CD1-First Set
1. Star Spangled Banner
2. Lady of the Lavender Mist
3. Suddenly It Jumped
4. Reminiscing in Tempo
5. She Wouldn’t Be Moved
6. Paradise
7. The Symphomaniac Pt.1
8. The Symphomaniac Pt.2
9. My Friend
10. You Oughta
11. Creole Love Call
12. Don’t Blame Me
13. Lover Man
14. The Tattooed Bride
15. Dancers in Love
CD2-Second Set
1. Manhattan Murals
2. Hy’a Sue
3. Fantazm
4. Tootin’ Through the Roof
5. Brown Betty
6. Humoresque
7. How High the Moon
8. Don’t Be So Mean to Baby
9. Lover Come Back to Me
10. It's Monday Everyday
11. Medley: Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, Do Nothing Till You Hear
From Me, In A Sentimental Mood, Mood Indigo, I’m Beginning To See
The Light, Sophisticated Lady, Caravan, It Don’t Mean A Thing, I Let
A Song Go Out Of My Heart
12. Limehouse Blues
Duke Ellington – Piano
Shelton Hemphill, Francis Williams, Harold Baker, Al Killian - Trumpets
Ray Nance - Trumpet, violin, vocals
Lawrence Brown, Quentin Jackson – Trombones
Tyree Glenn – Trombone, vibes
Johnny Hodges – Alto sax
Russell Procope – Alto sax, clarinet
Jimmy Hamilton – Clarinet, tenor sax
Al Sears, Ben Webster – Tenor saxes
Harry Carney – Baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet
Fred Guy – Guitar
Wendell Marshall – Bass
Sonny Greer – Drums
Kay Davis, Al Hibbler – Vocals
Duke Ellington was one of the twentieth century’s great composers,
bandleader, performer, and pianist. He created an orchestra that had
a distinct musical identity and he travelled the world over, showcasing
his music despite changes in personnel and musical styles.
This 1948 concert at Cornell University was recorded by Ellington
himself, since at the time there was an American Federation of Musicians
ban on studio recordings. Much of the material presented here is unfamiliar
and ultimately did not remain in the Ellington orchestra book. However
the band is interesting given this was the last period when Ben Webster
was with Ellington, as he left in the spring of 1949.
CD1 First Set: After the compulsory Star Spangled Banner,
the band opens with Lady of the Lavender Mist which has some
beautiful reed section playing and then segues into Suddenly It
Jumped with a terrific muted trumpet solo by Shorty Baker, and
Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet. Ellington and his alter ego Billy Strayhorn
collaborated on many extended works, three of which are showcased
here. Namely Reminiscing In Tempo, The Symphomaniac Pts.1 and 2
and the longest: The Tattooed Bride. This latter piece is probably
the most engaging, with some especially strong trumpet work by Shorty
Baker and the ever reliable Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet. One cannot
under-estimate the contributions that these two players made to the
band. In between these lengthy sections, there are three undistinguished
vocals by Kay Davis on Creole Love Call, Don’t Blame Me, and
Lover Man. On the remaining tracks, of note is Harry Carney’s
pensive baritone sax playing in Paradise and Al Killian on
You Oughta where he develops some upper register improvisations.
CD2 Second Set, offers a wide range of short themed pieces
designed to feature individual members of the band or a particular
section. Starting off with Manhattan Murals which is more or
less a riff on Take The A Train, there follows Hy’a Sue
which has solid rocking beat provided by bassist Wendell Marshall
and drummer Sonny Greer supporting the solo work of Tyree Glenn on
trombone and Jimmy Hamilton tenor sax. Also worthy of mention is the
interesting bass clarinet of Harry Carney on the Latin-flavoured Fantazm
and the brass section on the up-tempo Tootin’ Through the Roof.
Two cuts which deserve particular mention are firstly, Brown Betty
which provides Johnny Hodges an opportunity to confirm his luscious
unwavering tone on the alto sax and then Ben Webster who turns the
bop anthem How High The Moon into a tour de force of tenor
sax playing. Al Hibbler, a vocalist who had been with Ellington for
six years and had a rather dramatic and idiosyncratic style, received
a warm reception for three songs starting with Don’t Be So Mean
to Baby, then Lover Come Back to Me and finally It’s
Monday Every Day. The disc concludes with a medley of Ellington’s
great hits with the Duke’s elegant piano in the foreground and then
Tyree Glenn’s performance on vibraphone of Limehouse Blues.
Finally, Nimbus has released a well-engineered package given the
source recording, along with very detailed liner notes. However only
true Ellington devotees will want to add this to their collection,
given the depth and breadth of the readily available Ellington discography.
Pierre Giroux
CD Reviews
Nimbus 2727/28
