JAZZ SPOTLIGHT

DUKE ELLINGTON

“The Complete Capitol Recordings of Duke Ellington”

Mosaic Records

* * *

The early ‘50s were strange and unusual years for Duke Ellington. The big-band era was reaching the end of its cycle, and even so venerable a leader as Count Basie had to cut back to an octet in 1950-51. Rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm & blues were beginning to become the music of choice for young people, and jazz itself was being inundated by a wave of new players dedicated to the complex sounds and rhythms of be-bop.

To complicate matters, three of the pillars of the Ellington ensemble--alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, trombonist Lawrence Brown and drummer Sonny Greer--elected to leave in 1951 to form a small group.

Ellington reacted to his personnel problem with typical dispatch, raiding the Harry James band for saxophonist Willie Smith, valve trombonist Juan Tizol and drummer Louis Bellson. But the impact of be-bop and the dawn of rock created far thornier problems, which may help explain why the two years with Capitol, from April, 1953, to May, 1955, are not generally recognized as high points in the annals of the Ellington band.

Still, Ellington’s ability to maintain his creative perspective, regardless of outside pressures, produces a surprising number of highlights in Mosaic’s five-CD chronicle of all the Capitol dates (with nearly two dozen tracks either previously unissued or available only on unauthorized collectors LPs).

Among the most fascinating are 12 pieces, several of which sound improvised on the spot, performed by Ellington on piano with Wendell Marshall on bass and Butch Pollard on drums. Ellington had recorded as a soloist in the past but never with such a wealth of selections. They demonstrate what became obvious in later years--that he was a marvelously swinging pianist who invested every note with both the intuition and the intelligence of a master composer.

The commercial demands of the time, however, clearly obliged Ellington to record a smorgasbord that included everything from reworkings of his own classics (“Black and Tan Fantasy,” “Rockin’ in Rhythm,” “C-Jam Blues”) to mundane ballads sung by Jimmy Grissom and such outrageous jukebox missives as “Bunny Hop Mambo,” “Echo Tango” and “12th St. Rag Tango.”

Here and there, however, some colorful intruders managed to sneak into the mix: Mercer Ellington’s lovely molding of the band’s timbral textures in “Ultra Deluxe”; two takes of a neglected Ellington ballad titled “Don’t Ever Say Goodbye,” and “Night Time” and “All Day Long”--not quite complete but promising works by Ellington and his co-composer, Billy Strayhorn.

Best of all, there is superb soloing by trumpeter Clark Terry, violinist-trumpeter-vocalist Ray Nance (especially in small-group and big-band versions of “Just a-Sittin’ and a-Rockin’ ”) and trombonist Britt Woodman. And tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, in eight glorious choruses of “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be,” signals his still-to-come, remarkable “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” solo at Newport in 1956.

Trivia seekers will also be intrigued by the Ellington band’s renderings of such hits (by other big bands) as “In the Mood,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy” and “One O’Clock Jump.” Although none were arranged by Ellington or Strayhorn, they are unexpectedly appealing, transformed by the inimitable Ellington ensemble sound.

* Mosaic recordings are issued in limited editions. The five-CD Ellington set costs $75. An eight-LP set of the same material sells for $104. (203) 327-7111.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).