There should probably be such a thing. But for me, this is really a gigantic stack of Ellington records. I could probably get rid of a few of these, since I have the mammoth boxed set. Anyway, here we go:
The Ellington Era, 1927-1940, Vol. 1 – Great early recordings, including my fave, “East St. Louis Toddle-O.” It’s nice to hear Duke Ellington and His Washingtonians evolve into …& His Famous Orchestra, and I love listening to how the bass evolves from Wellman Braud’s 2-beat New Orleans style to Jimmy Blanton’s scary technically amazing style.
The Ellington Era, 1927-1940, Vol. 2 – More great early recordins. Wellman Braud’s 2-beat slams. Seems like a lot of these tunes are blues-with-a-bridge style. Great collection, but I did Vol. 1 a bit more.
Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra – The classic band, with Jimmy Blanton, although the September 16, 1941 date is nearly the last Blanton recorded.
The Blanton-Webster Band – Perhaps at the peak of his powers, Duke with his greatest band. Man, Jimmy Blanton was amazing. This collection is a must-own.
The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts, December 1944 – Duke’s band first played Carnegie in February, 1939, and they went back annually until…sometime in the 1950s? I love these concerts, and have a whole bunch of them. This is an interesting change from the last record because Ben Webster left, and – tragically – Jimmy Blanton died. Junior Raglin fills in nicely for Blanton, especially on “Pitter Panther Patter.”
A Date with the Duke – Vol. 1 – The first of a six volume set (which I don’t have) that presents some of Duke’s live concerts. These two were at the 400 Restaurant in NYC (May 5, 1945) and the Paradise Theatre in Detroit (May 19, 1945). Junior Raglin and Harry Carney sound unbelievable on this record!
Carnegie Hall Concert, January 4, 1946 – Another great Carnegie Hall concert. The band plays great, and Oscar Pettiford, especially, sounds fantastic.
The Uncollected Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Vol. 1, 1946 – A great set of recordings from May 28, 1946. This is especially interesting because Oscar Pettiford is replaced by Wilson Myers on a few tracks and Billy Strayhorn plays piano on “Passion Flower.” He reminds me of Kenton on Bob Graettinger’s “Thermopylae.” Some really burning pieces on this, including “Riff and Drill,” and Oscar Pettiford’s playing on “Blue Abandon.”
The Uncollected Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Vol. 3, 1946 – Another really, really swingin’ affair. This one has Pettiford throughout and Billy Strayhorn plays on “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing.” The recording dates are July 16-17, 1946.
Black, Brown and Beige – If the boxed set above (The Blanton-Webster Band) chronicled the amazing Jimmy Blanton, this one is about Oscar Pettiford, who just rules for like 6 LPs straight! I love him anyway, but man, on this set, he is ferocious! Many amazing, classic Ellington works on this set, too. Worth picking up for anyone who is looking for a great sampling of the Ellington sound.
The Uncollected Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Vol. 4, 1947 – Another really great collection of recordings. Oscar Pettiford continues to be a star, and I love the way that Ray Nance sings “St. Louis Blues.”
The Uncollected Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Vol. 5, 1947 – The final volume of this series. I love it. I especially love Oscar Pettiford on this – he is just totally amazing!
Do You Like Jazz, No. 6 – This is a French CBS pressing of “The Liberian Suite” and “A Tone Parallel to Harlem (The Harlem Suite)” Now, I love “The Liberian Suite,” so I have listened to that tons of times. I especially like “I Like the Sunrise.” But man, “The Harlem Suite” – ? I have no idea how I missed that one. Had to listen to it twice here. Oscar Pettiford is still incredible and pushes “Liberian” wonderfully, but he’s not there for “Harlem.” This time, it’s Wendell Marshall on bass, and he rules, too. But, the writing! This is an amazing, metric modulation universe.
Monologue – Another French CBS pressing, this one is a collection of recordings from the late 1940s and early 1950s. Still slammin’. There is a nice Third Stream-ish tune, called “New York Blues,” but with no personnel. Oscar Pettiford is on a bunch of this record, and guess what? He still sounds amazing.
The World of Duke Ellington – This is an American Columbia collection of music from the same basic timeframe. A few pieces overlap with the French CBS records above. Just great. Oscar Pettiford is positively ferocious on this album!
The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts, December 1947 – Another great concert, and the stand-out, for me, is the “Liberian Suite.” Both Oscar Pettiford and Junior Raglin sound great on this one.
Masterpieces by Ellington – Four tunes, rearranged beautifully; “Mood Indigo” is exceptional.
West Coast Tour – Two sides of great writing and exceptional playing. Wendell Marshall (bass) sounds fantastic, and Louis Bellson (especially on “All Day Long”) is also super great. This version of “Diminuendo in Blue” and “Crescendo in Blue” must be the template for the famous Newport version. Paul Gonsalves builds his solo for umpteen choruses of the blues… Interesting album title: recorded in New York and New Jersey.
The Best of Duke Ellington – I usually worry about Best of…records, but this – I think – is the first Duke Ellington album I ever heard. My dad had a huge LP collection, and I remember hearing a few of those albums when I was still knee high to a grasshopper. But this one really stands out in my memory. My girlfriend (at the time; my wife) purchased this record for me via a brand new technology called eBay.
The 1954 Los Angeles Concert – Ok, Jimmy Woode, “new” bassist, rules. Clark Terry sounds amazing, as always. But the real question is this: Given Paul Gonsalves’ great sound, flowing, fascinating ideas, and Ray Nance (same deal) on trumpet, violin and vocals, why aren’t they more known?
The Washington, D.C. Amory Concert, April 30, 1955 – Sooooo Bop! Clark Terry is all over this thing and the solos, on the whole, are so bop on this record.
The Bethlehem Years, Vol. 1 – A collection of February 1956 recordings with an amazing band. This band keeps Clark Terry and adds Jimmy Woode and Sam Woodyard – a dynamic duo! This record is the debut for “Upper Manhattan Medical Group.”
The Bethlehem Years, Vol. 2 – The follow up is mostly standards, with only a couple Ellington pieces. Funny that these are the “…Years…,” given the fact that they were both recorded in February 1956. Shredding “Cotton Tail,” and oh, yeah, Sam Woodyard!
Such Sweet Thunder – Truly, a classic. I love this album. I think I like it, independently from having performed the whole thing with the Either/Orchestra on one of Rob Kapilow’s What Makes it Great concerts. But man, this is a great record. The playing is, of course, amazing, but the writing – which is always amazing – is just light years beyond what Ellington seemed to be doing in the 1950s. Magical.
Ellington Indigos – A record that I should have heard 30 years ago, but only just got about 10 years ago. It’s fantastic. The re-imagining of Ellington classics and other standards comes through as if Ellington is telling a story of his own…indigos? Anyway, it’s great. This whole period is groovy, and in particular, I’m a fan of Clark Terry, Jimmy Wood and Sam Woodyard(!).
All-Star Road Band – Swingin’! Sam Woodyard is unbelievable on this – the star of the show, for me. Duke mentions Newport on this, and Paul Gonzalves takes another super long, motivically brilliant solo on “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue.”
Duke Ellington in Sweden – Still the same high standard, and since Clark Terry, Jimmy Woode and Sam Woodyard are on this, I’m a huge fan. Clark rules throughout, and even manages to get a quote of “Bebop” in there.
Blues in Orbit – No more Clark Terry, sadly. But that doesn’t stop this record from being super great. I love Duke in this period. I know, I know, his great music was in the 1940s, and the hard-core completists swear by the 1920s-1930s as his true magic. But this period, even though it’s more commercial, I suppose, has masterful arranging and composing, with stellar playing. No more being bogged down by, well, anyone. I hate to name names, but I guess I should just say that I think that there are some bassists who drive this band…crazy. And if the rhythm section isn’t happening, then it doesn’t matter. That takes us out of the 1920s and even a bit away from the 1930s. The 1940s is magic, too, but with Jimmy Wood(e) and Sam Woodyard, life is amazing.
Piano in the Background – More piano solos than normal, totally swinging, but no more Clark Terry!
Unknown Session – This is a collection of small group recordings is from July 1960. They were unearthed a couple decades later. For me, the dynamic duo of Aaron Bell and Sam Woodyard are…wow.
Nutcracker Suite/Peer Gynt – I often play a swinging version of “Ode to Joy” on the piano for my students as an example of what not to do when importing classical music into a jazz realm…surely there is a better way! But in this case, the swinging is so great, and the orchestrations are so magical that who cares? I love this album, and always have.
First Time! The Count Meets the Duke – So, so, so swingin’! Absolutely the definition of swinging music.
All Star Road Band, Vol. 2 – It is hard to imagine a more swinging, lovely night out than checking out Duke on the road. Recorded in Chicago, May 31, 1964 – the year of The Beatles. Really great version of “Isfahan.”
Ellington ’66 – Ok, the truth is that this is not Duke’s hippest period, but I still love it. It’s fantastic to hear him use his lifetime of great, artistic decisions on commercial material, you know, like Beatles’ tunes.
Concert in the Virgin Islands – Super great, swinging, fun. Sam Woodyard is the star – they call him “Shufflin’ Sam” on the record jacket…
Greatest Hits, recorded ‘Live’ in Concert – Like the past couple records, this is a Reprise album, and it’s not really the best work ever, but then again, we are talking about a master and his amazing band. So, it’s really not all that bad, when you think about it…
” …and His Mother Called Him Bill” – With this record, the beginning of the end. This LP was recorded shortly after Billy Strayhorn died of cancer in 1967, and reflects both Duke Ellington’s affection for his close friend, as well as the acknowledgement that he and his colleagues are aging. You can hear mourning and mortality in this record. Clark Terry is back on this, and he plays wonderfully.
Second Sacred Concert – With “…and His Mother Called Him Bill,” I have rounded a major corner in the Ellington listening. Don’t get me wrong, I love Duke Ellington, but these last few records are just not quite my thing. The Third Stream-ness of this particular work is interesting, and a part of a continuum which began with Duke’s many Suites, but, for me, this album is not as interesting as its title might suggest. One bright light here, though, aside from “Heaven,” is Duke’s electric piano playing.
Yale Concert – Man, finally. Made it to Yale. I love this record, and what a relief from the last one! Swinging, contemplative, lovely. And Sam Woodyard! And Jeff Castleman!
70th Birthday Concert – Wow! This was a really slammin’ concert, and with both Victor Gaskin and Wild Bill Davis, the rhythm section is swinging and full sounding. This version of “Caravan,” though brief, is amazing.
Togo Brava Suite – Well, now I know what Duke Ellington was doing when I was born. About one week after my birth, Ellington recorded these performances in England. The group is a multi-generational mix, with a bit less than half being veterans of the Ellington Orchestra. That doesn’t mean the band sounds bad! They sound great, actually. But what a difference in approaches! The beat and the vibrato coming from the elders is completely different from the “kids,” and the content of the kids sure seems more like Chord Scale Theory than what the “old guys” were dishing out.
Eastbourne Performance – And this is the most recent Duke Ellington LP I have. Actually, if Wikipedia is right(!), this is Duke’s last date. Timner’s Ellingtonia: The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen (Studies in Jazz) may show a few dates after this Until March 1974), but that this record is from Duke’s last tour outside the US, there is no question. Some old cats on this: Harry Carney, Harold Ashby, Russell Procope, but some youngsters, too. I love Joe Benjamin’s bass playing. But mostly, I dig how relaxed this whole date seems.
So there you have it: all my Duke Ellington records, in chronological order of some sort or another. What an experience it has been to listen to all of this! Timestamps on my writing show that this project took nearly 9 months to get through. I wonder how long the CD collection will take!
I love that Earth was graced by his Duke-ship, and that his work was so well documented.
R.