Jazz
Recorded between 1927 and 1930
Digitally remastered by Tim Geelan & Larry Keyes (Sony Music, New York, New York)
Features Duke Ellington and His Orchestra in various incarnations under the names of The Washingtonians, The Harlem Footwarmers, Sonny Greer & His Memphis Men, etc.
Duke Ellington (arranger, piano)
Cootie Williams (vocals, trumpet); Baby Cox, Adelaide Hall, Irving Mills, Sid Garry (vocals); Otto Hardwick (soprano, alto & baritone saxophones); Johnny Hodges (soprano & alto saxophones, clarinet); Harry Carney (alto & baritone saxophones, clarinet); Barney Bigard, Rudy Jackson, Prince Robinson (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Freddie Jenkins, Louis Metcalf, Bubber Miley, Jabbo Smith, Arthur Whetsel (trumpet); Lawrence Brown, Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Juan Tizol (trombone); Henry Edwards (tuba); Lonnie Johnson (guitar); Fred Guy (banjo); Wellman Braud (bass); Sonny Greer (drums)
Producers: Tommy Rockwell, Bob Stephens, Irving Mills.
Compilation producer: Michael Brooks.
Includes liner notes by Stanley Dance
With a catalogue as enormous and uniformly impressive as Duke Ellington's, it is difficult to ferret out those recordings that truly stand out. THE OKEH ELLINGTON is one of those gems. Collecting the sides Duke and his Orchestra waxed for the legendary OKeh label, this set gives a stunning overview of the dance-oriented compositions Ellington wrote, performed and popularized at New York's Cotton Club in the 1920s.
The number of immortal jazz classics here--"East St. Louis Toodle-oo," "The Mooche," "Black and Tan Fantasy," "Rockin' In Rhythm," and "Mood Indigo"--amazes. The members of the Orchestra demonstrate superior musicianship, and these early ranks include long-term Ellington stars such as Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Sonny Greer and Barney Bigard. Several of the tracks appear more than once, though in the face of such fine material, this is only a minor complaint. In all, this collection stands as a monument not only to the best of Ellington's early oeuvre, but to some of the finest, most accessible (yet adventurous) work in jazz. With the exception of the more comprehensive box sets and the deservedly well-known BLANTON-WEBSTER YEARS set, THE OKEH ELLINGTON is as good as it gets.
Although generally not as celebrated as his Victor recordings of the same period, Duke Ellington's performances for OKeh (late acquired by Columbia) are among the best of the period, featuring distinctive solos by the likes of trumpeter Bubber Miley (and later his replacement Cootie Williams), trombonist Tricky Sam Nanton (who, like Miley, was an expert with wah-wah mutes), clarinetist Barney Bigard, and altoist Johnny Hodges, among others. These 50 performances (which bypass Ellington's alternate takes) contain many classics, including his original theme "East St. Louis Toodle-oo," "Black and Tan Fantasy," "The Mooche," "Mood Indigo," and his two earliest solo piano sides. This is one of the best sets of early Ellington available.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
