DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1217 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Eight of the selections on this interesting CD feature Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on pianos, with backup work by either Wendell Marshall or Joe Shulman on bass plus an unidentified drummer on a few numbers. Among the more notable selections are "Cotton Tail," "C Jam Blues," "Johnny Come Lately," and particularly a wild version of "Tonk." These performances are easily available on Prestige, while the other numbers have mostly been put out by Columbia. The latter's big-band selections include the initial studio recording of "The Tattooed Bride" and a lengthy exploration (utilizing Yvonne Lanauze's wordless vocals) of "Mood Indigo." This is rewarding music, but one might want to acquire these numbers through Prestige and Sony/Columbia instead, where they fit more into specific concepts. Scott Yanow  Tracklist + Credits :

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1950-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1258 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Volume 40 in the complete sequential recordings of Duke Ellington, as compiled and reissued in 2002 as part of the Classics Chronological Series, covers about a half-year's time from December 18, 1950 to May 24, 1951, beginning with two extended tracks initially issued on the Columbia LP Masterpieces by Ellington. With Sophisticated Lady and Solitude, Ellington took advantage of the new long-playing format to allow the band to stretch out as they'd been doing in live performance for many years. The vocalist on Sophisticated Lady was Yvonne Lanauze. In addition to the usual rich palette of Ellington and Strayhorn compositions, this portion of the chronology contains original works by trumpeters Charlie Shavers and William "Cat" Anderson; by valve trombonist and arranger Juan Tizol, tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, and Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, commonly known as drummer Louie Bellson, who had recently migrated from the Harry James Orchestra with Tizol and alto saxophonist Willie Smith. The music heard on this disc was recorded at a time when all of the big bands -- even those led by Count Basie and Duke Ellington -- were struggling to keep their heads above water. This explains the inclusion of seven selections that were released on Mercer records -- a short-lived independent label managed by Mercer Ellington, and Leonard Feather -- featuring a scaled down group known as Duke Ellington's Coronets. The titles credited to the Coronets are "Night Walk (Cat Walk)," "Moonlight Fiesta," "She (Sensuous)," "Swamp Drum," "Sultry Serenade," "Indian Summer," and the "Britt and Butter Blues" which referred to a pair of master trombonists, Britt Woodman and Quentin "Butter" Jackson. arwulf arwulf        Tracklist + Credits : 

DON REDMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1936-1939 | The Chronogical Classics – 574 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The third in the series of Don Redman Classics CDs finds the innovative arranger adjusting to the swing era. His big band is heard on sessions cut for ARC in 1936 ("Bugle Call Rag" is excellent), Variety in 1937 (including a previously unreleased "Swingin' With the Fat Man"), and Bluebird during 1938-39 (including "I Got Ya," "Down Home Rag" and "Milenberg Joys"). A lot of interesting names passed through the band during this era, including trumpeter Sidney DeParis, trombonist Quentin Jackson and singer Laurel Watson, and there is some pleasing music despite a fair amount of vocals. This series ended before Redman's last two big band sessions, but those have often been made available by RCA/Bluebird. The first CD in Classics' Redman series is the most essential. Scott Yanow
Tracklist + Credits :

McKINNEY'S COTTON PICKERS – 1930-1931 + DON REDMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1939-1940 | The Chronogical Classics – 649 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Classics label's superb series of McKinney's Cotton Pickers releases continues with this set, which features recordings from the original group as well as performances from Don Redman's swing orchestra of the late 1930s. Jason Ankeny
Tracklist + Credits :

CAB CALLOWAY AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940-1941 (1992) The Classics Chronological Series – 629 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Cab Calloway is in superior form throughout this CD (the tenth of 12 Calloway releases from the European Classics label), but it is often the short solos by his sidemen that attract one's interest, particularly those of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and tenor Chu Berry. By the last ten numbers (including his feature "Jonah Joins the Cab"), trumpeter Jonah Jones had become a member of the powerful band which could rank at the top echelon of swing orchestras. Calloway is also heard near the peak of his powers, and the highlights of this fine set include Benny Carter's "Lonesome Nights" (one of six instrumentals among the 22 numbers), "A Chicken Ain't Nothin' but a Bird," "Ebony Silhouette," "Hep Cat's Love Song," and two versions of "St. James Infirmary." Scott Yanow

Tracklist :
1     Goin' Conga 2:52
Alberto Iznaga    
2     Hot Air 2:54
Cab Calloway / Gene Novello
3     Lonesome Nights 3:01
Benny Carter / Irving Mills    
4     A Chicken Ain't Nothin' But a Bird 2:54
Emmett "Babe" Wallace
5     The Workers' Train 3:17
Cab Calloway / Arthur Shaftel / Sunny Skylar
6     North of the Mohawk Trail 3:26
7     Make Yourself at Home 2:52
Walter Bullock / Jule Styne
8     Run Little Rabbit 3:12
Andy Gibson
9     Willow Weep for Me 3:24
Ann Ronell
10     You Are the One in My Heart 3:12
Cab Calloway
11     Are You All Reet? 3:05
Cab Calloway / Jack Palmer
12     Ebony Silhouette 2:48
Milt Hinton / Benny Payne
13     Hep Cat's Love Song 3:05
Max Boyd / Cab Calloway / Andy Gibson
14     Jonah Joins the Cab 2:35
Cab Calloway
15     Geechy Joe 3:07
Cab Calloway / Andy Gibson / Jack Palmer
16     Special Delivery 2:58
Cab Calloway / Andy Gibson
17     Take the "A" Train 3:05
Billy Strayhorn    
18     Chattanooga Choo Choo 2:41
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren    
19     My Gal 2:43
Al Bernard
20     St. James Infirmary 3:20
Joe Primrose / Traditional    
21     St. James Infirmary 2:46
Joe Primrose / Traditional    
22     We Go Well Together 3:07
Walter Kent / Leo Robin

CAB CALLOWAY AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1941-1942 (1991) The Classics Chronological Series – 682 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The 11th of the European Classics label's 12 Complete Cab Calloway CDs (reissuing all of his studio recordings of 1930-42) has the last recordings of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and tenor Chu Berry with Cab; other soloists include trumpeter Jonah Jones and trombonist Tyree Glenn. Calloway retained his popularity throughout the World War II years and was still in prime form during these 22 recordings. Highlights include a memorable "Blues in the Night," "A Smo-o-o-oth One," "Virginia, Georgia and Caroline" and a new version of "Minnie the Moocher." All of the 12 Classics CDs are highly recommended to Cab Calloway and swing fans; they are perfectly done. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Hey, Doc! 3:16
Kim Gannon / Edgar Sampson
2 I See a Million People (But All I Can See Is You) 3:01
Una Mae Carlisle / Robert Sour
3 Conchita (Cares Nothing About Love) 2:51
Cab Calloway
4 Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me) 3:10
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
5 Mrs. Fiinnigan 2:48
J.C. Higginbotham / Redman
6 My Coo-Coo Bird (Could Swing) 2:51
Buster Harding
7 Says Who? Says You, Says I! 2:27
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
8 The Mermaid Song 2:47
Cab Calloway & His Orchestra
9 Who Calls? 3:11
Stanley Hill / Johnny Marks
10 Nain Nain (No No) 3:15
Cab Calloway / Buck Ram
11 Tappin' Off 2:42
Buster Harding
12 A Smo-o-o-oth One 3:08
Benny Goodman
13 The Moment I Laid Eyes on You 3:17
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
14 Virginia, Georgia and Caroline 2:34
Cab Calloway / George A. Little / Larry Shay
15 Lordy 2:54
Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
16 I Want to Rock 2:52
Larry Clinton / Buster Harding
17 I'll Be Around 3:10
Alec Wilder 
18 'Tain't No Good 3:13
Roy Jacobs / Leo Wood
19 Minnie the Moocher 3:15
Cab Calloway / Clarence Gaskill / Irving Mills
20 Let's Go Joe 3:09
Cab Calloway / Jack Palmer / J. Eric Smith
21 Ogeechee River Lullaby 3:37
Cab Calloway / Jack Palmer / Leo Wood
22 I Get the Neck of the Chicken 2:45
Frank Loesser / Jimmy McHugh

JOHNNY HODGES - The Complete Verve Johnny Hodges Small Group Sessions - 1956-1961 (2000) 6xCD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Johnny Hodges was Duke Ellington's most important soloist, so when the alto saxophonist returned to his former employer in the fall of 1955 after leading his own band for just over four and a half years, he had Ellington's approval to record under his own name for Verve on a steady basis. This limited-edition box set collects all of Hodges' small-group sessions recorded for Verve between 1956 and 1961 (excepting some selections whose masters were lost), often with a number of sidemen on loan from Ellington. The leader's chops are best exhibited in the ballads and blues features, though his originals merit attention, too. Hodges hardly hogs the spotlight; he obviously takes his share of solos but generously features his guests and associates from the Ellington band. A nonet with Clark Terry, Ray Nance, Quentin Jackson, Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney, Billy Strayhorn, Jimmy Woode, and Sam Woodyard is easily the best all-around session within this compilation, with many fine tracks. The humorous "Just Squeeze Me," with Nance's hip vocals complemented by Terry's talkative horn in the background, as well as a surprising extended workout of "Take the 'A' Train," with Terry taking over the famous solo spotlight that Nance first recorded in 1941 (heard on flügelhorn) and followed by Nance on his swinging violin, are among its highlights. Some of the other veterans appearing in this collection include Roy Eldridge, Vic Dickenson, Ben Webster, and Herb Ellis. The atmosphere of each session is friendly and swinging, with the feeling that each take came together quickly, whether or not that was actually the case. While Johnny Hodges' recordings as a leader from this period never rivaled Duke Ellington's in either sales or critical acclaim, they proved to be consistently enjoyable and able to stand the test of time. The set includes 30 previously unissued tracks. The detailed liner notes and discography, along with the numerous photos, also help to make The Complete Verve Johnny Hodges Small Group Sessions 1956-1961 an essential purchase for swing fans, though it is a limited edition of just 7,500, so it is guaranteed to soar in value. It is available exclusively from www.mosaicrecords.com.
Ken Dryden  
All Tracks & Credits

JOHNNY HODGES AN HIS ORCHESTRA - 1945-1950 {CC, 1189} (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

John Cornelius Hodges began working with Duke Ellington in 1928 and soon became one of the prime voices in the Ellington orchestra. Hodges began leading his own recording ensembles -- actually scaled-down versions of Duke's band -- in 1937. Occasionally sitting in with other leaders like Lionel Hampton, Hodges also led groups of his own, including a quartet at New York's Apollo Club during the summer of 1948 and five of the six bands heard on this first volume of his complete recordings in chronological order. (All records issued under Hodges' name prior to 1947 have been included in the massive Classics chronology of Duke Ellington.) Sandy Williams' Big Eight was one of many ensembles recording for the Hot Record Society -- and one of the very best of them. "Mountain Air" and "After Hours on Dream Street" are slow, smooth, languid, and lovely, with Hodges playing pretty for the people. "Sumpin' Jumpin' Round Here" is a smart strut with a hint of Latin American rhythm built into its caboose. Harry Carney, who fortunately appears on fully half of the recordings reissued here, does some friendly nudging with his horn on this pleasantly stimulating dance tune. "Chili con Carney" is a light bounce honoring the baritone saxophonist without granting him any more solo space than a couple of brief breaks. The next four selections appeared on the small and ephemeral Wax label in 1947. Carney is roundly featured on Jerome Kern's moody existential opus "Why Was I Born?," and Hodges softly interprets Walter Donaldson's "You're Driving Me Crazy" in what must be one of the slowest and most gentle versions of this song ever recorded. "Key Largo" carries a whiff of the Caribbean in its dulcet tones and lapping rhythm. Billy Strayhorn's "Triple Play" is marvelously cool mood music, elegantly rendered by a quintet with the composer at the piano. When Hodges recorded for the Mercer and Sunrise labels, he included longtime Ellington trombonist Lawrence Brown, Chick Webb's star trumpeter Taft Jordan, up-and-coming tenor saxophonist Al Sears, and a rhythm section of Billy Strayhorn, Oscar Pettiford, and trombonist Wilbur DeParis sitting in on the drums! Each performance is a delight. "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" is the classic Strayhorn/Hodges still life. "Longhorn Blues" and "Faraway Blues" both feel like close cousins to "Jeep's Blues." On the second Mercer session Harry Carney replaces Brown, Harold "Shorty" Baker is the trumpeter, and Sonny Greer does wonderful things with the drums. Anyone who wants to hear Strayhorn cook a little on the piano should check out the groove track "Searsy's Blues," which is somewhat of an advanced approach to a boogie. Its tempo reappears exactly on "Let the Zoomers Drool" -- a "zoomer" being hip vernacular for a mooch. Years later, Dave Frishberg liked "A Little Taste" so much that he composed some of his funniest lyrics based on its nonchalant contours. This satisfying CD ends with the first of Hodges' Parisian sessions from 1950, with Raymond Fol sitting in with a pack of Ellingtonians when Duke declined to participate for contractual reasons. These tracks are notable for the presence of trombone ace Quentin "Butter" Jackson and voluntary expatriate tenor saxophonist Don Byas, who blows a splintering run during the crackling strut "We Fooled You." arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1     Mountain Air 3'02
Cat Anderson / Tab Smith
2     Sumpin' Jumpin' Round Here 3'00
Brick Fleagle   
3     After Hours on Dream Street 3'20
Brick Fleagle   
4     Chili con Carney 2'38
Harry Carney   
5     Key Largo 2'37
Benny Carter / Lou Carter / Karl Suessdorf / Leah Worth
6     You're Driving Me Crazy 2'53
Walter Donaldson   
7     Why Was I Born? 3'12
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern   
8     Triple Play 2'42
Billy Strayhorn   
9     Who Struck John? 2'51
Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges   
10     It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream 3'03
Duke Ellington / Don George / Johnny Hodges   
11     June's Jumpin' 2'48
Johnny Hodges   
12     Violet Blue 3'05
Billy Strayhorn   
13     A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing 2'53
Billy Strayhorn
14     Frisky 4'48
Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges
15     Longhorn Blues 2'50
Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges
16     Far Away Blues 2'53
Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges
17     Searsy's Blues 2'44
Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges
18     A Little Taste 3'08
Cannonball Adderley / Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges
19     Let the Zoomers Drool 3'00
Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges
20     Charlotte Russe 3'08
Johnny Hodges   
21     St. Germain-des-Prés Blues 3'22
Don Byas
22     Good to the Last Drop 3'13
Gene Page
23     Only Wish I Knew 3'06
Don Byas / Raymond Fol
24     We Fooled You 2'46
Harold Baker / Johnny Hodges

JOHNNY HODGES AND HIS ORCHESTRA - 1950-1951 (2002) The Classics Chronological Series – 1248 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Johnny Hodges' 1950 Parisian Vogue recordings -- augmented here with four sides waxed in Copenhagen for the Danish Tono label -- form a prologue to the records Hodges would make with Norman Granz from 1951-1955. The band heard on the first five tracks was essentially a condensed Ellington group with Don Byas sitting in and Raymond Fol at the piano. "Last Leg Blues" is a saucy, loping exercise in two parts that incorporates at one point a lick from "Tuxedo Junction." This is a good example of what seems at first like an almost too simple musical idea bearing incredible fruit, Jimmy Hamilton's clarinet and Hodges' alto working it up handsomely into an impressive exploration of the blues. Composed by Hamilton, the feisty, bop-like "Nix It, Mix It" is one of the most exciting tracks included here. "Time on My Hands" feels like an oasis of lyrical familiarity among so many relatively uncomplicated melodies designed for jamming rather than reflection. Hamilton, Byas, and Hodges communicate wonderfully during this gorgeous ballad. Three of the four Danish recordings feature vocalist Chubby Kemp, whose slightly nasal voice sounds like Anita Love or maybe even Little Esther Phillips if she'd sung jazz. "Tea for Two" is a pleasant surprise, with Hamilton's clarinet sending up bubbles over Quentin "Butter" Jackson's mellifluous trombone during the opening. Hodges and Hamilton both deliver spirited solos and the antiquated Vincent Youmans confection grows into something intricate, ornate, and exhilarating. Back in Paris with the band scaled down to a sextet, Hodges led his men through a stunning rendition of Juan Tizol's "Perdido," eased them into "Mood Indigo," "Sweet Lorraine," and the 19th century melody "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree," here rendered into a smooth, cool exercise in swing. "Rendez-Vous at the Hot Club" moves briskly and swings hard. With the session of January 15, 1951, Hodges was back on American soil, initiating a collaborative relationship with producer Norman Granz that would continue through 1955 and occasionally rekindle over the years. According to Stanley Dance, "You Blew Out the Flame in My Heart" was given the erroneous title "Rabbit's Blues" in an early recording ledger, and the misnomer continues to resurface in discographies to this very day. Over the next five years, Hodges would record an enormous amount of material for the Mercury, Clef, and Norgran labels, often relying upon tenor saxophonist Al Sears to help steer the operation as the music evolved into relative modernity while rooted in strong elements of blues, ballads, and swing. arwulf arwulf

Tracklist :
1     Jump, That's All 3'38
Harold Baker
2     Last Legs Blues, Pt. 1 3'09
Johnny Hodges
3     Last Legs Blues, Pt. 2 3'02
Johnny Hodges
4     Nix It, Mix It 3'22
Jimmy Hamilton
5     Time on My Hands 3'22
Harold Adamson / Mack Gordon / Vincent Youmans
6     Run About 3'07
Johnny Hodges    
7     Wishing and Waiting 3'27
Johnny Hodges    
8     Get That Geet 3'22
Johnny Hodges    
9     That's Grand 3'28
Johnny Hodges    
10     Skip It 3'21
Johnny Hodges    
11     Mellow Mood 3:18     
Flandrake /     Williams
12     How I Wish I Was Around 3:29     
 Flandrake  
13     I Met a Guy 3:09     
Connors / Flandrake  
14     Tea for Two 3'18
Irving Caesar / Vincent Youmans
15     Perdido 3'06
Ervin Drake / Hans Lengsfelder / Juan Tizol
16     In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree 3'42
Egbert VanAlstyne / Harry Williams    
17     Mood Indigo 3'47
Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
18     Sweet Lorraine 3'11
Clifford R. Burwell / Mitchell Parish
19     Rendez-Vous at the Hot Club 3'05
Traditional
20     Hop, Skip and Jump 2'29
Duke Ellington
21     Rabbit's Blues (You Blew Out the Flame in My Heart) 3'37
Johnny Hodges
22     Something to Pat Your Foot To 2'55
Al Sears
23     Blue Fantasia 3'13
Johnny Hodges
24     My Reward 3'09
Duke Ellington

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 :

JOHNNY HODGES AND THE ELLINGTON MEN - The Big Sound (1957-2010) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Don't Call Me, I'll Call You 3:31
Composed By – Anderson
2    An Ordinary Thing 3:32
Composed By – Anderson
3    Waiting For Duke 3:54
Composed By – Anderson
4    Dust Bowl 4:26
Composed By – Hodges
5    Little Rabbit Blues 9:23
Composed By – Hodges
6    Viscount 2:30
Composed By – Hodges, M. Ellington
7    Johnny Come Lately 2:26
Composed By – Strayhorn
8    Bouquet Of Roses 3:24
Composed By – Hodges, M. Ellington
9    Gone And Crazy 3:13
Composed By – Hodges
10    Digits 4:19
Composed By – Terry
11    Segdoh 3:27
Composed By – Hodges
12    Early Morning Rock 3:36
Composed By – Hodges
- BONUS TRACKS -        
13    Hi ´Ya    3:11
14    Snibor    7:17
15    I´m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter    3:30
16    Texas Blues    11:47
Tracks 1-4 :
Bass – Jimmy Woode
Drums – Sam Woodyard
Piano – Billy Strayhorn
Reeds – Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Russell Procope
Trombone – Britt Woodman, John Sanders, Quentin Jackson
Trumpet – Cat Anderson, Clark Terry,  Harold Baker, Ray Nance, Willie Cook
Tracks 6, 8, 10 & 12 : Same session as above. Omit Cook, Anderson, Woodman & Sanders
Tracks 5, 7, 9 & 11 : Clark Terry (tp), Ray Nance (tp, vln), Quentin Jackson, Britt Woodman, John Sanders (tb), Russel Procope (cl, as), Jimmy Hamilton (ts, cl), Harry Carney (bar), Billy Strayhorn (p), Jimmy Woode (b), Sam Woodyard (d), New York, June 26, 1957.
* Bonus Tracks 13-16 : Ray Nance (tp), Lawrence Brown (tb), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, as), Harry Carney (bar), Billy Stayhorn (p), Jimmy Woode (b), Sam Woodyard (d), New York, January 11, 1956.

JOHNNY HODGES | COLEMAN HAWKINS - The Vogue Recordings (1998) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Coleman Hawkins    
1    Coleman Hawkins And His Rhythm–    It's Only A Paper Moon 3'03
Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Billy Rose
2    Coleman Hawkins And His Rhythm–    Sih-Sah 3'15
Coleman Hawkins / James Moody
3    Coleman Hawkins And His Rhythm–    Bean's Talking Again 3'17
Kenny Clarke / Coleman Hawkins
4    Coleman Hawkins And His Rhythm–    Bah-Uh-Bah 3'23
Tadd Dameron / Coleman Hawkins
5    Coleman Hawkins And His Rhythm–    I Surrender Dear 3'14
Harry Barris / Gordon Clifford
6    Coleman Hawkins And His Rhythm–    Sophisticated Lady 3'14
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Mitchell Parish
Johnny Hodges      
7    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Jump, That's All 3'04
Harold Baker
8    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Last Legs Blues - Part 1 3'06
Johnny Hodges
9    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Last Legs Blues.- Part 2 2'59
Johnny Hodges
10    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Nix It, Mix It 3'19
Jimmy Hamilton
11    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Time On My Hands 3'18
Harold Adamson / Mack Gordon / Vincent Youmans
12    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Run About 3'03
Johnny Hodges
13    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Wishing And Waiting 3'23
Johnny Hodges
14    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Get That Geet 3'18
Johnny Hodges
15    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    That's Grand 3'25
Johnny Hodges
16    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Skip It 3'24
Johnny Hodges
17    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Perdido 3'08
Ervin Drake / Hans Lengsfelder / Juan Tizol
18    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree 3'40
Egbert VanAlstyne / Harry Williams
19    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Mood Indigo 3'50
Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
20    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Sweet Lorraine 3'13
Clifford R. Burwell / Mitchell Parish
21    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Bean Bag Boogie 3'06
Harold Baker
22    Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra–    Hop, Skip And Jump 2'27
Duke Ellington

All Credits
Notas.
Tracks 1-6: Recorded in Paris on December 21, 1949.
Tracks 7-22: Recorded in Paris on April 15 & June 20, 1950.

JOHNNY HODGES WITH LEON THOMAS AND OLIVER NELSON - Three Shades of Blue (1970) lp | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
A1    Empty Ballroom Blues    4:54
Duke Ellington / Cootie Williams
A2    Duke´s Place    3:35
Ellington / Thiele
A3    Echoes Of Harlem    4:20
Duke Ellington
A4    Disillusion Blues    3:56
Leon Thomas
A5    Yearning    5:20
Oliver Nelson
B1    Welcome To New York    4:10
Leon Thomas
B2    Black, Brown And Beautiful    3:50
Oliver Nelson
B3    Rockin´ In Rhythm    3:09
Ellington / Mills / Carney
B4    Creole Love Call    4:56
Duke Elligton
10    It´s Glory    2:55
Duke Ellington
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Johnny Hodges
Arranged By, Conductor – Oliver Nelson
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Grady Tate
Guitar – David Spinozza
Piano – Earl Hines, Hank Jones
Producer – Bob Thiele
Saxophone – Danny Bank, Frank Wess, Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Joe Farrell, Bob Ashton
Trombone – Al Grey, Garnett Brown, Quentin Jackson, Thomas Mitchell
Trumpet – Ernie Royal, Marvin Stamm, Randy Brecker, Snooky Young
Notas.
Original first pressing.
This album was recorded in New York City, March 17 and 19, 1970 and the liner notes by Nat Hentoff were written before the untimely death of Johnny Hodges on May 11, 1970.

JOHNNY HODGES - Passion Flower (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Passion Flower    4:33
Billy Strayhorn
2    St. Louis Blues    5:43
W.C. Handy
3    Loveless Love    7:03
W.C. Handy
4    Squeeze Me    4:34
Fats Waller / Clarence Williams
5    Theodora    3:18
Creed Taylor
6    Cambridge Blues    3:42
Johnny Hodges
7    Sweet Lorraine    3:14
Cliff Burwell / Mitchell Parish
8    Johnny Come Lately    2:24
Billy Strayhorn
9    Warm Valley    3:22
Duke Ellington
10    Segdoh    3:25
Johnny Hodges
11    Bouquet Of Roses    3:21
Johnny Hodges
12    Beale Street Blues    7:33
W.C. Handy
13    Snibor    7:13
Billy Strayhorn
14    Brute's Roots    4:35
Johnny Hodges
15    Big Shoe    5:33
Jimmy Hamilton
Notas.
Recording Date
June 20, 1950 - November 23, 1960

CLARK TERRY - Duke With A Difference (1957-1990) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Trumpeter Clark Terry and some of the top Ellington sidemen of the period (trombonist Britt Woodman, altoist Johnny Hodges, tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, Tyree Glenn on vibes, bassist Jimmy Woode, and drummer Sam Woodyard) perform eight songs associated with Duke, but with fresh arrangements. There is plenty of solo space for Terry, Gonsalves, and Hodges, and the arrangements by Terry and Mercer Ellington cast a new light on some of the warhorses; highlights include "C Jam Blues," "Cotton Tail," "Mood Indigo," and "Come Sunday." Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    C-Jam Blues    3:03
Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington
2    In A Sentimental Mood    2:55
Duke Ellington / Manny Kurtz / Irving Mills
3    Cottontail    6:54
Duke Ellington
4    Just Squeeze Me    6:15
Duke Ellington / Lee Gaines / Fats Waller / Clarence Williams
5    Mood Indigo    6:55
Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
6    Take The A Train    3:27
Billy Strayhorn
7    In A Mellotone    5:08
Duke Ellington / Milt Gabler            
8    Come Sunday    3:32
Duke Ellington
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Johnny Hodges
Arranged By – Clark Terry (tracks: 1, 3 to 7), Mercer Ellington (tracks: 2, 8)
Bass – Jimmy Woode
Celesta – Luther Henderson (tracks: 2)
Drums – Sam Woodyard
Piano – Billy Strayhorn (tracks: 2, 8), Tyree Glenn (tracks: 1, 3 to 7)
Tenor Saxophone – Paul Gonsalves
Trombone – Britt Woodman (tracks: 1, 3 to 7), Quentin Jackson (tracks: 2, 8)
Trumpet – Clark Terry
Vocals – Marian Bruce (tracks: 2)

DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA ft. MAHALIA JACKSON - Black, Brown and Beige (1958-1999) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Duke Ellington originally wrote the 50-minute Black, Brown and Beige in 1943 for a Carnegie Hall concert, where critics dismissed it as overreaching for a jazz composer. Over the next 15 years, he periodically resurrected it for performances of excerpts or, as in the case of his 1958 Columbia album, transmuting it into what was essentially a new work. Columbia's Black, Brown and Beige was one of the most extraordinary products of Ellington's second stay with the label, growing out of his 1956 Newport triumph, and it was received somewhat more readily than the original 1943 "Black, Brown and Beige." The main problem for those who knew the piece and its history lay in the absence of Johnny Hodges, who was hardly ever with the Ellington band during 1958, and on whose talents "Come Sunday," the centerpiece of the original work and even more the core of the revamped Black, Brown and Beige, was built. Instead, Mahalia Jackson sings a version of "Come Sunday" that is, if anything, equally affecting, backed by the orchestra led by Ray Nance's violin. The result on the original album was a piece that started off in big band-style blues and led to one of Ellington's most moving, wrenching pieces of work, and music that, had it been better known, might also have done more to raise people's consciousness about Civil Rights than 100 folk songs of the period. by Bruce Eder  
Tracklist :
Black, Brown, & Beige    35:42
1    Part I    8:17
2    Part II    6:14
3    Part III (aka Light)    6:26
4    Part IV (aka Come Sunday)    7:58
5    Part V (aka Come Sunday)    3:46
6    Part VI (23rd Psalm)    3:01
-  Bonus Tracks -  
7    Track 360 (aka Trains) [Alternate Take]    2:02
8    Blues In Orbit (aka Tender) [Alternate Take]    2:36
Black, Brown, & Beige [Alternate Take]    26:48
9    Part I [Alternate Take]    6:49
10    Part II [Alternate Take]    6:38
11    Part III (aka Light) [Alternate Take]    3:08
12    Part IV (aka Come Sunday) [Alternate Take]    2:23
13    Part V (aka Come Sunday) [Alternate Take]    5:51
14    Part VI (23rd Psalm) [Alternate Take]    1:59
15    Studio Conversation (Mahalia Swears)    0:07
16    Come Sunday (A Cappella)    5:47
17    (Pause Track)    0:06
Credits :
Bass – Jimmy Woode
Drums – Sam Woodyard
Piano – Duke Ellington
Saxophone [Alto] – Bill Graham
Saxophone [Baritone] – Harry Carney
Saxophone [Tenor] – Paul Gonsalves
Soloist [Violin] – Ray Nance
Trombone – Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson
Trumpet – William "Cat" Anderson, Clark Terry, Harold Shorty Baker
Trumpet, Violin – Ray Nance
Valve Trombone – John Sanders
Vocals – Mahalia Jackson
Written-By – Duke Ellington