Trumpeter Cootie Williams (1911-1985) will always be most famous for his association with Duke Ellington. He became Bubber Miley’s successor as Ellington’s plunger mute specialist during 1929-40 and, after a 22-year “vacation, he returned for another dozen years (1962-74). Williams had his own sound, could also play top-notch unmuted solos, and was always happy to acknowledge the inspiration of Louis Armstrong even while he sounded very much like himself. However there was more to his career than his years with Ellington.
The four-CD set Concerto For Cootie – Selected Recordings 1928-62 is a superb summary of his career. It reveals how the trumpeter adapted himself to the evolution of jazz and popular music while not compromising his sound. The collection begins with the trumpeter’s recording debut, two numbers with a group led by pianist James P. Johnson in 1928. Next it digs into the Ellington years with Williams not only heard with Duke’s Orchestra on such songs as “Hot Feet,” “Ring Dem Bells,” “Bugle Call Rag,” “Harmony In Harlem,” “Echoes Of Harlem,” “Concerto For Cootie,” and “In a Mellotone,” but on some of the best numbers from his own small group dates that mostly utilized Ellington sidemen (including the haunting “Blue Reverie,” “Tiger Rag,” “The Boys From Harlem,” “Black Beauty,” and “Black Butterfly”) plus select
