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Rex Stewart


EKE BBB

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Haven't found any general thread dedicated to this truly original musician, neither as part of the Ellington troupe nor as a leader... so it's about time!

Opinions? Favourite recordings?

Just to start things out, here's Rex in Berlin, 1948, from the record "Jazz in Deutschland" (Blue Song, LP 94327-416):

(from Ehsan Khoshbakht's very interesting jazz blog, "Take The A Train")

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That July 3rd, 1941 small group session from LA with Lawrence Brown, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Duke, Blanton, and Sonny Greer (Menelik, Subtle Slough, etc.) may be just about my favourite session in the history of sound :) - I love Rex Stewart.

Great session.

I also like The Big Challenge & The Big Reunion.

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Fan of Rex from way back.

'Boy Meets Horn' was one of the very first Duke Ellington number I loved (on a 10inch French Odeon LP).

The superb 1939 session with Django Reinhardt and Barney Bigard that produced gems like 'Finesse' or 'Montmartre' is an early exemple of swinging chamber jazz.

I was also a fan of the articles he wrote for Down Beat in the 60s. They were reunited in the classic book 'Jazz Masters of the 30s' that remains one of the fundamental book on the music.

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That July 3rd, 1941 small group session from LA with Lawrence Brown, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Duke, Blanton, and Sonny Greer (Menelik, Subtle Slough, etc.) may be just about my favourite session in the history of sound :) - I love Rex Stewart.

Seconded. I have the 10" 'X' disc of that on RCA amongst other sources for this music. It is sublime.

Rex Stewart features as major character in the children's novel Riding on Duke's Train by Mick Carlon which was part of my Christmas reading. I found the novel rather charming!

Many thanks for the thread. I am pony just beginning to explore Rex Stewart's contribution to the Ellington Orchestra - and his own work solo.

As a discographical enquiry - is the album Rex Stewart in Paris on the Barclay label (I think) the same material as the 10" Ellingtonia on Dial? Many thanks.

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Just to start things out, here's Rex in Berlin, 1948, from the record "Jazz in Deutschland" (Blue Song, LP 94327-416):

(from Ehsan Khoshbakht's very interesting jazz blog, "Take The A Train")

Now that's a real oddity, this "Jazz in Deutschland" LP on the "Blue Song" (huh? :huh:) label.

The track listing as indicated on the blog linked above is the EXACT track sequence of the EAST German LP of Vol. 2 in the "Jazz auf Amiga" series released in 1981 (and probably earlier elsewhere on the East German Amiga label). This series was circulated fairly widely even in West Germany but West Germans bootlegging (or ripping off?) East German labels? Now that's sumpin' else. (I can't imagine this being the fruit of an official licensing deal. Amiga had their mutual licensing partners among the majors in the West)

At any rate, though I've been around the block in buying jazz vinyl here quite a couple of times ;) I've never come across such a Blue Song item. Must have been a bit in the mold of local "collector" pressings such as "Swingfan".

That said, fine music and a milestone in early post-war jazz as promoted to war-stricken Europe.

So may I just put in a plug for Rex Stewart's other non-U.S. recordings done at roughly the same time, e.g. his Paris recordings done in Dec., 1947 and Jan., 1948 and reissued e.g. on the "Rex In Paris 1947-1948" twofer LP on Barclay 80.972/973.

Edited by Big Beat Steve
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That July 3rd, 1941 small group session from LA with Lawrence Brown, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Duke, Blanton, and Sonny Greer (Menelik, Subtle Slough, etc.) may be just about my favourite session in the history of sound :) - I love Rex Stewart.

That would be my choice. Some of the Cootie & Rex stuff from the '50s is very nice. One of the most recognizable sounds in jazz trumpet.

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I love Rex! I agree with all that has been stated already but would like to add that I really dig his HRS & Keynote recordings as well.

Also, "Baby, Aintcha' Satisfied" is one of my all-time favorites.

Edited by Brute
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