DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1939, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 780 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The biggest change for the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the relatively brief period covered by this CD is that on "Little Posey," Jimmy Blanton became the band's new bassist, taking over for Billy Taylor. While Taylor was a fine supportive player, Blanton was the first great soloist on his instrument and an innovative player who was a decade ahead of his time. This CD in Classics' extensive Duke Ellington chronological series, as usual, has all of the master takes from both Ellington's big band and the small groups led by his sidemen (trumpeter Cootie Williams and altoist Johnny Hodges), but skips over the valuable alternate takes. Among the most memorable selections are the spirited "I'm Checkin' Out Go'ombye," "Black Beauty," "The Sergeant Was Shy," two versions of "Grievin'," "Little Posey," and "Tootin' Through the Roof" (which has a brief trumpet battle by Cootie Williams and Rex Stewart). Scott Yanow    Tracklist :

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1939-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 790 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD has Duke Ellington's final recordings for the Columbia and Vocalion labels before switching over to Victor and beginning what many consider to be his greatest period on record. During this period, Ben Webster joined the band on tenor, taking his first solo on "Solitude." The band was up to ten major soloists and, whether heard as the full orchestra or in small groups led by altoist Johnny Hodges, clarinetist Barney Bigard, or trumpeter Cootie Williams, the music was generally very rewarding. High points of this intriguing transitional disc include an Ellington piano solo on "Blues," "Lost in Two Flats," and several remakes (including "Solitude," "Mood Indigo," and "Sophisticated Lady"). In addition, a pair of unprecedented bass-piano duets ("Blues" and "Plucked Again") for the first time really show off the solo abilities of bassist Jimmy Blanton. Scott Yanow     Tracklist + Credits :

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 805 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

While listeners really should just dive right in and get the three-disc Blanton-Webster Band package from Bluebird, this single disc does a fine job of chronicling Ellington's epochal 1940 sessions. One of a few Classics discs covering that year, the 22-track collection takes in such milestones as "Concerto for Cootie," "Cottontail," "Ko-Ko," and "Sepia Panorama," while spotlighting some absolutely classic solo work by Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, Rex Stewart, and Barney Bigard, among many others. And even with such essential cuts as "In a Mellotone" and "Warm Valley" missing -- not to mention a handful of duets featuring Ellington and bassist Jimmy Blanton -- this roundup still has more than enough bedrock jazz to keep newcomers fully engrossed. Stephen Cook      Tracklist :

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940, Vol. 2 | The Classics Chronological Series – 820 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1940 may not have been as popular with the general public as that of Glenn Miller, but they were one of the great big bands of all time. The best way to acquire their music is to get all of the alternate takes, which are available through RCA/Bluebird, but the Classics series has done a fine job of reissuing all of the master takes. This particular disc has a small-group session apiece led by altoist Johnny Hodges and cornetist Rex Stewart along with nine songs from the big band. Among the gems are "In a Mellotone," "Five O'Clock Whistle," "Warm Valley" (heard twice), "Daydream," and "Linger Awhile." In addition, the four classic Jimmy Blanton-Duke Ellington bass-piano duets (which include "Pitter Panther Patter" and "Mr. J.B. Blues") are included and find Blanton sounding quite futuristic, almost like Charles Mingus 15 years later. Scott Yanow Tracklist :

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940-1941 | The Classics Chronological Series – 837 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Starting with the first selection by Barney Bigard's small group, Ray Nance succeeded Cootie Williams (who had left to join Benny Goodman) as Duke Ellington's trumpet soloist. The Ellington orchestra was so strong that Williams' departure did not make much of a difference. After all, the band still featured such soloists as Rex Stewart, Lawrence Brown, Joe Tricky Sam Nanton, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Jimmy Blanton, and Ellington himself, with vocals from Ivie Anderson and Herb Jeffries and writing by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Other than the first four numbers on this disc (taken from a Barney Bigard small-group date), the full orchestra is heard throughout the CD. Among the more memorable numbers are "Flamingo" (Herb Jeffries' big hit), the original version of "Take the 'A' Train," "Jumpin' Punkins," "Blue Serge," "Just a-Sittin' and a-Rockin," the original recording of "I Got It Bad" (featuring Ivie Anderson), and a pair of Ellington piano solos. Scott Yanow  Tracklist + Credits :

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1941 | The Classics Chronological Series – 851 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Duke Ellington's last recordings before Pearl Harbor are on this CD. The band's personnel remained remarkably consistent, except that Jimmy Blanton was forced into retirement by tuberculosis before the final four selections on this disc, unfortunately passing away the following year. Included on this set are sessions led by cornetist Rex Stewart, altoist Johnny Hodges, and clarinetist Barney Bigard, which include the initial recordings of "Subtle Slough" (soon renamed "Just Squeeze Me"), "Passion Flower," "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," and "C Jam Blues" (initially called "'C' Blues"). The big band selections are highlighted by "Rocks in My Bed," Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge," and "Raincheck." This is classic music, whether acquired in this series or with the alternate takes on its American counterpart through RCA/Bluebird. Scott Yanow  Tracklist :

JOHNNY HODGES - The Jeep Is Jumpin' (2003) 4xCD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With or without Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges was always an elemental Ellingtonian, for Hodges' tone and technique were essential components of the Ellington sound and style. Released in 2003 as Proper Box 58, The Jeep Is Jumpin' samples the saxophonist's studio output during the years 1937-1956. After a tour of Hodges' first sessions as a leader and a well-rounded sampling of his best recordings from the '40s, Proper samples his Parisian Vogue sessions of 1950, and closes the set with 20 neatly executed studies in early modern mainstream jazz overseen by producer Norman Granz. 14 of the 95 tracks feature vocalists from the late '30s, and most of these occur on the first disc.

While the period pop tunes sung by Buddy Clark, Mary McHugh, Leon La Fell, and Jean Eldridge constitute valuable evidence of the saxophonist's skill as an accompanist, this collection's instrumental tracks really illuminate his unparalleled genius as composer, interpreter, balladeer and improviser. Beginning with "Wanderlust" (December 1938), Hodges' personality begins to manifest ever more profoundly, and the plot thickens during the 1939 stratum at the beginning of Disc Two, with the arrival of Billy Strayhorn and bassist Jimmy Blanton. "Finesse (Night Wind)" and "You're Driving Me Crazy" are fairly uncommon instances of Hodges accompanied only by bass and piano. "Good Queen Bess" and "That's the Blues, Old Man" are distillations of his personality and temperament, while "Passion Flower" and "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" epitomize the kind of lushly sensuous music that Strayhorn wrote with him in mind. In 1947, Hodges cut a series of excellent records for the Sunrise and Mercer labels, including his masterpiece "A Little Taste" and "Let the Zoomers Drool," a zoomer being postwar slang for a mooch.

There are 14 examples on this collection of music recorded in Paris during the spring and early summer of 1950 by Hodges and a group of Ellingtonians, with tenor saxophonist Don Byas sitting in on "Jump That's All," "Last Leg Blues," "Nix It Mix It," and "Time on My Hands." The other tenor who pops up throughout the second half of the set is Al Sears, who is featured on "Searsy's Blues" and the punchy "Castle Rock." The last 20 tracks in this collection were cut in New York during 1951-1956 under the supervision of Norman Granz, and in many cases feature the trumpet of Emmett Berry. Here Hodges had a chance to stretch out and do his own thing at some distance from Ellington's immediate orbit. The combination of late-‘30s material, strong choices from the '40s, highlights from Hodges' visit to Paris in 1950, and the cream of his early Norman Granz sessions places this set among the best of the Johnny Hodges collections, and well among the strongest entries in the Proper catalog. arwulf arwulf
Disc One: Hodge Podge
Disc Two: Day Dream
Disc Three: A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
Disc Four: Castle Rock
All Tracks & Credits :

REX STEWART | BARNEY BIGGARD | JOHNNY HODGES - The Great Ellington Units (1993) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Beginning in the '30s, Duke Ellington started recording with small groups taken out of his orchestra under the leadership of his sidemen. These highly enjoyable recordings offered the musicians some variety and the chance to debut some new material. All but two of the small-group recordings cut for Victor during 1940-41 are included on this very enjoyable CD including such future Ellington-associated standards as "Day Dream," "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," "Passion Flower" and "C Jam Blues." With altoist Johnny Hodges, cornetist Rex Stewart and clarinetist Barney Bigard acting as leaders (and bassist Jimmy Blanton inspiring the soloists), the music is consistently brilliant Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Johnny Hodges And Orchestra–    Day Dream 2'59
Written-By – Strayhorn, Ellington
2    Johnny Hodges And Orchestra–    Good Queen Bess 3'03
Written-By – Johnny Hodges
3    Johnny Hodges And Orchestra–    That's The Blues, Old Man 2'58
Written-By – Johnny Hodges
4    Johnny Hodges And Orchestra–    Junior Shop 3'09
Written-By – Duke Ellington
5    Rex Stewart And Orchestra–    Without A Song 2'48
Written-By – Rose, Eliscu, Youmans
6    Rex Stewart And Orchestra–    My Sunday Gal 3'12

Written-By – Duke Ellington
7    Rex Stewart And Orchestra–    Mobile Bay 3'08
Written-By – Duke Ellington
8    Rex Stewart And Orchestra–    Linger Awhile 3'30
Written-By – Owens, Rose
9    Barney Bigard And Orchestra–    Charlie The Chulo 3'02
Written-By – Duke Ellington
10    Barney Bigard And Orchestra–    Lament For Javanette 2'51
Written-By – Duke Ellington
11    Barney Bigard And Orchestra–    A Lull At Dawn 3'29
Written-By – Barney Bigard
12    Barney Bigard And Orchestra–    Ready Eddy 33'13
Written-By – Barney Bigard
13    Rex Stewart And Orchestra–    Some Saturday 3'00
Written-By – Rex Stewart
14    Rex Stewart And Orchestra–    Subtle Slough 3'19
Written-By – Duke Ellington
15    Rex Stewart And Orchestra–    Menelik (The Lion Of Judah) 3'19
Written-By – Rex Stewart
16    Rex Stewart And Orchestra–    Poor Rubber 3'20
Written-By – Rex Stewart
17    Johnny Hodges And Orchestra–    Squaty Roo 2'26
Written-By – Johnny Hodges
18    Johnny Hodges And Orchestra–    Passion Flower 3'10
Written-By – Billy Strayhorn
19    Johnny Hodges And Orchestra–    Things Ain't What They Used To Be 3'41
Written-By – Mercer Ellington
20    Johnny Hodges And Orchestra–    Going Out The Back Way 2'44
Written-By – Johnny Hodges
21    Barney Bigard And Orchestra–    Brown Suede 3'05
Written-By – Mercer Ellington
22    Barney Bigard And Orchestra–    "C" Blues 2'51
Written-By – Duke Ellington

JOHNNY HODGES - Day Dream (1996) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Flamingo 4'35
(Grouya / Anderson
2    Time On My Hands 4'18
(Adamson / Gordon / Youmans
3    Night And Day 4'24
(Porter)
4    Esquire Swank 3'28
(Hodges / Ellington)
5    Day Dream 2'58
(La Touche / Strayhorn / Ellington)
6    Passion Flower 3'09
(B. Strayhorn)
7    That's The Blues, Old Man 2'57
(J. Hodges)
8    A Flower Is A lovesome Thing 2'53
(J. Hodges)
9    Frisky 2'49
(J. Hodges)
10    Longhorn Blues 2'52
(J. Hodges)
11    Far Away Blues 2'57
(J. Hodges)
12    Dream Blues 3'02
(J. Hodges)
13    Finesse (Night Wind) 2'42
(Hodges / Ellington)
14    Good Gal Blues 2'58
(Ellington)
15    Wanderlust 2'47
(Hodges / Ellington)
16    Krum Elbow Blues 2'35
(Hodges / Ellington)
17    I'm In Another World 3'02
(Hodges / Ellington)
18    Hodge Podge 2'36
(Hodges / Ellington)
19    (I'm Riding On The Moon) And Dancing On The Stars 2'55
(Mills / Ellington)
20    Savoy Strut 2'31
(Hodges / Ellington)
21    Home Town Blues 2'39
(J. Hodges)
22    Skunk Hollow Blues 2'39
(J. Hodges)