Post WW2 Duke Ellington

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Eyeball · #1 Post by **Eyeball** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:51 pm

Haydn wrote:
I have hardly any post-1945 Duke Ellington - post-war Ellington is a large field I've yet to explore. Currently, the majority of the stuff I have by him is late 20s/early 30s, so currently I would only see him as a standby if I was DJing music of this period - in fact, he probably would be a standby then because he wrote and recorded so much great stuff in those years, like -

- Doin' The New Low Down
- Jungle Jamboree
- Jungle Nights In Harlem
- Rockin' In Rhythm
- It Don't Mean A Thing (if It Ain't Got That Swing)

I don't have a single group I think of as back-up (current favourites at the moment though are Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton and Harry James bands).

You have a lot of great sides coming your way!

Ellington didnt have too many fallow periods. If there was one, it is the decade from 1947 to 1955, and even there is is a ton of great stuff. After that, 15 stunning years with hardly a let down - the 50s and 60s were super for Ellington with one top notch album after another. Even the commercial ones are superb : Mary Poppins, Paris at Midnight, Will Big Bands Ever Come Back?

All goooooooooood!!!

russell · #2 Post by **russell** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:14 pm

A favourite of mine where the Duke plays tribute to other great bandleaders originally from 1960/61 is

Eyeball · #3 Post by **Eyeball** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:25 pm

russell wrote:A favourite of mine where the Duke plays tribute to other great bandleaders originally from 1960/61 is

It's a good one! He did a bunch of 'commercial' LPs for Reprise, but they were all good. There is also one where he plays big band theme songs.

He still has most of his key men.

I may have to do a marathon soon.

Wish there was an Ellington internet station.