.

The track before "I Could Get a Man" is the 1947 version of "Don't Get Around Anymore," and, again, I had forgotten how good this version is. I don't like many version of this as a song (as opposed to "Never No Lament"), but this one got under my skin. It's sung by Al Hibbler, it's got more excellent Hodges, and the band swings like a MF. I may be tired of this song, but it doesn't sound like the band was at this point.

And referring to another thread, this is the inexplicably shortest LP side I remember seeing on a major label. It's just over twelve and a half minutes long. Since this album collects tracks originally issued on 78s, I'm not sure why they didn't throw a couple of more tunes on.

[Ted O'Reilly]

...Dolores Parker is the vocalist, and does a pretty good job with a song that couldn't have been easy to sing.

Just to be pedantic, the spelling is actually "Delores" Parker. And that tune is the last one she ever recorded with the band.

EDIT to correct... DP later recorded one more -- "A Woman And A Man" on December 30/47, the last DE session for 10 months. (I think that track was originally released only in Switzerland).

Edited October 23, 2010 by Ted O'Reilly