Duke with the Boston Pops

Duke Ellington played several of his centerpieces with the Boston Pops at Tanglewood on a recording I found on vinyl today. Each piece is short, with little elaboration and no extended solo work. This is no blowing session. However, the live date has its own charm: these infectious and mellifluous melodies are augmented by a full orchestra, which adds lawyers of lustrous color. As Duke said, "It was a good day for the piano player," and, I must add, to all who listen with a Dukish soul.

This recording is also available on a three-disk CD called "Live and Rare."

Duke on CD

My Duke Ellington collection is swelling to a tremendous size. You see, compact disks are going out of style, and much of Ellington is out of print. Yet there are hundreds of used CDs available on line, often for excellent prices. I do not want to lose these gems of jazz history.

Duke's Flaw

For the past two years, I have been progressively initiated into the majestic world of Duke Ellington. The Maestro held together his big band for nearly fifty years, pioneered new jazz sounds, and kept developing as an artist. It is all so wonderful that I cannot stop getting Ellington CDs and books about the man.

However, to my mind, Duke has one fairly large musical flaw: hiring trumpeter, William "Cat" Anderson. Anderson was known for his high notes and bright tone. He could hit some remarkably high notes, but often attempted notes he could not hit (unlike, say, Doc Severinsen). Further, his highest notes sounded little like a trumpet, but not unlike a dying animal (a cat, perhaps). Duke gave Cat a lot of solo room, and often cringe at this attempts to hit the stratosphere. He almost managed to cancel out the beauty of the entire rest of the band at times.

Duke's other trumpeters were another matter: Ray Nance, Clark Terry, and so on. But Cat...I just do not understand it.

Epiphany at Twist and Shout

It does not take long. When I walk into a store that is play jazz on the sound system, I immediately listen intently. Before long, I can usually ascertain which artist is playing. Today, after walking into Twist and Shout (the best store in Denver for jazz CDs and albums), I heard a small combo with an insistent saxophone taking the lead. After a few minutes, I realized it was the legendary Miles Davis Quintet live in a newly released recording. Miles is joined by Tony Williams on drums (then about 20), Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Ron Carter on bass, and Herbie Hancock on piano. This is the free-bop, pre-electric Miles, with lyricism, telepathic coordination, and an open sky in which most anything could happen.

I marveled at the timing, and at the quality of the old JBL speakers (similar to one's I had in high school) bringing this sublime music to me there and then. You never know what you may hear at Twist and Shout. I have cringed at rap, been hammered by heavy metal, and generally sickened by other defective forms of music. But today, it was pure stereophonic magic.

I stopped, looked into the old, open-faced speakers--and thanked God for the beauty.

Doc

Now, so many years later, having not watched TV on a regular basis for over a decade, I realize that one of the best things ever on TV was the old Tonight Show Orchestra, led by Doc Severinsen.

Big Bands Today

I have been luxuriating on the big bands of Duke Ellington and, to a lesser extent, those of Count Basie and Stan Kenton. Do any of you recommend any contemporary jazz big bands?

Jazz Language Chop

Jazz vocabulary:

Dukish: the quality of being of or resembling the work of Duke Ellington.