Serenade from Sweden

Here's a real rarity courtesy of the streaming music service Deezer. Whether you have to sign up to listen to it, or whether the embedded track works here, let me know.

This is a previously unissued recording from the session Alice Babs made with Duke Ellington in Paris, 1963. The issued album is as rare as the proverbial hen's teeth and has never been re-issued on CD. Things Ain't What They Used To Be comes from a six CD  boxed set issued recently by Vax Records in the late singer's home country of Sweden. Whether the record label may be prevailed upon to issue the whole of the Ellington album on CD (and there is a fund of unissued tracks and alternates from the Paris sessions)remains to be seen. Here, however, is the sole Ellington track included on this recent compilation. Full details of the box set may be found here.

Django All The Way

In a previous post some time ago, I wrote

about The Savory Collection.The custodian of these resources, Loren Schoenberg, has promised that a CD of Ellingtonian treasures is on its way. Perhaps amongst them will be this version of Honeysuckle Rose with Django Reinhardt which I discovered earlier today on Youtube. It will have to do until the real thing comes along...

For more of Django with the Ellington band, a couple of performances are included on The Great Concerts: Chicago, 1946 a recording

made, famously, by John Steiner.

The performance of Ride, Red, Ride is, unfortunately and inexplicably, edited on this release, however. the full version is available as a n mp3, though, here.

... the place, man

This is the cover of the French edition of the Verve album Ella At Duke's Place, a much more satisfying and much less re-issued collection - to my mind - than the much more celebrated Ellington Songbook.

The cover to this French edition was commissioned specially from the artist Raymond Moretti. There is  particularly fascinating post about Moretti - which first alerted me to this edition of the album - at the always fascinating blog, London Jazz Collector. You can read about Moretti's work here.

Duke's In Bed

              

I don't know where they keep finding these rare videos - salted away in private collections, I presume. Thank goodness they are uploaded to Youtube for all of us to enjoy.

The following video is dubbed entirely into Italian but nevertheless gives a fascinating insight into the life of Ellington. Filmed in 1966, mere months before his untimely death, there are particularly poignant glimpses of arranging and composing companion Billy Strayhorn.

Duke Ellington intervistato da Ruggero Orlando-1966

Maple Leaf Rag

For sale on Ebay presently for $1000.00:


Autographs of Duke Ellington and Band at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, 1938

16 band members signed inside college student's chemist

Dated November 23rd. The book was owned by K.F. Box.

(Title of Book, An Introduction to Organic Chemistry, by Alexander Lowy and Benjamin Harron, John Wiley, New York, 1936, Owner's stamp inside front cover, Maroon covers are moderately scuffed with wear to the corners and edges, Binding is tight, Inside pages are clean apart from a number of pencil and use marks.)

Seller Notes:	“In book, Owner's stamp inside front cover, Maroon covers are moderately scuffed with wear to the corners and edges, Binding is tight,Autographs are on a page that has some use marks.”

Cutting Contest

With a street date of 9 December, 2014, a new  

200 gram vinyl pressing and an SACD of the album Masterpieces by Ellington are being released, mastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. Here is a little film about the audio engineer:

P.S: Flub you Madly...

The following exchange took place on Steve Hoffman's Music Forum with regard to an error made by vocalist 'Yvonne':

A: Masterpieces By Ellington was released only as a 12" LP back in the Spring of 1951.

There are two masterings of Side 1 of that LP:

The -1 cuttings for Side 1 has a vocal flub in Sophisticated Lady just as the female vocalist started singing. That vocal flub was edited out in the -2 cuttings for Side 1 and on subsequent reissues (on both LP and CD). In addition, the -2B/-1E cutting (cut back in the Fall of 1952 during the green label's final months) was used for several years, through the blue-label re-pressings of 1953-55 and into the 6-eye era.

B: Hmmmm. My green label is 1E for side 1 and 1B for side 2. I had never noticed a difference between that one and my CSP issue, but I'll have to listen closely again to the green label (I've listenened mostly to my needle-drop of the CSP). She really does rush the timing of the intro on Sophisticated Lady and then catches back up with the band by the third line or so. I wonder if the CSP uses the old cutting, or if that is the "fixed" version.

That music is so sensitive and delicate -- the amount of concentration required to pull it off live-in-the-studio with songs that long . . . the whole thing must've been pretty intense. And the recording is so accurate -- you can hear musicians shifting in their chairs and bumping their music stands. There's another technical issue with Sophisticated Lady as well. Duke takes a long solo in the middle of the song and at the end of it, the brass comes blasting in. Well, the recording engineers must've been sneaking the levels up for his solo and when that brass comes in you can hear the faders get pulled down in a panic!

They were flying by the seat of their pants back then. Makes the record all the more fun to listen to.

C: My recently purchased green-label copy is also 1E/1B - with the wacky-looking script numbers in the deadwax. However, my early 1955 blue-label copy and my 6-eye CL 825 reissue copy are both 2B for Side 1 and 1E for Side 2. The 2B side is of the "fixed" version.

 B: So after closer listening my green label does have the flub. Man, you learn so much from this forum

The full discussion thread is here...

Concerted Cootie

About this time of the rolling year - as the anniversary of the famous dance at the Crystal Ballroom, Fargo, North Dakota falls, thoughts turn to the fact that days before this occasion, Cootie Williams left the Duke Ellington orchestra for Benny Goodman's.During this time, Cootie also played as part of the Benny Goodman Sextet and, briefly in this setting with Charlie Christian. Here, by way of reminiscence of that period when 'Cootie left the Duke' is an air shot of the Goodman sextet and, for the record, a list of the sides Cootie made with the full Goodman band.

The Benny Goodman Sextet Fields Requests on 'America in Swingtime'

This WNYC American Music Festival program from February 19, 1941 captures the Benny Goodman Sextet in a rare and wonderful moment. 

This sextet represents Goodman pretty close to his prime, featuring the brief, golden collaboration with Charlie Christian. What's even more valuable is that it documents Cootie Williams's time with the band. Williams had just left Duke Ellington and within the year would start his own group. The rest of the band consists of George Auld (saxophone), Artie Bernstein (bass), Johnny Guarnieri (piano), and Dave Tough (drums). 

We come upon the band just as they're finishing a rendition of "Rose Room." The host, Ralph Burton, prompts Benny to play something "from the old days." He obliges with "Flying Home," featuring Charlie Christian's innovative electric guitar. There's a little awkward interplay as Burton requests "a blues," but is tongue-tied when Goodman wants to know in what key.  Williams then launches into one of his great growling solos. Next, Burton requests "a pop tune" and the band plays "The Sheik of Araby." Then Goodman  announces, "Georgy Auld wants to play a little bit of 'Body and Soul' all by himself." Burton praises Swing as "the folk music of America's cities." Finally, the sextet takes us home with a rousing version of "Gone With What Wind?" As the outro music swells, Burton thanks the King of Swing for dropping by and pronounces his group "the real McCoy."

The above quotations and the image of the audio player are taken from the WNYC website. It isn't possible to embed the performance of Cootie Williams with the benny Goodman sextet but click on the link below to be taken to the original site.

America in Swingtime: Benny Goodman Sextet with Cootie Williams

And here is a discography complete with all the sides Cootie recorded with the full Goodman band 1940-41, the seventy-fourth anniversary of their first session falling a week Thursday.

All these sides are available in Mosaic Records' The Columbia and Okeh Benny Goodman Orchestra Sessions.

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra with Cootie Williams

Jimmy Maxwell, Irving Goodman, Alec Fila, Cootie Williams (tp), Lou McGarity, Red Gingler (tb), 
Benny Goodman (cl), Gus Bivona, Skip Martin, (as), Bob Snyder (as, bari), Georgie Auld, Jack Henderson 
(ts), Fletcher Henderson –1, Bernie Leighton –2 (p), Mike Bryan (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Harry Jaeger (d).
        NYC, November 13, 1940
CO 29064-5  Henderson Stomp (FH-arr) –1   previously unissued
XCO 29065-3  Benny Rides Again (ES-arr) –2   BD T-1009 (LP)
XCO 29065-1  Benny Rides Again (ES-arr) –2   Col 55001 (12” 78)

Henderson Stomp 2:23
 (Fletcher Henderson) 


Benny Rides Again 4:40
 (Eddie Sauter) 


Benny Rides Again (alt tk.-3) (N) 4:58
 (Eddie Sauter) 


Cutty Cutshall (tb) replaces Gingler. 
      NYC, November 29, 1940
CO 29179-2  Frenesi (FH-arr)  Col 35863

Note: According to the AFM logs and Columbia ledgers, there are 3 trumpets at this session
with Cootie Williams replacing Irving Goodman on Frenesi only. 

Frenesi (2:51
 (A. Dominguez-L. Whitcup)


NYC, December 18, 1940
XCO 29256-2  Superman (ES-arr)    Col PG 33405 (LP)
XCO 29256-3  Superman (ES-arr)    Col GL 523 (LP) / previously unissued
XCO 29256-1  Superman (ES-arr)    Col 55002 (12” 78)
CO 29258-3  Moonlight On The Ganges (ES-arr)   BD T-1004 (LP)
CO 29258-2  Moonlight On The Ganges (ES-arr)   previously unissued
CO 29258-1  Moonlight On The Ganges (ES-arr)   Phon (Sd) 7612 (LP)

Note: Composites of matrices CO 29256-3 (from the start of the record toward the end of Cootie 
Williams’ solo) and -1 (from Georgie Auld’s solo to the end of the record) were spliced together to 
form the release on the Columbia LP Benny Goodman Presents Arrangements By Eddie 
Sauter (GL 523). The previously unissued material from -3 starts at Georgie Auld’s solo.

Composites of matrices CO 29258-3 (from the start of the record through the first half of Benny’s solo) 
and -1 (from the second half of Benny’s solo to the end of the record) were spliced together for a 
“new” take on that same Columbia LP.

Blu-Disc T-1004 incorrectly states -4 as the take that was used for Moonlight On The Ganges.

Superman 4:31
 (Eddie Sauter) 


Superman (alt tk.-2) 4:33    
 (Eddie Sauter) 


Superman (alt tk.-3) 4:34    
 (Eddie Sauter) 


Moonlight On The Ganges (-1) 3:10 
 (Ewing-Tilsley-Trevor) 


Moonlight On The Ganges (-3) 3:10
 (Ewing-Tilsley-Trevor)


Moonlight On The Ganges (-2) 3:13
 (Ewing-Tilsley-Trevor)


Fletcher Henderson (p) replaces Leighton for this title only from this session.
        

NYC, December 20, 1940
CO 29275-3  Somebody Stole My Gal (FH-arr)  BD T-1009 (LP)
CO 29275-1  

Somebody Stole My Gal (FH-arr)  Col 35916

Somebody Stole My Gal 2:46
 (Leo Wood)


Somebody Stole My Gal (alt tk.-3) 2:53
 (Leo Wood)  

 Jimmy Maxwell, Irving Goodman, Alec Fila (tp), Cootie Williams (tp, vcl), Lou McGarity, 
Cutty Cutshall (tb), Benny Goodman (cl), Gus Bivona, Skip Martin, Bob Snyder (as), Georgie Auld, 
Jack Henderson (ts), Teddy Wilson (p), Mike Bryan (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Dave Tough (d).
          NYC, January 14, 1941
CO 29502-2  Let The Door Knob Hitcha (CW-vcl) (MG-arr)   Phon (Sd) 7612 (LP)
CO 29502-3  Let The Door Knob Hitcha (CW-vcl) (MG-arr)   BD T-1009 (LP)
CO 29502-1  Let The Door Knob Hitcha (CW-vcl) (MG-arr)  Col 35962

Let The Door Knob Hitcha 3:05
 (M. Gibson-B. Goodman) 


Let The Door Knob Hitcha (alt tk.-2) 3:05   
 (M. Gibson-B. Goodman) 


Let The Door Knob Hitcha (alt tk.-3) 3:04
 (M. Gibson-B. Goodman)

Hymie Schertzer (as) replaces Martin and Count Basie (p) replaces Wilson. 
        NYC, January 21, 1941
CO 29529-4  I’m Not Complainin’ (ESa-arr)   previously unissued
CO 29529-2  I’m Not Complainin’ (ESa-arr)   Phon (Sd) 7612 (LP)
CO 29529-1  I’m Not Complainin’ (ESa-arr)   Col 36022

Skip Martin (as) and Teddy Wilson (p) replace Schertzer and Basie.
        same session
CO 29530-1  Time On My Hands (ES-arr)   Col 36180

 I’m Not Complainin’ 2:30
 (E. Sampson-A. Stillman)

I’m Not Complainin’ (alt tk.-4) 2:30
 (E. Sampson-A. Stillman)  


I’m Not Complainin’ (alt tk.-2) 2:30
 (E. Sampson-A. Stillman) 

 Time On My Hands 3:02 
 (Adamson-Gordon-Youmans)    

Jimmy Maxwell, Irving Goodman, Alec Fila, Cootie Williams (tp), Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall 
(tb), Benny Goodman (cl), Gus Bivona, Les Robinson (as), Georgie Auld, Pete Mondello (ts), 
Bob Snyder (bari), Johnny Guarnieri (p), Mike Bryan (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Dave Tough (d).
       NYC, February 19, 1941
CO 29775-4  Scarecrow (BH-arr)   Phon (Sd) 7615 (LP)
CO 29775-3  Scarecrow (BH-arr)   Time Life STLJ05 (LP)
CO 29775-2  Scarecrow (BH-arr)   BD T-1009 (LP)
CO 29775-1  Scarecrow (BH-arr)   Col 36180

Scarecrow 3:01
 (Benny Goodman) 


Scarecrow (alt tk.-4) 2:59 
 (Benny Goodman) 


Scarecrow (alt tk.-3) 2:59
 (Benny Goodman) 


Scarecrow (alt tk.-2) (3:02
 (Benny Goodman) 


Skip Martin (as) replaces Robinson.     
  NYC, March 4, 1941
CO 29863-3  Take It (voc ens.) (MG-arr)  BD T-1009 (LP) 
CO 29863-2  Take It (voc ens.) (MG-arr)  Phon (Sd) 7615 (LP)
CO 29863-1  Take It (voc ens.) (MG-arr)  Col 36067 
CO 29865-1  Solo Flight (JM-arr) –1   Col 36684
CO 29865-2  Solo Flight (JM-arr) –1   Col CL 652 (LP) –1 Charlie Christian (el-g) replaces Bryan

Take It 3:10
 (Margie Gibson) 


Take It (alt tk.-3) 3:10  
 (Margie Gibson) 


Take It (alt tk.-2) 3:13 
 (Margie Gibson) 


Solo Flight 2:46
 (Goodman-Christian-Mundy) 


Solo Flight (alt tk.-2) 2:46
 (Goodman-Christian-Mundy) 


Jimmy Maxwell, Billy Butterfield, Irving Goodman, Cootie Williams (tp), Lou McGarity, 
Cutty Cutshall (tb), Benny Goodman (cl), Gus Bivona, Les Robinson (as), Georgie Auld, 
Pete Mondello (ts), Skip Martin (bari), Johnny Guarnieri (p), Mike Bryan (g), Artie Bernstein (b), 
Dave Tough (d).
       NYC, March 27, 1941
CO 30070-1  Intermezzo (ES-arr) –1   Col 36050
CO 30071-2  Fiesta In Blue (JM-arr)   Phon (Sd) 7615 (LP)
CO 30071-1  Fiesta In Blue (JM-arr)    Col 36755
CO 30072-3  Cherry (JM-arr)     Phon (Sd) 7616 (LP)
CO 30072-2  Cherry (JM-arr)     BD T-1009 (LP)
CO 30072-1  Cherry (JM-arr)     Har 1061

–1 omit Cootie Williams (tp) and one of the reeds doubles on bass clarinet.

Note: Goodman initially blocked the release of Cherry because he felt Harry James’ hit version
for Columbia was a better arrangement. The master take on Harmony was released in 1946.

Intermezzo 3:05 
 (H. Provost-R. Hemming) 


Fiesta In Blue (alt tk.-2) 3:09
 (B. Goodman-J. Mundy) 


Fiesta In Blue 3:11
 (B. Goodman-J. Mundy) 


Cherry 2:57
 (Don Redman) 


Cherry (alt tk.-3) 2:56
 (Don Redman)   


Cherry (alt tk.-2) 2:57
 (Don Redman) 


Jimmy Maxwell, Billy Butterfield, Irving Goodman, Cootie Williams (tp), Lou McGarity, 
Cutty Cutshall (tb), Benny Goodman (cl), Les Robinson, Jimmy Horvath (as), Georgie Auld, 
Pete Mondello (ts), Skip Martin (bari), Teddy Wilson (p), Mike Bryan (g), Artie Bernstein (b), 
Jo Jones (d).
         NYC, May 6, 1941
CO 30420-2  Something New (Negra Soy) (ES-arr)  Phon (Sd) 7616 (LP) 
CO 30420-1  Something New (Negra Soy) (ES-arr)  Col 36209
CO 30421-1  Air Mail Special (JM-arr)   Col 36254
CT 104  Don’t Be That Way (ESa-arr)   Phon (Sd) 7616 (LP)

Note: Don’t Be That Way is noted in the Columbia logs as “For Mr. Wallerstein – test 104” 
and was a gift to then Columbia president Ted Wallerstein. The “CT” prefix stands for “Columbia Test”

Something New (Negra Soy) 3:28 
 (A. Gamse-N. Manendez) 


 Something New (Negra Soy) (alt tk.-2) (3:26  
 (A. Gamse-N. Manendez) 


Air Mail Special 2:54
 (Goodman-Christian-Mundy) 


Don’t Be That Way 2:58
 (Goodman-Sampson-Parish) 


Jimmy Maxwell, Billy Butterfield, Cootie Williams (tp), Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall (tb), 
Benny Goodman (cl), Les Robinson, Gene Kinsey (as), Georgie Auld, Pete Mondello (ts), 
Skip Martin (bari), Mel Powell (p), Charlie Christian (g), Walter Yost (b), Sid Catlett (d). 
       NYC, June 11, 1941
CO 30648-1  Tuesday At Ten (SM-arr)  Phon (Sd) 7616 (LP)
CO 30648-2  Tuesday At Ten (SM-arr)  Col 36254
CO 30651-1  La Rosita (ES-arr)   Col 36284

Note: Discographies list the bassist as Walter Iooss.

Tuesday At Ten 3:25
 (Skip Martin) 


Tuesday At Ten (alt tk.-1) 3:23
 (Skip Martin)

 La Rosita 2:55  
 (G. Haenschen-L. O’Keefe)


Jimmy Maxwell, Billy Butterfield, Al Davis, Cootie Williams (tp), Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall 
(tb), Benny Goodman (cl), Clint Neagley, Skip Martin (as), Vido Musso, George Berg (ts), 
Chuck Gentry (bari), Mel Powell (p), Tom Morgan (g), John Simmons (b), Sid Catlett (d).
    Chicago, August 1, 1941
CCO 3927-3  The Count (MLW-arr)  previously unissued
CCO 3927-2  The Count (MLW-arr)      -
CCO 3927-1  The Count (MLW-arr)  Col 36379
CCO 3928-4  Pound Ridge (?SM-arr)  previously unissued
CCO 3928-2  Pound Ridge (?SM-arr)  Col 36421
CCO 3928-3  Pound Ridge (?SM-arr) previously unissued
CCO 3928-1  Pound Ridge (?SM-arr) Phon (Sd) 7616 (LP)


The Count 3:12
 (T. Gordon-B. Moten)


Pound Ridge 2:56  
 (Benny Goodman) 


Chicago, August 20, 1941
CCO 3951-2  The Birth Of The Blues (ES-arr) Col 36359
CCO 3980-4  Clarinet A La King (ES-arr)   previously unissued
CCO 3980-3  Clarinet A La King (ES-arr)       -
CCO 3980-2  Clarinet A La King (ES-arr)  Phon (Sd) 7616 (LP)
CCO 3980-1  Clarinet A La King (ES-arr)  Col PG 33405 (LP)

The Birth Of The Blues 3:11
 (Brown-DeSylva-Henderson)

Jimmy Maxwell, Billy Butterfield, Al Davis, Cootie Williams (tp), Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall 
(tb), Benny Goodman (cl), Clint Neagley, Skip Martin (as), Vido Musso, George Berg (ts), 
Chuck Gentry (bari), Mel Powell (p), Tom Morgan (g), Marty Blitz (b), Jo Jones (d).
      NYC, September 25, 1941
CO 31364-?  The Earl (MP-arr)  BD T-1014 (LP)
CO 31364-1  The Earl (MP-arr) -1  V-Disc 425 A, Navy V 205 A
CO 31364-2  The Earl (MP-arr) -1  OK 6474

-1 omit Jo Jones

The Earl 2:32
 (Mel Powell) 


The Earl (alt tk.-?) 2:18
 (Mel Powell)  


The Earl (alt tk.-1) 2:32
 (Mel Powell) 


Sid Catlett (d) replaces Jo Jones.
       NYC, October 2, 1941
CO 31390-1  Caprice XXIV Paganini (SM-arr) Col 36411
CO 31393-2  Clarinet A La King (ES-arr)  OK 6544
CO 31402-2  I’m Here (MP-arr)   Phon (Sd) 7617 (LP)
CO 31402-1  I’m Here (MP-arr)   Col 36411

Caprice XXIV Paganini 2:46
 (Eddie Sauter) 


Clarinet A La King (mtx. 31393-2) 2:52
 (Benny Goodman)


Clarinet A La King (mtx. 3980-4) 3:02
 (Benny Goodman) 


Clarinet A La King (mtx. 3980-3) 3:01
 (Benny Goodman) 


Clarinet A La King (mtx. 3980-2) 2:58
 (Benny Goodman) 


Clarinet A La King (mtx. 3980-1) 2:57
 (Benny Goodman) 


I’m Here 2:51 
 (Mel Powell) 


I’m Here (alt tk.-2) 2:53   
 (Mel Powell)


( NYC, October 8, 1941
no matrix  Roll ‘Em (Pt.1) (MLW-arr)  BD T-1014 (LP)
no matrix  Roll ‘Em (Pt.2) (MLW-arr)

Roll ‘Em (Pt.1) 2:51  
 (Mary Lou Williams) 


Roll ‘Em (Pt.2) 3:33
 (Mary Lou Williams)