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 (Symphonic or Bust)
8. The Symphomaniac Pt 2 (How You Sound)
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, 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
Lawrence Brown, Quentin Jackson - Trombones
Tyree Glenn - Trombone, vibes
Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Jimmy Hamilton, Al Sears, Ben Webster,
Harry Carney - Reeds
Fred Guy - Guitar
Wendell Marshall - Bass
Sonny Greer - Drums
Kay Davis, Al Hibbler - Vocals
This recording was made at a concert at Cornell University at a time
when big bands were having a hard time and vocalists were taking centre
stage. The young Cornell audience, however, was very enthusiastic
about the band’s performance and this in turn inspired the band. This
was the Ellington Band at its best: the saxophone section alone boasted
more poll winners than any other band of the time. Johnny Hodges’
lead alto work is outstanding throughout, his tone and style were
very personal and recognisable and, at the other end of the stave,
Harry Carney amply demonstrates the art of playing the baritone as
only he could: superb tone, massive technique and very creative improvisation.
Listening to him playing Strayhorn’s Paradise was a real pleasure.
In the tenor saxophone department, Ben Webster, Jimmy Hamilton and
Al Sears are hard to better and Russell Procope, although never featured
much by the Duke on alto and clarinet, was also an accomplished musician.
The other sections were just as strong as the personnel list above
shows; the trumpets could certainly hit the high notes and the trombone
players had very individual sounds. The rhythm section kicks on nicely
and the Duke demonstrates his jazz credentials throughout.
In his commentary the Duke mentions Paul Whiteman with respect to
the Symphomaniac tracks. The Duke also liked to allude to classical
music in a lot of his work. In Part 2 there is a very fine clarinet
solo from Jimmy Hamilton.
My Friend features Al Sears on tenor and it is ironical that
on this concert he sat next to Ben Webster, whose place he had taken
on Ben’s leaving and who returned to the band replacing him after
this concert.
You Oughta features Al Killian, a more than capable high-note
man who had filled that role when Cat Anderson left. He really could
reach the stratosphere and still have a broad sound.
It is always a great pleasure to hear Creole Love Call, one
of Ellington’s greatest compositions. The theme statement is by three
clarinets, played by Hamilton, Procope and Carney. The trumpet solo
is by Ray Nance, the female wordless vocal is by Kay Davis, before
the clarinets return to the theme, a most impressive performance by
all concerned. Kay Davis returns to sing two more numbers: Don’t
Blame Me and Lover Man; both are well received by the audience.
Ellington in different appearances gave various explanations of what
his The Tattooed Bride composition was about and I must confess
to not really understanding any of them! The music however is very
interesting and it was to be a composition that remained in the Ellington
library for a long period. It is the longest track on CD1, being over
13 minutes in length. The ensemble playing is tight and well rehearsed
and the arrangement imaginative. There is some fine playing from all,
but especially Carney, the Duke, Shorty Baker and also the superb
clarinet playing of Jimmy Hamilton. There are several mood and tempo
changes, all of which the band handles with great accomplishment and
without ever forgetting to swing!
The last number, Dancers in Love, was often used by Ellington
to close a set. By this time he usually had the audience very much
‘on side’ and this occasion was no exception, Ellington’s stride piano
stopping the show.
CD2 kicks of with Manhattan Murals, which features the Duke
on piano at the start and is based on Strayhorn’s Take the "A"
Train.
Hy’a Sue is a rocking blues, this time featuring Jimmy Hamilton
on tenor, together with Tyree Glenn playing trombone in the manner
of Tricky Sam Nanton. What is particularly noticeable is that Hamilton’s
approach to jazz on tenor is completely different from his clarinet
work. It also seems surprising that with Webster sat in the section,
he was not chosen for this particular piece of work. That is not to
deride Hamilton who does an excellent job.
Fantazm has a mysterious air about it and it features Carney,
this time on bass clarinet, and Lawrence Brown on trombone. Tootin’
Through the Roof is a complete contrast, being an exciting and
brassy tear-up. Johnny Hodges brings things back to normal with a
magnificent solo on Brown Betty. Hodges was probably the finest
ever ballad soloist on alto and his performance here is worth the
price of the album on its own!
Dvorak’s Humoresque has always fascinated jazz musicians and
this time it’s introduced by Ray Nance on violin, before the band
tear into it.
It seemed strange that nothing in the way of a solo had been heard
from Ben Webster up to this point. He is given his head in How
High the Moon and as always exudes real class. He has always been
my favourite tenor player; his tone, improvisation ability and the
emotion he exhibits in his playing are second to none. He had all
the technique in the world but, unlike many, never played a hundred
notes when a few well-placed ones would do.
The next three tracks feature long-time Ellington vocalist Al Hibbler,
who has an immediate impact on the audience. He had an unusually dramatic
style for a band singer, but always seemed to go down well with every
audience.
The next-to-last piece was a medley of the Duke's greatest hits;
this I believe had two purposes: one was to deal with the many requests
he received and the other was that the crowd always applauded each
tune they recognised!
The last piece has something new: Tyree Glenn on vibraphone. Together
with Ellington he swings along neatly on Limehouse Blues, until
the powerhouse trumpet section jumps into action for one last time
to round things off.
This record is a piece of jazz history that should be in everybody’s
collection.
Don Mather
See also the review by Pierre
Giroux
CD Reviews
Nimbus NI 2727/28
