Happy Birthday, Duke '14

 

Another tribute to Duke. Just some of my favorite stuff from lps laying about, compiled in a less than sober state the weekend before Duke's birthday.
 I tried for a varied mix, with some covers both by Duke and others, some early stuff as well as some later. I'm really happy with the way this turned out.


1. Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me - Duke/Ray Brown - This One's For Blanton
2. Backward Country Boy Blues - Money Jungle
3. Jungle Blues - 30's orchestra covering Jelly Roll
4. Beginning To See The Light - Woody Herman/Erroll Garner
5. Apes and Peacocks - Queen's Suite
6. Mood Indigo - Anatomy of a Murder soundtrack
7. Sophisticated Lady = Billy Mitchell w/ Bobby Hutcherson
8. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good - Johhny Hodges w/ Duke's Men
9. Echoes of Harlem - more classic old Duke, live from 1938
10. Satin Doll - Ella/Basie...'nuff said
11. I Can't Get Started - Duke Trio covering the classic tune.
12. Caravan - The Duke/Strayhorn All-Stars
13. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me - Billie Holiday
14. Solitude - Duke/Coleman Hawkins, but Ray Nance deserves a mention here!
15. Single Petal Of A Rose - Ben Webster
16. Sweet and Pungent - Blues In Orbit...Duke's cool.
17. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart - Terry Gibbs Quartet
18. Everything But You - Eugenie Baird w/ Duke's Men
19. Skunk Hollow Blues - Johnny Hodges Orchestra
20. C-Jam Blues - Shirley Scott



If you want a copy of this comp, contact me.

Grand Award records - The Blues

Acclaimed by Music Critics. Approved by Music Educators. Treasured by Music Lovers. These Grand Award records can be some fun stuff. Since I'm no discophile I am unaware if this stuff has been issued elsewhere. I put it here to share with anyone else who wants to swing to these grooves. This batch being a bunch of jazzy blues. Dinah belts em out with Lucky Thompson's All Stars. Don't miss Mingus locking down the groove on these. The last couple of cuts are by Betty Roche who is cool but she's got Ellington alumni and Earl Hines on piano. You never hear this shit on PBS!

And a David Stone Martin cover...oh yeah!

1. Blues For A Day

2. Rich Man's Blues

3. All Or Nothing

4. Beggin' Mama Blues

5. Chewin' Papa Blues

6. Pacific Coast Blues

7. Wise Woman Blues

8. Blues On My Weary Mind

9. Trouble, Trouble

10. I'll Get By

11. Design For Jivin'

1-7  Dinah Washington Sings the Blues w/ Lucky Thompson's All Stars
Lucky Thompson - tenor
Milt Jackson - vibes
Charles Mingus - bass
Karl George - trumpet
Jewel Grant - alto sax
Gene Porter - baritone sax
Wilber Baranco - piano
Lee Young - drums

8-11 Betty Roche Sings with the Earl Hines Septet
Earl Hines - piano
Johnny Hodges -alto sax
Ray Nance - trumpet and violin
Al Casey - guitar
Oscar Pettiford - bass
Flip Phillips - tenor sax
Sid Catlett- drums

G.A. 33-318

Jam Session - ARS recording

From the Jazz Division of the American Recording Society. This one is billed as "Jam Session" - and How The Blues Began. A heady title to be sure. While there were many fine dates later released as "blowing sessions" nothing ever beat the JATP blowing sessions. They set the standard for many recordings to come.
I did some (very little) research and it appears these tracks were not included with the "official" release of these sessions. I would assume time constraints were a major factor.

As much as I tend to dismiss Oscar Peterson as a utilitarian pianist, he gets a pass here. He deserves more credit than I usually give him.

Somehow ARS had the vision to release these tracks so that we can now enjoy them. I decided to tack on an extra track from another similar recording just because it makes me happy.

From what I can tell, this is how it all goes down....

Jam Session

1. Jam Blues No.1
2. Funky Blues No. 2
3. Funky Blues No.2 (cont.)
4. Mail Order Blues

in order of appearance -
1 - Ensemble, Flip Phillips (ts), Benny Carter (as), Oscar Peterson (p), Charlie Parker (as), Barney Kessell (g), Johnny Hodges (as), Charlie Shavers (tpt). J.C. Heard - drums, Ray Brown - bass.
recorded Hollywood 6/52 culled from Norman Granz Jam Session #1

2/3 - Roy Eldridge (tpt), Flip Phillips (ts), Bill Harris (tb), Herb Ellis (g), Dizzy Gillespie (tpt), Oscar Peterson (p), Buddy DeFranco (cl), Roy (again - over chorus). Louis Bellson - drums, Ray Brown - bass
recorded 10/30/54, NYC, culled from Norman Granz Jam Session #9

and the bonus track...
4. Flip Phillips, Illinois Jacquet, Lester Young (ts); Roy Eldrige, Dizzy Gillespie (tpt); Buddy Rich (d); Ray Brown (b); Oscar Peterson (p); Herb Ellis (g)
recorded 10/2/55 Chicago Opera House

ARS G-404/416

Johnny Hodges & All The Duke's Men

Once again the trusty internet fails me and I have to take a picture of the lp.

I was gonna post something a bit more modern for a change but I ran into a few glitches. I have been promising someone I would get this up and it sure seemed like a good idea to give it a spin this afternoon, so here we are.

A short but essential lp. The kind of swinging records that just make you grin. The small band version of Satin Doll is Jeep at his smoothest. This should be on everyone's "seduction" disc. Amongst the Ellington standards are a few overlooked gems which give this record a more original feel than the usual knock off tribute lp that it easily could have been. Almost all the solos are Hodges but they never feel as though he is showing off nor just resting on his laurels. I want to listen to this record under the stars someday. With a cool breeze.

Johnny Hodges and
All The Duke's Men

1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
2. Jeep's Blues
3. The Gal From Joe's
4. Satin Doll*
5. Azure
6. I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
7. Saturday Afternoon Blues*
8. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
9. I Didn't Know About You*
10. Day Dream

*The early session is a small band consisting of
Johnny Hodges - alto sax
Ben Webster - tenor sax
Roy Eldridge - trumpet
Vic Dickenson - trombone
Billy Strayhorn - piano
Jimmy Woode - bass
Sam Woodyard - drums
Recorded in 8/58 by Norman Granz

The other session was an all star, all Duke sidemen orchestra featuring
Hodges - alto
Billy Strayhorn - arranger and conductor
Shorty Baker, Cat Anderson, Bill Berry, Ed Mullens. Howard McGhee - trumpets
Lawrence Brown, Quentin Jackson, Chuck Connors - trombones
Russell Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney - reeds
Jimmy Jones - piano
Aaron Bell - bass
Sam Woodyard - drums
Recorded 12/11-12/61 by Rudy Van Gelder

Verve VSP/VSPS-3

Duke Ellington - Monologue

More of the indomitable Duke. Nice stuff from a powerful time. 11 of the 16 tracks are from 1947, the other 5 from '51. While these bands don't always contain Ellington's most famous players, there are no slouches in this bunch and plenty that would achieve fame with Duke in the ensuing years.
I see a smattering of these songs elsewhere but I would have to do research to see if they are the same recordings. I rarely indulge in research. Sometimes I indulge in a buzz and read the credits. I have not read enough credits to be considered an authority but I know that in my bones these are fine Duke Ellington songs. Some swing like a mother, while others paint that panorama that only Duke can create. Sometimes I wonder if these versions were released elsewhere, but not often.

Duke Ellington
Monologue

1. Three Cent Stomp
2. On A Turquoise Cloud
3. New York City Blues
4. Hy' A Sue
5. Golden Cress
6. Lady Of The Lavender Mist
7. The Clothed Woman
8. Monologue (Pretty and the Wolf)
9. Stop Look, and Listen
10. Rock-Skippin' at the Blue Note
11. Change My Ways
12. Sultry Serenade
13. Women
14. Fancy Dan
15. Brown Betty
16. Smada

The 1947 sessions include at various times Sheldon Hemphill, Harold Baker, Al Killian, Francis Williams, Wilbur Bascom, Ray Nance, Claude Jones, Lawrence Brown, Tyree Glenn, Wilbur DeParis, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Al Sears, Harry Carney, Fred Guy, Oscar Pettiford, Junior Raglin, Sonny Greer.

The 1951 sessions featured Harold Baker, Fats Ford, Cat Anderson, Nelson Williams, Ray Nance, Juan Tizol, Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, Willie Smith, Russell Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Wendell Marshall, Louis Bellson. (tracks 3, 8, 10, 14, 16)


CBS 63 563

Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra - Hodge Podge

Recently a discussion about "swing era" bands came up with a few friends. The usual was bandied about. But surprisingly when Duke was mentioned, most folk almost always referred to the the Blanton/Webster phase.
I spent a couple of days wrestling with whether or not Duke was a swing band and how I was going to explain my position. A listen to Cottontail chased those thoughts straight from my head.

It's simply crazy how much Duke recorded back in the day. Even crazier is how there was enough time for his compatriots to record all this stuff under their own names.

However they worked it out, we are all richer because of it.
Nary a famous orchestra song among the bunch. Awesome...but I bet you could track these songs down elsewhere easily enough.

Johnny Hodges and his Orchestra
Hodge-Podge

1. Jeep's Blues
2. Rendevouz With Rhythm
3. Empty Ballroom Blues
4. Krum Elbow Blues
5. I'm In Another World
6. Hodge - Podge
7. Dancing On The Stars
8. Wanderlust
9. Dooji Woodji
10. Savoy Strut
11. Rent Party Blues
12. Good Gal Blues
13. Finesse
14. Home Town Blues
15. Dream Blues
16. Skunk Hollow Blues

Johnny Hodges - alto and soprano sax
Cootie Williams - trumpet
Lawrence Brown - trombone
Harry Carney - baritone sax
Duke Ellington - piano, arrangements
Billy Taylor - bass
Sonny Greer - drums

track 13 - Hodges, Ellington, Greer only
track 15 - Billy Strayhorn replaces Ellington on piano
track 16 - Jimmy Blanton replaces Taylor on bass

recorded 1938/39
1974 Columbia products reissue

JEE22001

Johnny Hodges - Rippin' & Runnin'

Every once in a while a Saturday night needs to be about fun. Not perfection, not whats great...just fun. This lp is all about that premise.
The only real star here is Hodges, the rest... a bunch of unknowns who share the same 15 minutes.

Who can ever fault Johnny Hodges? He's a freaking legend.

Johnny Hodges

Rippin & Runnin'

1. Cue Time
2. Rio Secundo
3. Jeep Bounces Back
4. Rippin' and Runnin'
5. Touch Love
6. Tell Everybody's Children
7. Moonflower

Hodges - alto sax
Freddie Waits - drums
Ron Carter - bass
Wilie Gardner - organ
Jimmy Podner - guitar

recorded 12/68

Verve V6-8753