DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA - Berlin 1959
Storyville Records
Cat Anderson, Andres Marenguito (aka Fats Ford) (tp), Clark Terry (tp, flgh), Ray Nance (tp, vln, vo), Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, Booty Wood (tb), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts), Russell Procope (as, cl), Johnny Hodges (as), Paul Gonsalves (ts), Harry Carney (bars, cl, bcl), Duke Ellington (p), Jimmy Woode (b), Jimmy Johnson (dr), Lil Greenwood (vo)
Personnel on Basin Street Blues: Ray Nance (tp, vo), Clark Terry (tp), Russell Procope (cl), Quentin Jackson (tb), Duke Ellington (p), Jimmy Woode (b), Jimmy Johnson (dr)
Ellington in 1959 had a very strong band. Some argue, persuasively, that Ellington’s band of the early forties was his peak. There is a good argument for saying that this period, the late fifties, and the early sixties was another peak. In the saxophone section each player had individuality but could blend with the others to create an original sound. Johnny Hodges was one of the great alto soloists. Harmonically sophisticated Paul Gonsalves played ballads with invention. Harry Carney’s baritone could anchor the sound of the band and he was one of the greatest soloists on the instrument. The trumpet section was particularly rich. Andres Merenguito was new. Clark Terry who could also play the flugelhorn was not given as much solo work as he would have liked and he left the band at the end of this tour., Ray Nance had his own sound and could also play the violin. Cat Anderson had the responsibility for the high notes. Both Quentin Jackson and Booty Wood could play the plunger muted trombone, a role that Ellington had created for Tricky Sam Nanton in the 1920s and continued to use thereafter. Britt Woodman had a fluency on trombone that Ellington used on one of the Shakespeare sonnets.
At Berlin they play a program of familiar hits like ‘Mood Indigo’, and ‘Sophisticated Lady’, 17 of the 27 pieces listed are part of the medley and are not full songs. But there is some newish material here. ‘Newport Up’ from the ‘Newport Suite’, ‘Such Sweet Thunder’ and ‘Sonnet to Hank Cinq’ from the Shakespearean Suite. ‘Flirtibird’ comes from the music that Ellington had just written for the film ‘Anatomy of a Murder’. It is a feature for Johnny Hodges who produces a solo of great style and rhythmic beauty as he could every time he played his alto. His impeccable sense of rhythm is shown on ‘Things Ain’t What They Used To Be’ with the band rocking solidly behind him.
‘Newport Up’ from the ‘Newport Suite’ opens at medium tempo with a melody played by clarinettist Jimmy Hamilton. Ellington accompanies him with spare blues chords. Then the orchestra starts an insistent rhythm. A procession of soloists: including Clark Terry and Paul Gonsalves with baritone saxophonist Harry Carney follows.
The glory of the band is the way that Ellington encouraged uniqueness in his soloists and the way that he blended them in his compositions. You can hear it all here. Trombonist Quentin Jackson sounds nothing like Britt Woodman. Trumpeter Ray Nance sounds nothing like Clark Terry, All the trumpets play on ‘El Gato’. The difference in their tones is very apparent.
‘Satin Doll’ features bassist Jimmy Woode whose excellent woody sonority backed by Ellington on piano and accompanied by the band carrying the theme. Sam Woodyard was absent from the band and his replacement Jimmy Johnson plays ‘Skin Deep’ which at eleven minutes is about eight minutes too long.
Ellington rarely had much luck with choosing singers. It is strange that a man with such good taste in other areas of music should have a blind spot with vocalists. Perhaps he did not care too much. Lillian Greenwood is just about acceptable and many will be tempted to skip the tracks where she is featured.
It is easy to be cool or blasé about the Ellington band. They were a group of major musicians travelling the world for probably forty weeks of the year. Listening to Ellington in 1959 it is worth remembering their itinerary. They arrived in Holland on the 18th September and left Frankfurt on 20th October. In the interim, they played concerts in Austria, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland. That was probably slightly more intense than they were used to in the USA. Their activities across the US included the Newport Jazz Festival, recording the albums ‘Jazz Party’, ‘Back to Back’ ‘The Queen’s Suite’ ‘Side by Side’ and the score of the film ‘Anatomy of a Murder’, playing for dances, concerts, nightclubs. This was an orchestra of temperamental jazz virtuosi, some of the greatest jazz soloists of any era.
There are better recordings of the Ellington band but if anyone wants to know what the band sounded like on an average night this is a good place to start.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Storyville Records
Cat Anderson, Andres Marenguito (aka Fats Ford) (tp), Clark Terry (tp, flgh), Ray Nance (tp, vln, vo), Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, Booty Wood (tb), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts), Russell Procope (as, cl), Johnny Hodges (as), Paul Gonsalves (ts), Harry Carney (bars, cl, bcl), Duke Ellington (p), Jimmy Woode (b), Jimmy Johnson (dr), Lil Greenwood (vo)
Personnel on Basin Street Blues: Ray Nance (tp, vo), Clark Terry (tp), Russell Procope (cl), Quentin Jackson (tb), Duke Ellington (p), Jimmy Woode (b), Jimmy Johnson (dr)
Ellington in 1959 had a very strong band. Some argue, persuasively, that Ellington’s band of the early forties was his peak. There is a good argument for saying that this period, the late fifties, and the early sixties was another peak. In the saxophone section each player had individuality but could blend with the others to create an original sound. Johnny Hodges was one of the great alto soloists. Harmonically sophisticated Paul Gonsalves played ballads with invention. Harry Carney’s baritone could anchor the sound of the band and he was one of the greatest soloists on the instrument. The trumpet section was particularly rich. Andres Merenguito was new. Clark Terry who could also play the flugelhorn was not given as much solo work as he would have liked and he left the band at the end of this tour., Ray Nance had his own sound and could also play the violin. Cat Anderson had the responsibility for the high notes. Both Quentin Jackson and Booty Wood could play the plunger muted trombone, a role that Ellington had created for Tricky Sam Nanton in the 1920s and continued to use thereafter. Britt Woodman had a fluency on trombone that Ellington used on one of the Shakespeare sonnets.
At Berlin they play a program of familiar hits like ‘Mood Indigo’, and ‘Sophisticated Lady’, 17 of the 27 pieces listed are part of the medley and are not full songs. But there is some newish material here. ‘Newport Up’ from the ‘Newport Suite’, ‘Such Sweet Thunder’ and ‘Sonnet to Hank Cinq’ from the Shakespearean Suite. ‘Flirtibird’ comes from the music that Ellington had just written for the film ‘Anatomy of a Murder’. It is a feature for Johnny Hodges who produces a solo of great style and rhythmic beauty as he could every time he played his alto. His impeccable sense of rhythm is shown on ‘Things Ain’t What They Used To Be’ with the band rocking solidly behind him.
‘Newport Up’ from the ‘Newport Suite’ opens at medium tempo with a melody played by clarinettist Jimmy Hamilton. Ellington accompanies him with spare blues chords. Then the orchestra starts an insistent rhythm. A procession of soloists: including Clark Terry and Paul Gonsalves with baritone saxophonist Harry Carney follows.
The glory of the band is the way that Ellington encouraged uniqueness in his soloists and the way that he blended them in his compositions. You can hear it all here. Trombonist Quentin Jackson sounds nothing like Britt Woodman. Trumpeter Ray Nance sounds nothing like Clark Terry, All the trumpets play on ‘El Gato’. The difference in their tones is very apparent.
‘Satin Doll’ features bassist Jimmy Woode whose excellent woody sonority backed by Ellington on piano and accompanied by the band carrying the theme. Sam Woodyard was absent from the band and his replacement Jimmy Johnson plays ‘Skin Deep’ which at eleven minutes is about eight minutes too long.
Ellington rarely had much luck with choosing singers. It is strange that a man with such good taste in other areas of music should have a blind spot with vocalists. Perhaps he did not care too much. Lillian Greenwood is just about acceptable and many will be tempted to skip the tracks where she is featured.
It is easy to be cool or blasé about the Ellington band. They were a group of major musicians travelling the world for probably forty weeks of the year. Listening to Ellington in 1959 it is worth remembering their itinerary. They arrived in Holland on the 18th September and left Frankfurt on 20th October. In the interim, they played concerts in Austria, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland. That was probably slightly more intense than they were used to in the USA. Their activities across the US included the Newport Jazz Festival, recording the albums ‘Jazz Party’, ‘Back to Back’ ‘The Queen’s Suite’ ‘Side by Side’ and the score of the film ‘Anatomy of a Murder’, playing for dances, concerts, nightclubs. This was an orchestra of temperamental jazz virtuosi, some of the greatest jazz soloists of any era.
There are better recordings of the Ellington band but if anyone wants to know what the band sounded like on an average night this is a good place to start.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
