[78-L] Top Dukes

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Fri Dec 18 12:30:10 PST 2009


I don't know about you guys but I can go through the entire discography and 
pick out great records in every year from 1933 into 1942 (admittedly it gets a 
little thin at that point). And the crappy 1945 Victors are often done in much 
better sound on World Transcriptions. And the Musicrafts aren't too shabby 
either (especially in my Naxos transfers).

And I wouldn't be without the 1959 "Ellington Jazz Party".

dl

Taylor Bowie wrote:
>> In my opinion the 1939-1940  Ellington recordings were his very best work
>> and boasted
>> an unequaled orchestra full of soloists and section men of the first rank.
>>
>> Al Simmons
> 
> 
> We're close,  Al...but I'll go for 1940-41...cuz I've gotta have "John 
> Hardy's Wife"!!
> 
> Not to go out on a limb and maybe get sawed off...but wasn't it when Blanton 
> joined that everything just perked up with Ellington?
> 
> I can still remember the first time I heard the Ellington Victor of 
> Sidewalks of New York when I was 12  years old (1965) and how all of a 
> sudden I  understood what a bass in a big band was all about!
> 
> It's still my favorite Ellington record...that last passage with all the 
> reeds in perfect unison and blend just slays me every time,  even after 
> hundreds of plays.
> 
> Taylor
> 
> 



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