Duke Ellington’s tune The Mooche, composed in 1928, belongs to an era that spawned many other atmospheric classics such as Luis Russell’s Call of the Freaks and Don Redman’s Chant of the Weed. Fifty years later the menacing undertone of The Mooche was seized upon by saxophonist Steve Lacy and turned into an unforgettably raw version on his 1978 album Points (which I bought on vinyl when it first came out) in which he duets on soprano with Steve Potts, delivering the haunting minor-key theme with a sound like knives being sharpened.
Archive for Duke Ellington
The Mooche – Steve Lacy
Posted in Jazz with tags Duke Ellington, Points, soprano saxophone, Steve Lacy, Steve Potts, The Mooche on June 15, 2024 by telescoperR.I.P. Michael Parkinson (1935-2023)
Posted in Jazz, R.I.P., Television with tags Duke Ellington, Michael Parkinson, Parky, Satin Doll on August 17, 2023 by telescoperMore sad news today. Chat show host and journalist Michael Parkinson has passed away at the age of 88. I watched his show very frequently on Saturday nights during its first run (from 1971 and 1982) and remember many great interviews he did, especially with wonderful raconteurs such as Peter Ustinov and Kenneth Williams.
I can’t add much to the extensive obituaries you can find in the regular media except to say that Parky was a big fan of jazz, as am I, and he often got jazz musicians on his show. One example I remember vividly watching 50 years ago (!) in 1973 was Duke Ellington. I remember the interview very well, but what I remember even better was the impromptu postscript. As they were wrapping up the recording, Ellington said he wanted to play a number with the resident band (led by Harry Stoneham on the organ), who I’m sure were absolutely thrilled at the prospect. What followed was this version of Ellington’s own tune Satin Doll. Parky’s show had its own signature tune, but I don’t think he’d mind being played out with this…
R.I.P. Michael Parkinson (1935-2023)
Jubilee Stomp – Duke Ellington
Posted in Jazz with tags Bubber Miley, Duke Ellington, Platinum Jubilee, Tricky Sam Nanton on June 5, 2022 by telescoperAs my only contribution to the ongoing Platinum Jubilee celebrations, here’s a classic record that’s almost as old as Queen Elizabeth II and is by a prominent member of the Jazz nobility, the Duke of Ellington.
As far as I know this is the first recording of Jubilee Stomp, made in early 1928, though the band made several other versions. At the time this one was made, Duke Ellington’s Orchestra had just started as the house band at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem which soon established the venue as the hottest nightspot in New York. That almost didn’t happen: the residency was initially offered to King Oliver, but he wanted too much money and so it passed to the second choice, Duke Ellington. The rest, as they say, his history.
Anyway, this is a digitally remastered version of the original Okeh recording, which brings out the best of the Ellington Band of that time, especially the great Wellman Braud who introduced the style of walking bass that quickly established itself as a mainstay of every rhythm section.
This version of Ellington’s Orchestra was actually only a ten-piece band, but it was packed with great soloists and you’ll hear superb growl trumpet from James “Bubber” Miley, clarinet from Barney Bigard, and trombone from Joe “Tricky Sam” Nanton, among others. There’s also a nice example of the piano style of the young Duke Ellington himself. Enjoy!
Sugar Rum Cherry – Duke Ellington
Posted in Biographical, Jazz with tags Billy Strayhorn, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Duke Ellington, Jazz, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sugar Rum Cherry on December 3, 2021 by telescoperToday has been one of those days on which I’ve been quite busy all day but seem to have achieved very little so I eventually retreated home in the rain to have a drink or several before making dinner.
Jazz and classical music don’t always provide a palatable blend, but here’s one cocktail that definitely works, especially as the festive season approaches. It’s from the 1960 album The Nutcracker Suite by Duke Ellington, based on original music for the ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovksy. Most of the arranging on the album was done by Duke Ellington’s regular collaborator Billy Strayhorn, and the result is every bit as witty, elegant and charming as you’d expect. This is their gorgeous take on The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy:
Remembering Johnny Hodges – Jeep’s Blues (Live at Newport, 1956)
Posted in Jazz with tags Duke Ellington, Jazz, Jeep's Blues, Johnny Hodges, Newport Jazz Festival 1956 on May 11, 2020 by telescoperThe great alto saxophonist and long-term mainstay of the Duke Ellington Orchestra Johnny Hodges passed away 50 years ago today, on 11th May 1970.
Here’s the piece that was his signature tune, Jeep’s Blues – played during a very famous live concert by the Ellington band at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956.
Feast your ears on that huge soulful sound that was perfect for playing the blues!
Thelonious Monk plays Duke Ellington
Posted in Jazz with tags Duke Ellington, I let a song go out of my heart, Jazz, Thelonious Monk, Thelonious Monk plays Duke Ellington on February 17, 2020 by telescoperThis morning there was a reminder on the radio that today is the anniversary of the death of the great Thelonious Monk, who died on 17th February 1982. I went to a concert by British pianist Stan Tracey the day after the sad news broke and he threw away his intended play list and played nothing but Monk tunes for the whole evening. It was a wonderful concert and a moving tribute from one musician to another who had clearly influenced him deeply.
Last week I was asked by a young man to recommend some albums because he wanted to find out more about Monk’s music. Among those I suggested was Thelonious Monk plays Duke Ellington which was recorded in 1956 for the Riverside Label, and features a trio of Thelonious Monk (piano), Oscar Pettiford (bass) and Kenny Clarke (drums).
This is an unusual album because it finds Monk doing what the recording executives asked, namely to play standard tunes rather than his original compositions. The most performed jazz composer of all time* is Duke Ellington so he was a natural source of material to choose, and the album that resulted is absolutely fascinating not least because Monk clearly relates very well to Ellington’s music. In fact it’s one of my all-time favourites. Here is just one track from it, I let a Song go out of my Heart. Enjoy!
*The second most performed jazz composer of all time is none other than Monk himself!
Piano in the Foreground
Posted in Biographical, Jazz with tags Aaron Bell, Duke Ellington, Piano in the Foreground, Sam Woodyward on February 19, 2019 by telescoperJudging by the statistics provided by WordPress about the traffic on this blog, there’s less than overwhelming interest in the posts I do about Jazz. Whenever I put such an item on here the number of hits invariably goes down nearly as steeply as when I post poetry. On the other hand, there is at least some overlap between people who like Jazz and people who read this blog for other reasons. Last week, for example, during the public defence of a PhD thesis in Copenhagen the candidate made reference to an album by the great pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington. A large part of the dissertation was devoted to foreground contamination of the cosmic microwave background, which is why Piano in the Foreground came up. I even asked a question about the album cover at the end of the talk – I recognized Duke Ellington and drummer Sam Woodyward, but couldn’t name the bass player. It turned out to be a trick question, in that two bass players appear in the personnel listing of the album, but the one in the picture is Aaron Bell.
Undaunted by the likely negative impact on my blog statistics, I thought I would share the album here. Ellington didn’t record many albums with a piano trio, which is a great shame as he had a wonderful individual style that comes across very well in that setting. He was also extremely influential pianist – you can definitely hear his influence in Thelonious Monk, for example.
Here is the whole album via Youtube and very fine it is too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did listening to it over the weekend for the first time in decades!
Come Sunday
Posted in Jazz with tags Come Sunday, Duke Ellington, Mahalia Jackson on January 21, 2018 by telescoperI can’t believe that I’ve been sharing music on this blog for almost a decade and haven’t yet posted this. It’s a beautiful Duke Ellington song Come Sunday, written for the extended concert suite Black, Brown and Beige, later appeared in the Duke Ellington concerts of sacred music, and eventually became a jazz standard. It was written for solo voice along with the full Ellington band, but this almost entirely a cappella version featuring the great gospel singer Mahalia Jackson with a few bits of Duke Ellington on piano is my favourite version. It’s a hauntingly elusive melody, but Mahalia Jackson fills it with her entire soul…
Ellington meets Tchaikovsky
Posted in Jazz with tags Duke Ellington, Nutcracker Suite, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky on December 9, 2017 by telescoperJazz and classical music don’t always provide a palatable blend, but here’s one cocktail that definitely works, especially in the festive season. It’s from the 1960 album The Nutcracker Suite by Duke Ellington, based on original music for the ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovksy. Most of the arranging on the album was, I think, done by Duke Ellington’s regular collaborator Billy Strayhorn, and the result is every bit as witty, elegant and charming as you’d expect. No doubt some classical music fans will hate this, but I think it’s wonderful!
This is the Overture. If you like it do check out the other tracks!
In the Dark 