DUKE ELLINGTON - The Treasury Shows Volume 20
Storyville Records 903 9020
Collective Personnel: Shelton Hemphill, Taft Jordan, Wallace Jones, Harold Baker, Francis Williams, Cat Anderson, Reunald Jones, Ray Nance: trumpets; Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown, Claude Jones, Wilbur De Paris, Juan Tizol: trombones; Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Al Sears, Nat Jones, Ben Webster, Harry Carney: reeds; Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn: piano; Fred Guy: guitar; Oscar Pettiford, Junior Raglin: bass; Sonny Greer: drums; Al Hibbler, Kay Davis, Betty Roche, Marion Cox: vocals.
These Treasury broadcasts come from 1943 and 1946. The main reason for the shows was to sell Bonds, war bonds, but Ellington used the exposure to feature music from his latest Victor recordings. To promote war bond sales, the Treasury Department sponsored 55-minute Saturday broadcasts by Ellington from various venues, mainly in New York and some in Los Angeles as well. The resulting series of broadcasts give a unique look at the working band as the personnel shifts and new compositions are added to the band’s book. The main irritation with the broadcasts is the constant promotions for the bonds and the very dated 1940s radio announcements. The music, however, is compelling. Ellington could not find a commercial sponsor for broadcasts so we have to give thanks to the US Treasury for the material that they commissioned.
The aggressive ‘Main Stem’ on the first broadcast was fairly new and features an array of soloists including Taft Jordan, Hodges, Tricky Sam Nanton, Al Sears who all bring their own musical personalities to the piece. It is amazing how much jazz quality can be packed into three minutes.
To really appreciate the forty two tracks on the double CD you need a time machine so that you can stand in front of the band at the Paramount Theatre in New York in 1946 and see and hear the band as if for the first time, The sound would be cleaner. And there would be a procession of musical giants amongst them: Hodges, Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney, Billy Strayhorn. The trumpet section with their individualistic sounds should not blend but they do. Same with the saxophones but they do, to create the Ellington effect. In person the sound would be better, even good recordings from the 1940s and the Treasury recordings are good, they seem as they are covered in a film separating the music from us. The 40s were not a peak time for the art of recording.
Bassist Oscar Pettiford is on the band for the 1946 tracks. Ellington once said that he considered that the bass was the heart of the orchestra. Pettiford plays with heart and was an improvement on Junior Raglin who was on the 1943 broadcasts. Pettiford was close to the style and technique of Jimmy Blanton that Ellington so admired. It is quite noticeable to hear the effect on the band. There is more punch and precision in 1946.
On ‘In A Jam’ Tricky Sam Nanton plays one of his characteristic solos bringing out new timbres from the trombone with his subtle use of mutes.: Hodges and Cat Anderson complete the piece. ‘Stomp, Look and Listen’ is a feature for the trumpets and a chance to appreciate the personal tones of the section; Taft Jordan and Cat Anderson duel.
In addition to the bond announcements that are littered throughout the disks are the vocals: Kay Davis, Al Hibbler, Marion Cox and Betty Roche. They varied from the barely acceptable to the dire. Choosing vocalists was never one of Ellington’s strengths.
The quality of ‘The Treasury Show Volume 20’ is on a par with the rest of the series. The documentation by Ken Steiner is good, complementing the music and he explains the context and identifies most of the soloists.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Storyville Records 903 9020
Collective Personnel: Shelton Hemphill, Taft Jordan, Wallace Jones, Harold Baker, Francis Williams, Cat Anderson, Reunald Jones, Ray Nance: trumpets; Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown, Claude Jones, Wilbur De Paris, Juan Tizol: trombones; Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Al Sears, Nat Jones, Ben Webster, Harry Carney: reeds; Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn: piano; Fred Guy: guitar; Oscar Pettiford, Junior Raglin: bass; Sonny Greer: drums; Al Hibbler, Kay Davis, Betty Roche, Marion Cox: vocals.
These Treasury broadcasts come from 1943 and 1946. The main reason for the shows was to sell Bonds, war bonds, but Ellington used the exposure to feature music from his latest Victor recordings. To promote war bond sales, the Treasury Department sponsored 55-minute Saturday broadcasts by Ellington from various venues, mainly in New York and some in Los Angeles as well. The resulting series of broadcasts give a unique look at the working band as the personnel shifts and new compositions are added to the band’s book. The main irritation with the broadcasts is the constant promotions for the bonds and the very dated 1940s radio announcements. The music, however, is compelling. Ellington could not find a commercial sponsor for broadcasts so we have to give thanks to the US Treasury for the material that they commissioned.
The aggressive ‘Main Stem’ on the first broadcast was fairly new and features an array of soloists including Taft Jordan, Hodges, Tricky Sam Nanton, Al Sears who all bring their own musical personalities to the piece. It is amazing how much jazz quality can be packed into three minutes.
To really appreciate the forty two tracks on the double CD you need a time machine so that you can stand in front of the band at the Paramount Theatre in New York in 1946 and see and hear the band as if for the first time, The sound would be cleaner. And there would be a procession of musical giants amongst them: Hodges, Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney, Billy Strayhorn. The trumpet section with their individualistic sounds should not blend but they do. Same with the saxophones but they do, to create the Ellington effect. In person the sound would be better, even good recordings from the 1940s and the Treasury recordings are good, they seem as they are covered in a film separating the music from us. The 40s were not a peak time for the art of recording.
Bassist Oscar Pettiford is on the band for the 1946 tracks. Ellington once said that he considered that the bass was the heart of the orchestra. Pettiford plays with heart and was an improvement on Junior Raglin who was on the 1943 broadcasts. Pettiford was close to the style and technique of Jimmy Blanton that Ellington so admired. It is quite noticeable to hear the effect on the band. There is more punch and precision in 1946.
On ‘In A Jam’ Tricky Sam Nanton plays one of his characteristic solos bringing out new timbres from the trombone with his subtle use of mutes.: Hodges and Cat Anderson complete the piece. ‘Stomp, Look and Listen’ is a feature for the trumpets and a chance to appreciate the personal tones of the section; Taft Jordan and Cat Anderson duel.
In addition to the bond announcements that are littered throughout the disks are the vocals: Kay Davis, Al Hibbler, Marion Cox and Betty Roche. They varied from the barely acceptable to the dire. Choosing vocalists was never one of Ellington’s strengths.
The quality of ‘The Treasury Show Volume 20’ is on a par with the rest of the series. The documentation by Ken Steiner is good, complementing the music and he explains the context and identifies most of the soloists.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
