JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH
In 1950, Duke Ellington’s son Mercer and journalist Leonard Feather founded the Mercer label. The small company lasted for less than two years but recorded a variety of interesting and sometimes intriguing sessions. Since Duke Ellington was signed to the Columbia label during the time, his full orchestra never recorded for Mercer but he participated in many of the sessions.
Some of Mercer’s sessions feature vocalists including Al Hibbler, Chubby Kemp, and Sarah Forde, and there were also dates headed by (among others) Johnny Hodges, vibist Joe Roland, saxophonist Eddie Shu, and baritonist Serge Chaloff. Duke Ellington’s Great Times, a 27-song CD put out by Jasmine, has all of the instrumental sessions on which Ellington and/or Billy Strayhorn performed. Some of the selections were put out through the years by the Prestige label but it is nice to have all of these in one place.
The first five numbers feature Oscar Pettiford, one of the great jazz bassists, playing cello while backed by a supportive rhythm section with Ellington that sometimes also has Strayhorn on celeste. Pettiford, along with Harry Babasin, was jazz’s first cello soloist, not using a bow but plucking the instrument like a high-toned miniature bass. His cello playing holds one’s interest.
Eight of the performances are trios that match Ellington and Strayhorn on pianos with either Wendell Marshall or Joe Shulman on bass. The interplay between the keyboardists is quite modern and sometimes wild, particularly on “Tonk” and “Johnny Come Lately.” A dozen numbers feature small combos taken from the Ellington Orchestra (“The Coronets”) and these selections give such players as valve trombonist Juan Tizol, altoist Willie Smith, and tenor-saxophonist Paul Gonsalves opportunities to be featured “Britt and Butter Blues” has trombonists Britt Woodman and Quentin Jackson displaying their very different styles. In addition, organist Wild Bill Davis is featured on “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be” and “The New Piano Roll Blues” has Ellington on the mandolin piano and includes a brief spot for trumpeter Red Rodney.
Great Times fills a gap in the remarkably prolific career of Duke Ellington.
Great Times
Jasmine JASMCD 2842
www.jasmine-records.co.uk
Since 1975 Scott Yanow has been a regular reviewer of albums in many jazz styles. He has written for many jazz and arts magazines, including JazzTimes, Jazziz, Down Beat, Cadence, CODA, and the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, and was the jazz editor for Record Review. He has written an in-depth biography on Dizzy Gillespie for AllMusic.com. He has authored 11 books on jazz, over 900 liner notes for CDs and over 20,000 reviews of jazz recordings.
Yanow was a contributor to and co-editor of the third edition of the All Music Guide to Jazz. He continues to write for Downbeat, Jazziz, the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, the Jazz Rag, the New York City Jazz Record and other publications.
