Sittin’ In (Podcast #18-004)

Over a half century, Ellington crossed paths with many illustrious musicians….
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Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra


count and duke

Count Basie and Duke Ellington


dizzy and duke

Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie


tommy dorsey and duke

Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey


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Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington


duke and trane

John Coltrane and Duke Ellington



The recordings heard on this podcast episode:



mosaic

St. Louis Blues (CD: “The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra” Mosiac Records #248)

Recorded 11 February 1932, New York City

Arthur Whetsel, Cootie Williams, Freddie Jenkins – trumpet; Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol – trombone; Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – banjo; Wellman Braud – bass; Sonny Greer – drums; Bing Crosby – vocal.


bbbcd

Tonight I Shall Sleep (With A Smile On My Face) (CD: “Black, Brown, and Beige” RCA Victor 6641-2-RB)

Recorded 14 May 1945, New York City

Shelton Hemphill,  Rex Stewart, Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson, Ray Nance – trumpet; Tommy Dorsey, Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Claude Jones – trombones; Jimmy Hamilton, Otto Hardwicke, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Bob Haggart – bass; Sonny Greer – drums


centennial

The Minor Goes Muggin’ (CD: “Highlights from the Duke Ellington Centennial Edition (1927-1973)” RCA Victor 09026636722)

Recorded 14 May 1945, New York City

Duke Ellington – piano; Charlie Shavers, George Seaberg, Mickey Mangano, Gerald Goff – trumpet; Tommy Dorsey, Karl DeKarske, Dick Noel, Tex Satterwhite – trombone; Joseph Parkty, Gus Bivona, Sid Cooper, Vido Musso, Babe Fresk, Bruce Branson – reeds; Bob Bain – guitar; Bob Haggart – bass; Buddy Rich – drums; Sy Oliver – arranger.


jazz party

Hello, Little Girl (CD: “Jazz Party” Columbia CK 40712)

Recorded 19 February 1959, New York City

Dizzy Gillespie, Cat Anderson, Harold Baker, Clark Terry, Ray Nance – trumpet; Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, John Sanders – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, ussell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Jimmy Jones – piano; Jimmy Woode – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums; Jimmy Rushing – vocal.


trane

Angelica (CD: “Duke Ellington & John Coltrane” MCA MCAD-39103)

Recorded 26 September 1962, New York City

John Coltrane – tenor sax; Duke Ellington – piano; Jimmy Garrison – bass; Elvin Jones – drums.


hawkins impules

Ray Charles’ Place (CD: “Duke Ellington meets Coleman Hawkins” Impulse! IMPD-162)

Recorded 18 August 1962, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Ray Nance – trumpet; Lawrence Brown – trombone; Johnny Hodges – alto sax; Coleman Hawkins – tenor sax; Harry Carney – baritone sax; Duke Ellington – piano; Aaron Bell – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums.


money jungle

Money Jungle (CD: “Money Jungle” Blue Note 7243 5 38227 2 9)

Recorded 17 September 1962, New York City

Duke Ellington – piano; Charles Mingus – bass; Max Roach – drums.


sinatra

I Like The Sunrise (CD: “Francis A. & Edward K.” Reprise Records ‎ 1024-2)

Recorded 12 December 1967, Seattle

Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, Herbie Jones, Mercer Ellington – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Jeff Castleman – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums; Frank Sinatra – vocal.


first time cd

Battle Royal (CD: “First Time” Columbia CK 65571)

Willie Cook, Edward Mullens, Cat Anderson, Andres Merenguito, Thad Jones, Sonny Cohn, Snooky Young, Lennie Johnson, Ray Nance – trumpet; Louis Blackburn, Lawrence Brown, Juan Tizol, Henry Coker, Quentin Jackson, Benny Powell – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Marshal Royal, Johnny Hodges, Frank Wess(, Paul Gonsalves, Frank Foster, Budd Johnson, Harry Carney, Charlie Fowlkes – reeds; Duke Ellington, Count Basie – piano; Freddy Green – guitar; Aaron Bell – bass; Sonny Payne, Sam Woodyard – drums.

Soloists: Ellington, Basie, Wess, Hodges, Nance, Carney, Foster, Hamilton, Foster, Ellington & Basie, Brown, Gonsalves, Anderson, Woodyard, Payne.

When Cootie Left the Duke, Pt. I (Podcast #17-009)

After 11 years with Duke Ellington, Cootie Williams leaves to join Benny Goodman. Continue reading

benny goodman sextet

A Benny Goodman recording session, with Georgie Auld – tenor sax, Benny Goodman – clarinet, Artie Bernstein – bass, Cootie Williams – trumpet, Charlie Christian – guitar.

“It was 1929 when Cootie came into the band, and he soon became one of our most outstanding soloists. He began to use the plunger mute, one of our major tonal devices, and he used it very well, right up to one night eleven years later, when he took me for a ride all around Chicago in his car. He wanted to tell me that he had a very lucrative offer to go with Benny Goodman for a while. “Well, okay,” I said.”

–Duke Ellington, Music Is My Mistress


bg sextet close up

Charlie Christian, Cootie Williams, Georgie Auld, Benny Goodman


Bill Crow’s lengthy article on his stint with Benny Goodman during his 1962 tour of the USSR, To Russia Without Love, gives an insightful insider’s look at Goodman’s notorious personality.



The recordings heard on this podcast episode:



 

Highlights

Concerto for Cootie (CD: “Highlights of the Great 1940-1942 Band” Avid AMSC1143)

Recorded 15 March 1940, Chicago

Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol – trombone; Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwicke, Ben Webster, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Jimmie Blanton – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.


 

raymond scott

When Cootie Left the Duke (CD: “Toonerville Trolley” Jasmine JASMCD 2605)

Recorded 6 January 1941, Chicago

Jack Walker, Graham Young, Jack Hall – trumpet; Charles MCamish, Pete Lofthouse – trombones; Benny Lagasse, Charles Spero, Frank Callador, Stanley Webb – reeds; Don Tiff – piano; Art Ryerson – guitar; Mike Ruben – bass; Carl Maus – drums.

(Note: At the time the podcast was recorded, I had not been able to determine the identity of the trumpet soloist on this track. Thanks to the efforts of Jean-Marie Juif, we now know it was Jack Hall. Thanks, Jean-Marie!)


 

charlie christian(CD: “Charlie Christian – The Genius of the Electric Guitar” Columbia / Sony Legacy
88697930352)

Wholly Cats

Royal Garden Blues

Benny’s Bugle

Recorded 7 November 1940, New York City
Cootie Williams – trumpet; Benny Goodman – clarinet; Georgie Auld – tenor sax; Count Basie – piano; Charlie Christian – guitar; Artie Bernstein – bass; Harry Jaeger – drums.

Breakfast Feud

Recorded 19 December 1940, New York City

Cootie Williams – trumpet; Benny Goodman – clarinet; Georgie Auld – tenor sax; Kenny Kersey – piano; Charlie Christian – guitar; Artie Bernstein – bass; Harry Jaeger – drums.


 

hawkins

(CD:” Classic Coleman Hawkins Sessions 1922-1947 Mosaic Records 251)

Recorded 16 January 1941, New York City

Bugle Call Rag

 

 

One O’Clock Jump

 

The Metronome All-Star Band

Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Cootie Williams – trumpet; Tommy Dorsey, J.C. Higginbotham – trombone; Benny Goodman – clarinet; Toots Mondello, Benny Carter – alto sax; Coleman Hawkins, Tex Beneke – tenor sax; Count Basie – piano; Charlie Christian – guitar; Artie Bernstein – bass; Buddy Rich – drums.


 

bg mosaic(CD: “Classic Columbia and Okeh Benny Goodman Orchestra Recordings (1939-1958) Mosaic Records 240) 

Fiesta In Blue 

Recorded 27 March 1941, New York City

Jimmy Maxwell, Billy Butterfield, Irving Goodman, Cootie Williams – trumpet; Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall- trombone; Benny Goodman – clarinet; Gus Bivona, Les Robinson – alto sax; Georgie Auld, Pete Mondello – tenor sax; Skip Martin – baritone sax; Johnny Guarnieri – piano; Mike Bryan – guitar; Artie Bernstein – bass; Dave Tough – drums

Moonlight On The Ganges

Recorded 18 December 1940, New York City

Jimmy Maxwell, Irving Goodman, Alec Fila, Cootie Williams – trumpet; Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall – trombone; Benny Goodman – clarinet; Gus Bivona, Skip Martin – alto sax; Bob Snyder –  alto and  baritone sax; Georgie Auld, Jack Henderson – tenor sax; Bernie Leighton – piano; Mike Bryan – guitar; Artie Bernstein – bass; Harry Jaeger – drums.

Let The Door Knob Hitcha 

Recorded 14 January 1941, New York City

Jimmy Maxwell, Irving Goodman, Alec Fila – trumpet; Cootie Williams – trumpet & vocal; Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall – trombone; Benny Goodman – clarinet; Gus Bivona, Skip Martin, Bob Snyder – alto sax; Georgie Auld, Jack Henderson – tenor sax; Teddy Wilson – piano; Mike Bryan – guitar; Artie Bernstein – bass; Dave Tough – drums.

Superman 

Recorded 18 December 1940, New York City

Jimmy Maxwell, Irving Goodman, Alec Fila, Cootie Williams – trumpet; Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall – trombone; Benny Goodman – clarinet; Gus Bivona, Skip Martin – alto sax; Bob Snyder –  alto and  baritone sax; Georgie Auld, Jack Henderson – tenor sax; Bernie Leighton – piano; Mike Bryan – guitar; Artie Bernstein – bass; Harry Jaeger – drums.


 

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It’s Something You Ought To Know (Paul Gonsalves – “Ellingtonia Moods and Blues,” RCA Victor / RCA63562)

Recorded 29 February 1960, New York City

Paul Gonsalves- tenor sax; Johnny Hodges – alto sax; Ray Nance – cornet; Mitchell “Booty” Wood – trombone; Jimmy Jones – piano; Al Hall – bass; Oliver Jackson – drums.