DUKE ELLINGTON
COTTON CLUB STOMP
Recorded 1927 - 1931 original issues on Victor, Brunswick + Okeh
labels.
NAXOS - NAXOS JAZZ LEGENDS
8.120509
Crotchet
Collective personnel:
Duke Ellington piano,
Bubber Miley, Louis Metcalf, Freddy Jenkins, Arthur Whetsol, Cootie Williams
trumpets.
Joe Nanton,Juan Tizol trombones,
Otto Hardwick, Harry Carney, Rudy Jackson,Johnny Hodges, Barney Bigard reeds.
Fred Guy banjo.
Wellman Brand bass.
Sonny Greer,drums
plus Charlie Barnet (sax) 6 The Rhythm Boys - vocal 7. Adelaide Hall vocal
11
1. Cotton Club Stomp
2. Mood Indigo
3. Rockin' in Rhythm
4. Misty Mornin'
5. The Mooche
6. Ring Dem Bells
7. Three Little Words
8. Double Check Stomp
9. The Blues With a Feelin' |
10. Jubilee Stomp
11. Creole Love Call
12. Harlem River Quiver (Brown Berries)
13. Black Beauty
14. Hot Feet
15. Saratoga Swing
16. Shout 'em Aunt Tillie *
17. Black and Tan Fantasy
18. It's Glory |
Duke Ellington was referred to as ''The Hot Bach'' in a wonderful article
written by Richard O. Boyer in 1944. Like his Baroque predecessor Ellington
paved the way for subsequent musicians. In retrospect his influence and legacy
can be seen to be as far reaching as were those of his German forerunner.
Like Bach , Ellington wrote for the ensemble and individual musicians available.
He also composed with a specific function in mind whether it was a Cotton
Club show, a film or a dance. All of the above are amply illustrated on this
disc.
Ellington was not averse to borrowing or revamping existing material. One
strain of Mood Indigo is based on a 'lick' clarinettist Barney Bigard often
used as a warm up. Several of the Dukes' up tempo pieces used the 'Tiger
Rag' chord sequence.'Cotton Tail' (not on this disc) was based on I Got Rhythm'
and 'Black Beauty' is on the sequence of 'Sweet Georgia Brown'.
This disc features as good a selection of early Ellington as any I have heard.
Most of the famous tunes from these years are here.- the only notable exception
being 'East Street Louis Toodle-oo'. There are many classic moments such
as the inverted trio voicing on 'Mood Indigo', muted trombone and trumpet
with the clarinet in the chalemeau register. This is typical Ellington, giving
the lead to the trombone, most arrangers would have given this instrument
the bass line.
There are a couple of errors in the song titles - the final track is actually
'It's Glory' and Shoot 'em Aunt Tilly' is 'Shout 'em Aunt Tilly'- which somewhat
alters the inference-i.e. this is not an early form of protest song!
On a more serious note there are many wonderful moments on this disc - the
emergence of such soloists as Hodges, Williams, Nanton and Bigard - and the
ethereal use of the wordless vocal by Adelaide Hall on ' Creole Love Call'.
This selection is absolutely essential Ellington. For the new collector it
must represent the best value in terms of price and quality of any edition
currently available.
A must have!
Dick Stafford
D.S. is a professional reed player and teacher living in
Coventry.
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