Ciro's

Not a great fan of the label Sounds of Yesteryear. Recordings - in my experience - are released only as blue-tinged CDrs with no indication on the packaging that this is so. Their latest release Live At Ciro's is presently out of stock on Amazon. I can't recommend it when more supplies arrive.

As far as I can tell, the first of this two disc set comprises recordings released previously on vinyl on the Joyce label, Spotlight On... and Back At Ciro's...

Fair enough. The second disc, however, is altogether more troublesome. These are recordings which received only limited circulation among collectors who were members of The Duke Ellington Music Society. In one of the Society's bulletins, the story of their discovery was told...

Duke Ellington at Ciro’s, Los Angeles August 1947.

DEMS 05/2-13
Steven Lasker has found these three marvellous broadcasts from Ciro’s. The quality is impeccable. The acetates were cut at Radio Recorders in L.A. through a direct telephone line. The most amazing find is Duke’s rendition of Fats Waller’s Squeeze Me. The only other Ellington recording of this title was with a small group for the album "Side by Side". H’ya Sue (announced as Flirtation) and Lady in the Laverder Mist (announced as Too Weary to Worry) have very unusual arrangements.

5Aug47
Squeeze Me (by Fats Waller, is not Just Squeeze Me by DE)
Take the "A" Train (theme)
Royal Garden Blues
I Like the Sunrise (vocal by Chester Crumpler)
Sophisticated Lady
Brown Penny (vocal Kay Davis)
Blue Is the Night (announced as How Blue the Night)

6Aug47
Take the "A" Train (theme)
Flippant Flurry
It’s Kinda Lonesome out Tonight (vocal by Chester Crumpler)
Hollywood Hangover
Tulip or Turnip (vocal by Ray Nance)

7Aug47
Take the "A" Train (theme)
Lady of the Lavender Mist
H’ya Sue
Azalea (vocal by Chester Crumpler)
Caravan

The source of this story is here

Quite how a copy of these recordings has made its way into the hands of the people at Sounds of Yesteryear, I do not know. I would be very surprised if Steven Lasker is given the credit he deserves on the liner notes...