Ellington at Cornell -- 1948

[Larry Kart]

An Amazon comment: "As Stanley Dance explains this was almost a note-for-note replaying of his 5th Carnegie Hall concert from a month earlier. The big difference and improvement (from the 2 VJC discs) being a happier atmosphere prevailing when performed for a far hipper enthusiastic University audience."

Have this not on MusicMasters (the original issuing label) but bargain label Jazz Heritage, which may account for a slight but annoying upper-register "gargle" on a few tracks, but this concert -- recorded during the '48 recording ban -- is just a joy so far. Ben Webster joins Al Sears, Hodges, Procope, Carney, and Jimmy Hamilton in the reed section; trumpets are Francis Williams, Shelton Hemphill, Harold Baker, Al Killian, and Ray Nance (actually cornet); trombones are Lawrence Brown, Quentin Jackson, and Tyree Glenn:  the band is as loose as can be (in a good sense); the program includes a good deal of non-usual material, including Duke's wryly knowing sendup of bop on Part II of "The Symphomaniac," Strayhorn's Carney feature "Paradise," et al.; Wendell Marshall is the new man on bass, Al Hibbler and Kay Davis. vocals. The icing on the cake for me is the often maligned Sonny Greer, who was in superb form on this date, laying about/kicking the band along with mucho abandon, taste, and inventiveness. The man could find between-the-cracks places to accent that were falling-down-a-staircase oblique and beautifully so ( I know -- Greer, with his taste for liquid cheer, may have fallen down a few actual staircases in his life). Damn if he doesn't sound like Tony Williams at times. Very nice to hear Duke's voice announcing tunes, interacting with the audience. For some reason -- maybe it's just me -- he seems so THERE.

[HutchFan]

Thanks for sharing, Larry. I'm going to pull that one out and give it a spin. Just the trombone section alone: Lawrence Brown, Butter Jackson and Tyree Glenn! Phew! Great!  

I think Duke's late-40's/early-50's bands are WAY underrated.

I'm surprised that the Columbia studio material from that era still isn't widely available (aside from the material released on LPs like Masterpieces). I have the complete 1947-52 French CBS set on LP. I know that this same set was available on CD for a minute. But both sets are hard to find now. It seems strange to me because that band made some fantastic music.

 

Edited January 23, 2016 by HutchFan

[jazzbo]

HF, Most of this material came out in the US on two LP sets as well (The World of Duke Ellington). I love this material, have those US LPs and the French CBS CDs.

And Larry, I've had that material on the Music Masters cds since they were released. . . I bet it sounds exactly the same as the Jazz Heritage discs, that's been my experience with Jazz Heritage discs.

Edited January 23, 2016 by jazzbo

[medjuck]

1 hour ago, Larry Kart said:

An Amazon comment: "As Stanley Dance explains this was almost a note-for-note replaying of his 5th Carnegie Hall concert from a month earlier. The big difference and improvement (from the 2 VJC discs) being a happier atmosphere prevailing when performed for a far hipper enthusiastic University audience."

Have this not on MusicMasters (the original issuing label) but bargain label Jazz Heritage, which may account for a slight but annoying upper-register "gargle" on a few tracks, but this concert -- recorded during the '48 recording ban -- is just a joy so far. Ben Webster joins Al Sears, Hodges, Procope, Carney, and Jimmy Hamilton in the reed section; trumpets are Francis Williams, Shelton Hemphill, Harold Baker, Al Killian, and Ray Nance (actually cornet); trombones are Lawrence Brown, Quentin Jackson, and Tyree Glenn:  the band is as loose as can be (in a good sense); the program includes a good deal of non-usual material, including Duke's wryly knowing sendup of bop on Part II of "The Symphomaniac," Strayhorn's Carney feature "Paradise," et al.; Wendell Marshall is the new man on bass, Al Hibbler and Kay Davis. vocals. The icing on the cake for me is the often maligned Sonny Greer, who was in superb form on this date, laying about/kicking the band along with mucho abandon, taste, and inventiveness. The man could find between-the-cracks places to accent that were falling-down-a-staircase oblique and beautifully so ( I know -- Greer, with his taste for liquid cheer, may have fallen down a few actual staircases in his life). Damn if he doesn't sound like Tony Williams at times. Very nice to hear Duke's voice announcing tunes, interacting with the audience. For some reason -- maybe it's just me -- he seems so THERE.

The pictured cd includes only the first half of the concert. (As I unfortunately found out after I bought it.)  This one contains the whole concert and though I think the first half is the best half it's all good.

 

 

[Larry Kart]

The Jazz Heritage version is 2-CDs, the whole concert. Have listened only to the first one so far.

[jazzbo]

Well I'll be. I didn't realize the Music Matters was not the complete concert. That said, I have so much Ellington, even so much of this vintage, I'm good.

[Pete B]

Lon, you need "Cornell - Second Set" on Musicmasters to complete the concert, if it matters.  Easily enough found.

[jazzbo]

Thanks Pete.  

[JSngry]

Jazz Heritage was essentially a record club, correct?

[alankin]

Yes.  They sometimes had lower quality covers, in B&W, for example.  Some musical notes on the CDs though.

Edited January 26, 2016 by alankin

[Larry Kart]

Jazz Heritage was/is an arm of the (classical) Musical Heritage Society. In its later days, at least, JH was run like an old-fashioned record club where this month's offerings were shipped to you unless you told them in time that you didn't want them. Further, even within this framework JH operated in a scam-like manner, at least in my experience. Several years ago I ordered something from JH based on a magazine ad, but the ad didn't say anything about their record-club structure and that by ordering one had signed up to be a member. When I said no to their first monthly offer  -- surprised/dismayed that this was the deal -- and tried to cancel my membership, they sent the discs to me anyway and at prices that were anything but discounted. (MHS discs always were at bargain-label prices.) When I complained, sent the discs back, and refused to pay for them, they sic-ed a collection agency on me. I paid up what they said I owed in order to get out of this. Also, the several times I called their office in an attempt to get things straightened out before I finally gave up and paid, there was no one there.

P.S. MHS was run like a record club, too; I used to be a member many years ago. But I don't recall MHS operating in the scam-like manner that JH did in my case.

[catesta]

Wow, this is mostly all new music to me and sounds like something I need to have.