Sir John Dankworth

[Teasing the Korean]

If the Google machine can be trusted, we apparently do not have a thread on composer/arranger John Dankworth - that's Sir John Dankworth to you.  At least we haven't had one until now.

I have probably about 10 of his LPs.  It is sad that none of the ones I have seem to be on CD or even available as lossless downloads on Qobuz.  

My favorite is probably The Zodiac Variations on Fontana, which I happily liberated from the Stereo Jack's dollar jazz bin many moons ago.

As he frequently worked with vocalist Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, we can teeter into discussions of her work here also. 

[sidewinder]

Dutton Vocalion have reissued a number of his Fontana and Philips albums from the 1960s and early 70s on CD, including ‘Zodiac Variations’.

[Teasing the Korean]

27 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

Dutton Vocalion have reissued a number of his Fontana and Philips albums from the 1960s and early 70s on CD, including ‘Zodiac Variations’.

Really?  Are these still available?  I couldn't readily find them!

[Peter Friedman]

This is a good one.

[sidewinder]

Their online store is here -

https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/products.php?cat=377

[HutchFan]

My favorite Cleo Laine - John Dankworth collaboration:

Singing the words of poets isn't your typical jazz fare, and Laine doesn't sound like a typical jazz singer.  But I think both of these facts work to her advantage here.

I prefer this record over her earlier Shakespeare LP.

 

[Teasing the Korean]

42 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

Their online store is here -

https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/products.php?cat=377

Thanks.  I see the twofer with Zodiac, but some other key albums do not seem to be available.

[sidewinder]

They have only done a few of them. There was an earlier ‘Journey Into Jazz’ but that is sold out. Looks like the BBC Transcription CDs they did might also be sold out.

For the very early Fontanas, Japanese CD reissues (if they have done them) might be the best bet.

Don’t forget ‘Windmill Tilter’ by the Dankworth Band featuring Kenny Wheeler as well. A masterpiece.

The Dankworth Band version of ‘African Waltz’ actually preceded Cannonball’s (ripoff) version on Riverside and was a Top 10 hit here in about 1961 I think. The BBC have film of the band playing it at the Royal Variety Performance in front of Her Late Maj. - a great bit of film. Recently rebroadcast by BBC4 on their ‘Dankworth Night’, as was some actual film of the ‘What The Dickens’ recording sessions.

Edited April 6, 2023 by sidewinder

[BillF]

1 hour ago, Peter Friedman said:

This is a good one.

👍

Dankworth Orch at Newport.

[HutchFan]

36 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

Don’t forget ‘Windmill Tilter’ by the Dankworth Band featuring Kenny Wheeler as well. A masterpiece.

   

 

[Teasing the Korean]

My first John Dankworth album was in the Roulette Echoes of an Era series, in which his Roulette album Jazz from Abroad was paired with a live Billy Strayhorn date (which was probably a Duke concert released under Strayhorn's name for contractual reasons).  The track that really knocked me out was "String of Camels," which opens side 1 on the original album, but which closes side 1 on the twofer.  This would have been early 1990s.

 

1 hour ago, HutchFan said:

I prefer this record over her earlier Shakespeare LP.

I have that one, but it has been a while since I've spun it.  

[Teasing the Korean]

The Roulette album Collaboration is a jazz/symphony hybrid.  Here is "Improvisations for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra."  This one is overdue for a spin.

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by Teasing the Korean

[mjazzg]

4 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

The Roulette album Collaboration is a jazz/symphony hybrid.  Here is "Improvisations for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra."  This one is overdue for a spin.

 

That looks very interesting,just bought a cheap LP of it

[Big Beat Steve]

For a moment of relaxation and amusement before this thread ends up (like quite a few before) with the entire recorded output eventually getting "recommended":

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by Big Beat Steve

[JSngry]

I did find the album about the art in a cutout bin back in the day and enjoyed it quite well. I'd also like to get that Windmill Tilter album with wheeler.

On the whole though, not a lot of appeal for me, either Dankworth or Laine. But that's ok, more for those who do like it.

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, Big Beat Steve said:

For a moment of relaxation and amusement before this thread ends up (like quite a few before) with the entire recorded output eventually getting "recommended":

That was funny!

14 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I did find the album about the art in a cutout bin back in the day and enjoyed it quite well.

Yeah, that's a good one.

[Teasing the Korean]

John Dankworth did some spy scores in the 1960s, including Fathom and Modesty Blaise.  The latter was one of my first Dankworth albums. 

 

[Teasing the Korean]

Now playing:  The $1,000,000 Collection on Fontana.

Each track is inspired by a painting.

[jazzcorner]

On 4/16/2023 at 8:34 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

Now playing:  The $1,000,000 Collection on Fontana.

Each track is inspired by a painting.

Have a few of the Dankworth family.

On one there is the great " Experiments with Mice" with Johnny's narration and imitating  some fine big band sounds as May, Finegan, Mulligan, Goodman and  Kenton . Very amusing.

CD    Dankworth,Alec & Joh    "Nebuchadnezzar" Generation Bigband    1993    Ronnie Scotts
     Dankworth,Johnny    ...Orchestra (feat. Cleo Laine)    1953-58    EMI Records
CD    Dankworth,Johnny    Live at the Newport Festival 1959    1959    HRK Records
CD    Dankworth,Johnny    Too cool for the blues    1959    Rexx (2)
     Dankworth,Johnny    London to Newport    1959    Top Rank
CD    Dankworth,Johnny    The Roulette Years    1959-61    Roulette
     Dankworth,Johnny    Movies 'n' me - J.Dankworth & his Orchestra    1974    DRG Records

Edited July 15, 2023 by jazzcorner

[Big Beat Steve]

Not wanting to unduly continue the pastime of just rattling off what one owns of any given artist's platters 😄, here is a slightly different aspect to how to explore an artist or what to keep an eye on. In the field of Modern Jazz I've always been particularly interested in the early, formative and/or "youthful" years (call it whatever you may) of a "name" artist when he was in the midst of the scene and musical happenings, with decidedly less emphasis on their (much) latter-day works of "hey I'm still around" (as they might lead into any random direction - or at any rate into one that is rather removed from what originally attracted me to the artist). So in Dankworth's case I essentially and so far ended up with the following (dictated partly by availability, but I did and do not have any completist aims).

- Johnny Dankworth 1953-58 feat. Cleo Laine (EMI Retrospect Series - a nice introductory compilation LP to the artist - the first by him that I got my hands on, back in the 90s)
- Swinging In the 50s - IAJRC 39 (1953-57, rarer tracks often overlooked in the reissue market)
- Bundle from Britain (Top Rank, 1959 - one that I had to have after having read various reports on the 1959 Newport Festival)
- The Big Band Sound of Johnny Dankworth (Roulette, 1959-61)
plus the
- Waxing The Winners 1952-53 and 1954-55 LPs on Esquire (which include some Dankworth-led Melody Maker All Stars sessions) - a clear case of the "early period" of the artist, but in an atypical and interesting all-star setting