Tag Archives: Duke Ellington

Miles Davis: Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet

Leave a comment

In April 1956, “Prestige” label released “Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet”, the ninth Miles Davis album. It was recorded on November 16, 1955, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Hackensack, New Jersey, and was produced by Bob Weinstock.

Personnel:

  • Miles Davis– trumpet
  • John Coltrane– tenor saxophone
  • Red Garland– piano
  • Paul Chambers– bass
  • Philly Joe Jones– drums

Track listing:

  1. Just Squeeze Me – Duke Ellington, Lee Gaines
  2. There Is No Greater Love – Isham Jones, Marty Symes
  3. How Am I to Know? – Dorothy Parker, Jack King
  4. S’posin’ – Paul Denniker, Andy Razaf
  5. The Theme – Miles Davis
  6. Stablemates – Benny Golson

Bill Evans: New Jazz Conceptions

Leave a comment

In February 1957, “Riverside” label released “New Jazz Conceptions”, the debut Bill Evans album as a leader.  September 18 and 27, 1956, in New York City, and was produced by Bill Grauer and Orrin Keepnews.

Personnel:

  • Bill Evans- piano
  • Teddy Kotick- bass
  • Paul Motian– drums
  • Jack Higgins – engineer
  • Tamaki Beck – mastering
  • Fran Scott – design
  • Hank Parker – photography
  • Orrin Keepnews – liner notes

Track listing:

  1. I Love You – Cole Porter
  2. Five – Bill Evans
  3. I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good) – Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster
  4. Conception – George Shearing
  5. Easy Living – Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger
  6. Displacement – Bill Evans
  7. Speak Low – Kurt Weill, Ogden Nash
  8. Waltz for Debby – Bill Evans, Gene Lees
  9. Our Delight – Tadd Dameron
  10. My Romance – Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart
  11. No Cover, No Minimum

Oscar Peterson & Dizzy Gillespie: Same

Leave a comment

In December 1974, “Pablo” label released “Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie”, an album by Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie. It was recorded in November 1974, and was produced by Norman Granz.

Personnel:

  • Oscar Peterson – piano
  • Dizzy Gillespie– trumpet

Track listing:

  1. Caravan – Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol
  2. Mozambique – Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson
  3. Autumn Leaves – Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prévert
  4. Close Your Eyes – Bernice Petkere
  5. Blues for Bird – Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson
  6. Dizzy Atmosphere – Dizzy Gillespie
  7. Alone Together – Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz
  8. Con Alma – Dizzy Gillespie

Ella Fitzgerald And Count Basie: Ella And Basie!

Leave a comment

In September 1963, “Verve” label released “Ella and Basie!”, studio album by Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie and his orchestra. It was recorded in July 1963, at “A&R Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Norman Ganz.

Personnel:

  • Ella Fitzgerald– vocals
  • The Count Basie Orchestra:
  • Count Basie– piano
  • Sonny Cohn, Al Aarons, Joe Newman, Don Rader– trumpet
  • Eric Dixon– flute, tenor saxophone
  • Frank Foster, Frank Wess– flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
  • Charlie Fowlkes– baritone saxophone
  • Freddie Green– guitar
  • Benny Powell, Urbie Green, Henry Coker, Grover Mitchell– trombone
  • Flip Ricard– trombone, trumpet
  • Marshal Royal– clarinet, alto saxophone
  • Buddy Catlett– double bass
  • Sonny Payne– drums
  • Quincy Jones– arranger
  • Val Valentin – recording
  • Jay Thompson – cover photography

Track listing:

  1. Honeysuckle Rose – Andy Razaf, Fats Waller
  2. Deed I Do – Walter Hirsch, Fred Rose
  3. Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall – Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts
  4. Them There Eyes – Maceo Pinkard, Doris Tauber, William Tracey
  5. Dream a Little Dream of Me – Fabian Andre, Gus Kahn, Wilbur Schwandt
  6. Tea for Two – Irving Caesar, Vincent Youmans
  7. Satin Doll – Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Billy Strayhorn
  8. I’m Beginning to See the Light – Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges, Harry James
  9. Shiny Stockings – Frank Foster, Ella Fitzgerald
  10. This Is My Last Affair – Haven Johnson
  11. Ain’t Misbehavin’ – Harry Brooks, Razaf, Waller
  12. On the Sunny Side of the Street – Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh

Allen Toussaint: American Tunes

Leave a comment

On June 10, 2016, “Nonesuch” label released “American Tunes”, the twentieth and the final Allen Toussaint album. It was recorded May 2013 – October  2015, and was produced by Joe Henry.

Personnel:

  • Allen Toussaint– vocals, piano
  • Rhiannon Giddens– vocals
  • Bill Frisell– electric guitar
  • Adam Levy– gut-string guitar
  • Van Dyke Parks– second piano, orchestral arrangement
  • David Piltch – upright bass
  • Jay Bellerose– drums, percussion
  • Greg Leisz– weissenborn
  • Charles Lloyd– tenor saxophone
  • Cameron Stone – cello
  • Amy Shulman – harp

Track listing:

  1. Delores’ Boyfriend – Allen Toussaint
  2. Viper’s Drag – Thomas “Fats” Waller
  3. Confessin’ (That I Love You) – Doc Daugherty, Ellis Reynolds, Al Neiburg
  4. Mardis Gras in New Orleans – Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd
  5. Lotus Blossom – Billy Strayhorn
  6. Waltz for Debby – Bill Evareleased ns
  7. Big Chief – Earl King
  8. Rocks in My Bed – Duke Ellington
  9. Danza, Op. 33 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk
  10. Hey Little Girl – Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd
  11. Rosetta – Earl “Fatha” Hines
  12. Come Sunday – Duke Ellington
  13. Southern Nights – Allen Toussaint
  14. American Tune – Paul Simon

Duke Ellington: Afro-Bossa

Leave a comment

In April 1963, “Reprise” label released “Afro-Bossa”, album by Duke Ellington. It was recorded November 29, 1962, December 20, 1962 and January 4 – 5, 1963, at “Fine Studios” in New York.

Personnel:

  • Duke Ellington– piano
  • Billy Strayhorn– piano
  • Johnny Hodges– alto saxophone
  • Russell Procope– alto saxophone, clarinet
  • Paul Gonsalves– tenor saxophone
  • Harry Carney– baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
  • Ray Nance– cornet, violin
  • Cat Anderson, Roy Burrowes, Cootie Williams– trumpet
  • Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper– trombone
  • Chuck Connors – bass trombone
  • Jimmy Hamilton– clarinet, tenor saxophone
  • Ernie Shepard – bass
  • Sam Woodyard– drums

Track listing:

:All tracks by Duke Ellington except where noted.

  1. Afro-Bossa
  2. Purple Gazelle
  3. Absinthe – Billy Strayhorn
  4. Moonbow
  5. Sempre Amoré
  6. Caliné – Silk Lace
  7. Tigress – Billy Strayhorn
  8. Angu
  9. Volupté
  10. Bonga
  11. Pyramid – Duke Ellington, Irving Gordon, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol
  12. Eighth Veil – Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn

Dizzy Gillespie

Leave a comment

On January 6, 1993, John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie died aged 75. He was musician (trumpet), singer, composer and bandleader, trumpet virtuoso and improviser,  regarded as one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time. Together with Charlie Parker, Gillespie was major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He has recorded and performed with some of the most important musicians in the jazz history, including Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, Max Roach, Stan Getz, Sonny Stit,Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins,Benny Golson, Bobby Hackett, Mary Lou Williams, Willie Ruff, Dwike Mitchell, Art Blakey, Al McKibbon, Thelonious Monk, Kai Winding, Joe Turner, Roy Eldridge, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Clark Terry, Oscar Peterson, John Lewis, Hank Jones, Percy Heath, Roy Eldridge,  Machito, Benny Carter, Lalo Schifrin, Count Basie, Freddie Hubbard,  Arturo Sandoval, Phil Woods, Moe Koffman, United Nation Orchestra, Jackie McLean, Percy Heath, Ron Holloway, Ed Cherry, John Lee, Ignacio Berroa, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Mike Longo, Manhattan Transfer,  Carmen McRae, Katie Bell Nubin,  Mongo Santamaria, Woody Shaw, Lillian Terry and Randy Weston.

Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic

Leave a comment

Pretzel_Logic

On February 20, 1974, “ABC” label released “Pretzel Logic”, the third Steely Dan studio album. It was recorded October 1973 – January 1974 at the “Village Recorder” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Gary Katz.  The cover photo of the New York pretzel seller was by Raeanne Rubenstein. On September 7, 1993, “Pretzel Logic” was certified Platinum in US by the “RIAA”. Magazine “NME” named “Pretzel Logic” best album of 1974. Magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked “Pretzel Logic” at number 385 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Donald Fagen- lead vocals, keyboards, saxophone
  • Walter Becker- bass, guitar, backing vocals
  • Jeff “Skunk” Baxter- lead guitar
  • Denny Dias- guitar
  • Ben Benay – guitar
  • Dean Parks- guitar, banjo
  • Michael Omartian- keyboards
  • David Paich- keyboards
  • Timothy B. Schmit- bass, backing vocals
  • Wilton Felder- bass
  • Chuck Rainey- bass
  • Jim Gordon- drums
  • Jeff Porcaro– drums
  • Victor Feldman– percussion
  • Plas Johnson- saxophone
  • Jerome Richardson- saxophone
  • Ernie Watts- saxophone
  • Lew McCreary – horn
  • Ollie Mitchell- trumpet
  • Jimmie Haskell – orchestration
  • Jim Hodder- backing vocals
  • David Larkham – design
  • Ed Caraeff – art direction, photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, except where noted.

  1. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
  2. Night by Night
  3. Any Major Dude Will Tell You
  4. Barrytown
  5. East St. Louis Toodle – Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley
  6. Parker’s Band
  7. Through with Buzz
  8. Pretzel Logic
  9. With a Gun
  10. Charlie Freak
  11. Monkey in Your Soul

John Coltrane

Leave a comment

On July 17, 1967,John William Coltrane, died aged 40. He was musician  (saxophones) and composer, played key role in the process of modernizing of jazz music. With the spiritual dimension in his music and superb technique as saxophonist, he influenced innumerable musicians from various music genres. Coltrane has worked with some of the most important musicians in the jazz history including Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Johnny Hartman, Pharaoh Sanders and Dizzy Gillespie. His 1965 album “A Love Supreme” is regarded as one of the best and most important jazz album of all times.

Benny Carter

Leave a comment

On July 12, 2003, Bennett Lester “Benny” Carter, died aged 96. He was musician (alto saxophone, clarinet, trumpet), composer, arranger, and bandleader,  regarded a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s. In his career the “King” performed with Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Coleman Hawkins, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Miles Davis,  Django Reinhardt, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Phil Woods, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Ben Webster, Billy Eckstine, Pearl Bailey, Lou Rawls, Louis Armstrong, Freddie Slack and Mel Torme.

For his work Benny Carter received big number of awards including: “The NEA Jazz Masters Award by The National Endowment for the Arts”, “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award” , “Grammy Award” for his solo “Prelude to a Kiss”, “A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame”, “National Endowment for the Arts”, “National Medal of Arts”.