The Ellington Legend Grows

These are celebratory times in the world of Duke Ellington, which by now is a global area. The composer/bandleader/pianist has been the focus of a four-day event, billed as the seventh annual International Conference of the Duke Ellington Study Group, held in Washington, where he was born 90 years ago April 29.

In New York, tonight at St. Peter’s Church, another birthday celebration will be held with “The Duke’s Men,” led by the orchestra’s former trombonist Art Baron. In London last Monday, a Duke Ellington concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall was built around an all-star band led by Adelaide Hall, now 85 and a 50-year London resident, who leapt to fame when she sang the worldless vocal on Ellington’s classic “Creole Love Call” in 1927.

Far from dying, the Ellington legend seems to grow with each passing year since his death in 1974. More than any other factor, the proliferation of reissues (and the discovery of previously unreleased material) has contributed immeasurably to the legacy. (The current Ellington orchestra continues to record, most recently “Music Is My Mistress,” Music Masters CIJD 60185K.) Following are a few of the many Ellington-related items recently issued:

“RECOLLECTIONS OF THE BIG BAND ERA.” Duke Ellington. Atlantic 7-90043-2.

*** 1/2

Amazing! Given a dumb premise (Reprise Records wanted him to record a series of other bands’ themes), the maestro came up with an album that is often almost purely Ellingtonian. Of the 23 cuts (74 minutes), 17 were his own arrangements; three others were by Billy Strayhorn. Even “Rhapsody in Blue” in the Duke’s version sounds as if it could have been written for Harry Carney, Johnny Hodges and Jimmy Hamilton.

Hodges is exquisite too, on the Quincy Jones, Benny Goodman and Casa Loma tributes; Paul Gonsalves lends his supple tenor to Jimmy Dorsey’s “Contrasts,” Cootie Williams embraces “Auld Lang Syne” and “Tuxedo Junction,” and Ray Nance is all over the place, on trumpet (for Tommy Dorsey and Louis Armstrong) and violin (a tongue-in-cheek Strayhorn treatment of “Artistry in Rhythm” so elegant that it mocks the Kenton bombast).

The only ringers are “For Dancers Only,” for which Duke borrowed Sy Oliver’s original arrangement for the Jimmie Lunceford band; “Cherokee,” a quid pro quo in which the band sounds like Charlie Barnet (who, of course, loved to emulate Ellington); and a somewhat perfunctory “One O’Clock Jump,” with Duke doing his Basie shtick at the piano. But even these are entertaining exceptions to what remains, as a rule, an extraordinarily true-to-type album of echt Ellington.

“THE FEELING OF JAZZ.” Duke Ellington. Black Lion BLCD 760123.

*** 1/2

An agreeable but expendable set, most of the 11 tunes having been recorded in previous and better versions; however, Ray Nance specialists should note that on every track he is a featured soloist (sometimes the only soloist) and on two he sings. Among the better items: Strayhorn’s “Smada” and “Boo-Dah,” and a curious “Black and Tan Fantasy” with both Duke and Strayhorn on keyboards. “Flirtibird” is a brief Nance cornet concerto, from Ellington’s “Anatomy of a Murder” film score.

“FOUR SYMPHONIC WORKS BY DUKE ELLINGTON.” American Composers Orchestra. Music Masters MMD 60176 L.

****

A new recording, imperfect but important. ACO conductor Maurice Peress and/or Luther Henderson orchestrated these extended compositions: the evocative first movement of “Black, Brown & Beige,” the disjointed but intriguing “Three Black Kings,” which Mercer Ellington completed after his father left it unfinished; the stately “New World A-Comin’ ” piano concerto, with Sir Roland Hanna duplicating Duke’s original piano part; and the programmatic “Harlem,” which gives the lie to critics who claim that Ellington was out of his depth in longer forms.

This is not a jazz orchestra; the strings and rhythm fail to swing in the closing passages of “Black, Brown & Beige,” and because most of the guest jazz soloists are non-Ellingtonians (Percy Heath, Jon Faddis), some of the Ducal essence is lost. Yet the overall impression reinforces Ellington’s stature, not just in jazz, but, to quote Gunther Schuller, as a man who may yet be recognized as one of the great compositional masters of this century.

“ELLINGTON INDIGOS.” Duke Ellington. Columbia CK 44444.

****

Recorded five years earlier (1957), this also includes several reruns (“Solitude,” “Mood Indigo,” “Prelude to a Kiss”), but the orchestra is in exceptional form and there are two previously unissued tracks, an Ellington piano solo on “All the Things You Are” and a somber “Night and Day.” The Jimmy Hamilton clarinet feature, “Tenderly,” is as well tailored to him as is “Where or When” to Paul Gonsalves’ tenor. “Autumn Leaves” is sung in French and English by Ozzie Bailey, but Ray Nance’s violin redeems it.

“THE COMPLETE JOHNNY HODGES 1951-1955.” Mosaic MR 6 126 (35 Melrose Place, Stamford, CT 06902). Not available on CD.

*** cf,zl,8.5

The ever-shifting personnel of the septet Hodges led during his four years away from the band included a dozen Ellingtonians, scattered through these 15 sessions on six LPs. Hodges, Carney, Lawrence Brown, Ben Webster et al. have many moments of beauty. The mixture of jazz and pop standards (many previously recorded by Hodges) provides much pleasure but few surprises. “Castle Rock,” the only tune popularized (and originated) by this band, is a run-of-the-mill blues featuring Al Sears on tenor sax. The band lacked an interesting ensemble identity; too many of the upbeat tracks are of little compositional interest. The ballads (there are two ballad medleys) have endured best, though Hodges’ alto is sublime throughout.