1. Hot And Bothered
2. It Don't Mean A Thing ( If It A'int Got
That Swing )
3. Cotton Tail
4. The Mooche ( 78rpm Version )
5. Battle Of Swing
6. Rockin' In Rhythm
7. Braggin' In Brass
8. Caravan
9. Ring Dem Bells
10. Merry-Go-Round
11. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo
12. In A Jam
13. Take The "A" Train
14. Tootin' Through The Roof
This is yet another very good compilation
of the music of Duke Ellington covering his
early to middle years (1927- 1941). It is
somewhat debatable whether another such issue
is really necessary, there have been so many
recently. The biggest drawback to this disc
is the total lack of any personnel details.
As this selection is surely aimed at the non-specialist
listener such listings would surely have been
most useful and might even have encouraged
further interest and possibly the purchase
of more comprehensive releases. A few names
are mentioned in the back cover blurb, but
these are not linked to any specific tracks.
The initiated will recognise
such gems as Ben Webster on "Cottontail",
Ray Nance on "Take The A Train"
and many other great moments from the Ellington
catalogue. The scope in terms of both time
and material is very good and would surely
give a great insight into the composer's world
for the newly curious. However, I cannot recommend
this disc wholeheartedly because of previously
mentioned failing. This is just another example
of the slipshod attitude of many of the companies
and their reissue policies.
Dick Stafford
CD Reviews
Columbia/Legacy 516425 2
