Search results for "Ray Nance"

Duke Ellington: C Jam Blues (Rating: 92/100) posted in Music September 01, 09

Duke Ellington wrote “C Jam Blues” as a simple way to showcase his musicians. Its first appearance was in a “soundie”...

Duke Ellington (featuring Al Hibbler): Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Rating: 92/100) posted in Music September 16, 09

As most Ellington fans know, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" was the pop song version of Duke's 1940 instrumental "Ne...

Duke Ellington: Take the 'A' Train (1963) (Rating: 94/100) posted in Music March 20, 09

This track, like its even better companion from the same album, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," gives us fascinating...

Duke Ellington: Artistry in Rhythm (Rating: 98/100) posted in Music October 21, 08

I promise I'll never again complain about excess bonus tracks on a CD. Though most such tracks tend to be alternate t...

Johnny Hodges: 310 Blues (Rating: 94/100) posted in Music March 17, 09

This tune was specially written for this recording session by Duke Ellington's composing partner and musical soul mat...

Duke Ellington: Happy-Go-Lucky Local (Rating: 100/100) posted in Music March 15, 09

Duke Ellington’s “Happy-Go-Lucky Local” was originally the final movement of his Deep South Suite premiered at his 19...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: TWELVE TRAIN TRACKS

For big bands in the thirties, trains were the logical upgrade from the drudgery of the band bus. Airplanes wer...

Duke Ellington: Things Ain't What They Used To Be (1941) (Rating: 93/100) posted in Music March 16, 09

This song was written by Duke's son, Mercer, and features the great Johnny Hodges as the lead guy for a small gr...

Johnny Hodges: Everybody Knows (Rating: 95/100) posted in Music March 17, 09

The main theme of this tune is one of those catchy ones that keep doing instant replays in your head; it is played wi...

Johnny Hodges: Medley – I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart / Don't Get Around Much Any More (Rating: 94/100) posted in Music March 17, 09

This medley of two Ellington classics is a real delight of superb jazz playing. "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart...

Duke Ellington (featuring Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton): It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing (Rating: 96/100) posted in Music September 14, 09

This rendition of "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" from the band's 1944 Carnegie Hall concert, is ...

Duke Ellington: Jingle Bells (Rating: 94/100) posted in Music November 16, 07

Ten lords a leaping plus a Duke, Cat and Rabbit shake up "Jingle Bells" (1857) by James Lord Pierpont, who wasn't rea...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: RUDY REINDEER'S FAVORITE JAZZ

First, about the name. The whole "Rudolph" thing started as a joke. To friends and family, I've always been Rudy. The...

Duke Ellington (featuring Louie Bellson): Skin Deep (Rating: 95/100) posted in Music February 16, 09

A few years after this recording, rock bands would discover the allure of long, intense drum solos. This was more th...

Duke Ellington: Black, Brown and Beige (live 1943) (Rating: 100/100) posted in Music November 09, 07

Preserving Duke's Carnegie Hall debut (attended by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, no less), this 3-part, 45-minute mas...

Duke Ellington: Flamingo (Rating: 94/100) posted in Music November 23, 07

In 1940, the star of such Westerns with a black hero as Bronze Buckaroo (1938) and Harlem Rides the Range (1939)...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: JAZZ FOR THE BIRDS

It's only fitting. Since birds inspire us with their songs, composers return the favor, dedicating music in every gen...

Duke Ellington: A Tone Parallel To Harlem (Rating: 100/100) posted in Music November 23, 07

Many fans back in the early 1950s thought that the arrival of the LP -- youngsters, that stands for "Long Playing" re...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: HARLEM

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Duke Ellington: Mood Indigo (1950) (Rating: 100/100) posted in Music November 23, 07

The advent of the long-playing record finally released Duke Ellington from the time constraints that had previously f...

Duke Ellington: The Tattooed Bride (Rating: 96/100) posted in Music November 24, 07

Ellington was ahead of his time, and not just for preferring his brides with tattoos. This extended piece, premiered...

Duke Ellington: Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me (Rating: 93/100) posted in Music December 04, 07

Duke Ellington was both artist and entrepreneur. The composer who premiered his 45-minute tone poem Black, Brown and ...

Duke Ellington: Sepia Panorama (live 1940) (Rating: 100/100) posted in Music May 16, 08

For many jazz fans (myself included), Ellington's ensemble with bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webst...

Ella Fitzgerald (with Duke Ellington): Take the 'A' Train (Rating: 95/100) posted in Music October 06, 08

Matching Ella Fitzgerald with the Duke Ellington Orchestra on its signature tune is a surefire winner. But when you ...

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