Duke Ellington

[Clunky]

Yesterday I got a 2 LP vinyl copy of Duke Ellington The Ellingtonians Vogue Double VJD 525.

It contains some very interesting EKE sessions from 1950/1 , small group material with a more diverse than usual cast including on Max Roach, Oscar Pettiford and Red Rodney along with the more usual Ellingtonians. However interesting the material might be the sound is pretty poor in points.

Distortion on louder passages but generally lousy fidelity. I'm not sure what label this came out on originally but has this stuff always sounded this bad?

Edited April 12, 2007 by Clunky

[medjuck]

Well I know Roach and Pettiford played with the band but did Rodney?

[Clunky]

Red's on just one track "The New Piano Roll Blues" from Sept 21st 1950. Carney, Jeep, Duke, Wendell Marshall and Max also play

[medjuck]

I think that track was originally on the Mercer label. I'm not sure who, if anyone, owns the rights and more important, the masters of the Mercer material.

[jazzbo]

OJC put out a cd of Mercer material. . . sound wasn't great but not awful either. . . under Johnny Hodges name, "Caravan." I think I remember from the liners. . . this was all the material from Mercer of this vintage?

1. Frisky

2. Longhorn Blues

3. Flower Is A Lovesome Thing

4. Far Away Blues

5. How Could It Happen To A Dream

6. Who Struck John?

7. June's Jumpin'

8. Lotus Blossom

9. Violet Blue

10. Searsy's Blues

11. Little Taste

12. Let The Zoomers Drool

13. Night Walk

14. Caravan

15. Hoppin' John

16. She

17. Happening

18. Sultry Serenade

19. Alternate

20. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid