Portrait of Louis Armstrong (Podcast #18-014)

If there were a Mount Rushmore for American Music, Ellington and Armstrong would be guaranteed members. Here we highlight their collaborations. Continue reading

“I loved and respected Louis Armstrong. He was born poor, died rich, and never hurt anyone on the way.

-Duke Ellington, Music is my Mistress



satch duke esquire


satch duke

satch duke tptsatch duke grill


satch duke backstage 2



 

 

Finale of a 1959 Timex Jazz Special: Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Paul Gonsalves, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Gene Krupa, Jo Jones, Cat Anderson, Vic Dickenson, and more!



The recordings heard on this podcast episode:



 

esquire

Things Ain’t What They Used to Be (CD: “The Second Esquire Jazz Concert” Compact Classic TMCD 2173/74-2)

Recorded 17 January 1945 Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles

Louis Armstrong – trumpet; Benny Goodman – clarinet; Shelton Hemphill,  Rex Stewart, Cat Anderson, Taft Jordan,  Ray Nance – trumpet Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Claude Jones – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Otto Hardwicke, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Junior Raglin – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.


 

satch mosaic

Solitude (CD: “The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions 1935-46” Mosaic Records #243)

Recorded 19 December 1935, New York City

Louis Armstrong – trumpet, vocal; Leonard Davis, Gus Aiken, Louis Bacon – trumpet; Harry White, Jimmy Archey – trombone; Henry Jones, Charlie Holmes – alto sax; Bingie Madison, Greely Walton – tenor sax; Luis Russell – piano; Lee Blair – guitar; George “Pops” Foster – bass; Paul Barbarin – drums


 

R-7436875-1441486907-8196.jpeg

Long, Long Journey (CD: ” Esquire’s All-American Hot Jazz Sessions” BMG Music ‎– 6757-1-RB)

Recorded 10 January  1946, New York City

Louis Armstrong – trumpet, vocal; Charlie Shavers – trumpet; Jimmy Hamilton – clarinet; Johnny Hodges – alto sax; Don Byas – tenor sax; Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn – piano; Remo Palmieri – guitar; Chubby Jackson – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.


 

paris blues

Wild Man Moore/Battle Royal (CD: “Paris Blues” Rykodisc ‎– RCD 10713)

Recorded 14 December 1960, Paris

Credits: Louis Armstrong – trumpet; Billy Byers – trombone; Guy Lafitte – tenor sax; Jimmy Gourley – guitar; Duke Ellington – piano; with Orchestra.


 

summitAzalea

(CD: “Louis Armstrong &Duke Ellington ‎– The Great Summit | Complete Sessions” Roulette Jazz ‎– 7243 5 24546 2 4)

Recorded 3/4 April 3-4 1961, New York City

Louis Armstrong – trumpet, vocal; Trummy Young – trombone; Barney Bigard – clarinet; Duke Ellington – piano; Mort Hebert – bass; Danny Barcelona – drums.


MI0001691166
Portrait of Mahalia Jackson (CD: “New Orleans Suite” Warner Bros. 7411644)

Recorded 13 May 1970, New York City

Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Fred Stone – trumpet; Booty Wood, Julian Priester, Chuck Connors – trumpet; Russell Procope, Norris Turney, Harold Ashby, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Joe Benjamin – bass; Rufus Jones – drums.


 

louis and friends

Mood Indigo (CD: “Louis Armstrong And His Friends” BMG France ‎– 74321747942)
May 26, 1970: New York, NY

Louis Armstrong –  vocal; Arnold Black, Selwart Clarke, Winston Collymore, Manny Green, Harry Lookofsky, Gene Orloff, Joe Malin, Max Pollikoff – violins; Julien Barber, Alfred Brown, David Schwartz, Emanuel Vardi – viola; Charles McCracken, Kermit Moore, George Ricci, Allan Schulman – cello; Richard Davis, George Duvivier – bass; John Williams, Jr. – electric bass; Sam Brown, Kenny Burrell – guitar; James Spaulding – flute; Frank Owens – piano; Bernard “Pretty” Purdie – drums; Oliver Nelson – arranger, conductor.


— Our closing music —-

0000120517

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.

The Cinematic Ellington (Podcast #17-016)

A survey of Duke Ellington’s film appearances and soundtracks. Continue reading

“Has Duke Ellington ever saved your life?

David O. Russell knows the answer to that particular question because Ellington’s music has rescued him many times. It happened yesterday. It’ll probably happen again tomorrow. And it also happens near the beginning of Russell’s latest movie, American Hustle, when a couple of con artists, played by Christian Bale and Amy Adams, plop down on the floor and listen to Ellington’s slow-cooker classic “Jeep’s Blues” and look into each others’ eyes and know they’ve found heaven on a cracker.”

-Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times


Is this Duke Ellington in a 1925 silent film?


The full short film “Black and Tan” (1929)


“Old Man Blues” from “Check and Double Check” (1930)


“Ebony Rhapsody” from “Murder at the Vanities” (1934)


“Things Ain’t What They Used To Be” and “Going Up” from “Cabin In The Sky” (1943)


“Battle Royal” from “Paris Blues” (1961)


“Neo-Creole” from “Change of Mind” (1969)


 

The “Duke Ellington scene” from “American Hustle” (2013)



The recordings heard on this podcast episode:



paris blues

Take the “A” Train (CD: “Paris Blues” Rykodisc RCD 10713)

Recorded 1961

Murray McEachern – trombone; Paul Gonsalves (?) – tenor sax; others unidentified.


early ellington

Flaming Youth (CD: “Early Ellington (1927-1934)” Bluebird RCA / Bluebird
6852)

Recorded 16 January 1929 in New York City

Arthur Whetsel, Bubber Miley, Freddie Jenkins – trumpet; Joe Nanton – trombone; Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – banjo; Wellman Braud – bass; Sonny Greer – drums

Old Man Blues (CD: “Early Ellington (1927-1934)” Bluebird RCA / Bluebird
6852)

Recorded 20 August 1930 in Los Angeles

Arthur Whetsel, Freddie Jenkins, Cootie Williams – 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.


capitol

My Old Flame (CD: “The Complete Capitol Recordings of Duke Ellington” Mosaic Records #160)

Recorded 7 April 1953 in Los Angeles

Willie Cook, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Ray Nance – trumpet; Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, Juan Tizol – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Rick Henderson, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Wendell Marshall – bass; Butch Ballard – drums.


carnegie

Going Up (CD: “The Complete Prestige Carnegie Hall 1943-1944 Concerts Definitive Classics DRCD 11210)

Recorded 23 January 1943 at Carnegie Hall, New York City

Wallace Jones, Rex Stewart, Harold Baker – trumpet; Ray Nance – trumpet and violin; Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol – trombone; Chauncy Haughton, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwicke, Ben Webster, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Junior Raglin – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.


anatomy of a murder

Flirtibird//Upper and Outest (CD: “Anatomy of a Murder” Columbia/Legacy
CK 65569)

Recorded early June 1959 in Los Angeles

Cat Anderson, Harold Baker, Gerald Wilson, Clark Terry, Ray Nance – trumpet; Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, John Sanders – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn – piano; Jimmy Woode – bass; Jimmy Johnson – drums.


uncommon market

Guitar Amour (from “Paris Blues”) (CD: “Duke Ellington in the Uncommon Market” Pablo
2308247)

Recorded 6 or 7 February 1963 in Stockholm

Cootie Williams, Roy Burrowes, Cat Anderson – trumpet; Ray Nance – violin; Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors – trombone; JimmyHamilton, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Ernie Shepard – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums.



assault on a queenPrelude
(Main title music from “Assault on a Queen”) 1966 (CD: “Assault on a Queen” Dragon’s Domain Records DDR621)

Recorded 19/20 January 1966 in Los Angeles

Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, Conte Candoli, Al Porcino, Ray Triscari – trumpet; Murray McEachern, Milt Bernhart, Hoyt Bohannon, Ken Shroyer – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Buddy Collette, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Bud Shank, Harry Carney – reeds;  Catherine Gothoffer – harp; Duke Ellington – piano; John Lamb – bass; Louie Bellson – drums.


workshop

Neo-Creole (from “Change of Mind”)(LP: “Up In Duke’s Workshop” Pablo 2310-815)

Cootie Williams, Willie Cook, Mercer Ellington, Harold “Money” Johnson – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Benny Green, Chuck Connors – trombone; Norris Turney, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Harold Ashby, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Paul Kondziela, Victor Gaskin – bass; Rufus Jones – drums.


EllingtonAtNewport

Jeep’s Blues (CD: “Ellington at Newport 1956 (Complete)” Columbia Legacy C2K 64932)

Recorded 9 July 1956 in New York City (Fake applause was added to make this studio recording appear as if it was recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival)

Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Willie Cook, Ray Nance – trumpet; Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, John Sanders – trombone; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Jimmy Woode – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums.


0000120517

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.