Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
Encyclopedia
Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live is a 1978
release by American
jazz
band
Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra of a 1940
recording of the band performing live
at a dance in Fargo
, North Dakota
in the United States
. It is unusual for the way it was recorded and released and is considered one of Ellington's more important live works.
workers and former South Dakota State College students, Jack Towers
and Richard Burris sought permission from the William Morris Agency
representing Duke Ellington to record an upcoming concert in Fargo, North Dakota
. Permission was granted to the two Ellington fans provided they receive permission from Ellington and the venue's manager before the show.
The show was held on 7 November 1940 at the Crystal Ballroom on the second floor of the Fargo City Auditorium at the corner of First Avenue South and Broadway. (The building was demolished in 1962). The concert was a dance, a normal venue for jazz bands at that time but an unusual setting for a live recording, most of which would have been made of concerts, nightclubs, or radio broadcasts. The Crystal Ballroom featured a glass ball two feet in diameter hanging from the ceiling that reflected the dancehall's lights.
-covered aluminum disks. The recording turntable was set up next to Ellington's piano. Five and one-half of six disks with a recording capacity of 15 minutes per side were used in the recording. A Fargo radio station, KVOX (now KVXR
), broadcast part of the show live.
Ellington's orchestra played several warm-up pieces before Ellington came out to his piano. The band then played "Sepia Panorama", the band's theme song before adoption of "Take the 'A' Train" in 1941.
The concert was also the debut of trumpeter Ray Nance
, who had joined the band when Cootie Williams
left to play with Benny Goodman
and, the night of the concert, Ellington told Towers that his trumpet section was in "rough shape". The concert also included the first performance of "Star Dust" for the band as a whole.
After the show, Towers and Burris played parts of the recording for Ellington and his band mates.
Jack Towers later said, "When Dick and I recorded this Fargo performance, we did it just for the excitement and pleasure of it all. We had no idea that people all over the world would be listening to it 60 years later."
in Europe.
Towers was in charge of radio broadcasting at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1952–1974 but remastering recordings remained a hobby and became a career after his retirement.
In the 1970s, Towers made a reproduction of the recording from areas of the groove that were less worn. In 1978, Towers' master of At Fargo was finally officially released by Book-of-the-Month Records as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.
The original acetate disks have since been donated to the Archives Center of the Smithsonian Institution
's National Museum of American History
.
s by Book-of-the Month Records (30-5622) as Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940. The record sides were sequenced for use with a record changer (1/6, 2/5, 3/4). This version was also issued as Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live by Jazz Heritage (913176A), the title it was awarded a Grammy under.
In 1990, the first digital release of the concert (on two CDs) was issued by Vintage Jazz (VJC-1019/20). On 23 July 1996, these disks were released again as Fargo 1940 on Jazz Classics 5009.
On 3 April 2001, another CD release with additional tracks was made on Storyville
(8316) as The Duke at Fargo, 1940: Special 60th Anniversary Edition. The second CD of this release was also included in Storyville's 2006 eight-CD box set, The Duke Box as disk three. In 2002, a two-CD release similar to the Storyville one was made on Definitive (11207) as the Complete Legendary Fargo Concert. It was later issued as Gran Via España 1356.
for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band at the 22nd Grammy Awards.
Allmusic.com review Scott Yanow posits that "there was no better orchestra at the time, and rarely since". JazzTimes
writer Harvey Siders says, "the real star, of course, is the band, with its organized chaos, its sophistication, its jungle heat, its ability to respond to the improvisational genius of Duke". A Storyville Records reviewer argues "the Fargo performance still resonates as one of the greatest concert recordings in all of jazz, on a par with Benny Goodman at Carnegie, Coltrane at the Vanguard
, or Ellington at Newport in 1956
".
, Jimmy Blanton
, Johnny Hodges
, Rex Stewart
, and Tricky Sam Nanton
.
Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra personnel:
," "Harlem Airshaft," "Warm Valley," "Caravan
," "Sepia Panorama," "Rockin' in Rhythm," "Sophisticated Lady
," and "Cotton Tail
".
CD 2
1978 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
release by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra of a 1940
1940 in music
-Events:*July 20 - Billboard magazine publishes its first "Music Popularity Chart".*May 27 - Quartetto Egie make their debut performance.*August - Edmundo Ros forms his own rumba band.*November 23 - Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Quintet is premièred....
recording of the band performing live
Live Music
Live Music is a reggaeton company owned by DJ Giann.-Artists:* Jowell & Randy* Tony Lenta* Watussi* De La Ghetto* Guelo Star* Galante "El Emperador"-Producers:*DJ Blass*Dexter*Mr. Greenz*DJ Giann*Los Hitmen*Dirty Joe*ALX...
at a dance in Fargo
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is unusual for the way it was recorded and released and is considered one of Ellington's more important live works.
Background
In 1939, two cooperative extension serviceCooperative extension service
The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant...
workers and former South Dakota State College students, Jack Towers
Jack Towers
Jack Towers was in charge of radio broadcasting at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1952–1974 and became a noted remastering engineer of musical recordings after his retirement.-Biography:...
and Richard Burris sought permission from the William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
representing Duke Ellington to record an upcoming concert in Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
. Permission was granted to the two Ellington fans provided they receive permission from Ellington and the venue's manager before the show.
The show was held on 7 November 1940 at the Crystal Ballroom on the second floor of the Fargo City Auditorium at the corner of First Avenue South and Broadway. (The building was demolished in 1962). The concert was a dance, a normal venue for jazz bands at that time but an unusual setting for a live recording, most of which would have been made of concerts, nightclubs, or radio broadcasts. The Crystal Ballroom featured a glass ball two feet in diameter hanging from the ceiling that reflected the dancehall's lights.
Recording
The original recording of At Fargo was effectively an amateur, bootleg recording, albeit approved. The recording equipment included a Presto portable turntable that cut the recording into 16-inch, 33-RPM acetateAcetate
An acetate is a derivative of acetic acid. This term includes salts and esters, as well as the anion found in solution. Most of the approximately 5 billion kilograms of acetic acid produced annually in industry are used in the production of acetates, which usually take the form of polymers. In...
-covered aluminum disks. The recording turntable was set up next to Ellington's piano. Five and one-half of six disks with a recording capacity of 15 minutes per side were used in the recording. A Fargo radio station, KVOX (now KVXR
KVXR
KVXR is a radio station located in Moorhead, MN airing Catholic programming from EWTN, and is owned by Real Presence Radio. The station is a simulcast of KWTL in Grand Forks, North Dakota.-History:...
), broadcast part of the show live.
Ellington's orchestra played several warm-up pieces before Ellington came out to his piano. The band then played "Sepia Panorama", the band's theme song before adoption of "Take the 'A' Train" in 1941.
The concert was also the debut of trumpeter Ray Nance
Ray Nance
Ray Willis Nance was a jazz trumpeter, violinist and singer.Nance is best known for his long association with Duke Ellington through most of the 1940s and 1950s, after he was hired to replace Cootie Williams in 1940...
, who had joined the band when Cootie Williams
Cootie Williams
Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter.-Biography:...
left to play with Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
and, the night of the concert, Ellington told Towers that his trumpet section was in "rough shape". The concert also included the first performance of "Star Dust" for the band as a whole.
After the show, Towers and Burris played parts of the recording for Ellington and his band mates.
Jack Towers later said, "When Dick and I recorded this Fargo performance, we did it just for the excitement and pleasure of it all. We had no idea that people all over the world would be listening to it 60 years later."
Later history
Burris and Towers had promised the William Morris Agency not to use the live recording for commercial purposes and it was heard only from the original disks until the 1960s. Towers dubbed a tape for an acquaintance and subsequent copies eventually appeared as a bootlegBootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
in Europe.
Towers was in charge of radio broadcasting at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1952–1974 but remastering recordings remained a hobby and became a career after his retirement.
In the 1970s, Towers made a reproduction of the recording from areas of the groove that were less worn. In 1978, Towers' master of At Fargo was finally officially released by Book-of-the-Month Records as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.
The original acetate disks have since been donated to the Archives Center of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
.
Commercial releases
The album was first released on three LP recordLP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s by Book-of-the Month Records (30-5622) as Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940. The record sides were sequenced for use with a record changer (1/6, 2/5, 3/4). This version was also issued as Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live by Jazz Heritage (913176A), the title it was awarded a Grammy under.
In 1990, the first digital release of the concert (on two CDs) was issued by Vintage Jazz (VJC-1019/20). On 23 July 1996, these disks were released again as Fargo 1940 on Jazz Classics 5009.
On 3 April 2001, another CD release with additional tracks was made on Storyville
Storyville Records
Storyville Records is a large international record label based in Copenhagen, Denmark, specializing in jazz and blues music. Besides its original material, Storyville Records has licensed and reissued many vintage jazz recordings that previously appeared on such labels as Paramount Records,...
(8316) as The Duke at Fargo, 1940: Special 60th Anniversary Edition. The second CD of this release was also included in Storyville's 2006 eight-CD box set, The Duke Box as disk three. In 2002, a two-CD release similar to the Storyville one was made on Definitive (11207) as the Complete Legendary Fargo Concert. It was later issued as Gran Via España 1356.
Critical reception and awards
In 1980, At Fargo won the Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band at the 22nd Grammy Awards.
Allmusic.com review Scott Yanow posits that "there was no better orchestra at the time, and rarely since". JazzTimes
JazzTimes
JazzTimes is a magazine that dates back to Radio Free Jazz, a publication founded in 1970 by Ira Sabin when he was operating a record store in Washington, DC. It was originally a newsletter designed to update shoppers on the latest jazz releases and provide jazz radio programmers with a means of...
writer Harvey Siders says, "the real star, of course, is the band, with its organized chaos, its sophistication, its jungle heat, its ability to respond to the improvisational genius of Duke". A Storyville Records reviewer argues "the Fargo performance still resonates as one of the greatest concert recordings in all of jazz, on a par with Benny Goodman at Carnegie, Coltrane at the Vanguard
Live! at the Village Vanguard
Live at the Village Vanguard is the tenth album by jazz musician John Coltrane and his first live album, released in 1962 on Impulse Records, catalogue A-10. It is the first album to feature the members of the classic quartet of himself with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones...
, or Ellington at Newport in 1956
Ellington at Newport
Ellington at Newport is a 1956 jazz live album by Duke Ellington and his band, recording their historic 1956 concert at the Newport Jazz Festival, a concert which revitalized Ellington's flagging career. Jazz promoter George Wein describes the 1956 concert as "the greatest performance of...
".
Performers
In addition to Ellington himself, notable soloists on At Fargo include Ben WebsterBen Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
, Jimmy Blanton
Jimmy Blanton
Jimmie Blanton was an influential American jazz double bassist. Blanton is credited with being the originator of pizzicato and bowed bass solos....
, Johnny Hodges
Johnny Hodges
John Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges was an American alto saxophonist, best known for his solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years, except the period between 1932–1946 when Otto Hardwick generally played first chair...
, Rex Stewart
Rex Stewart
Rex Stewart was an American jazz cornetist best known for his work with the Duke Ellington orchestra....
, and Tricky Sam Nanton
Tricky Sam Nanton
Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton was a famous trombonist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.-Early life:Nanton was born in New York City and began playing professionally in Washington with bands led by Cliff Jackson and Elmer Snowden. He joined Ellington in 1926.From 1923 to 1924, he worked with Frazier's...
.
Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra personnel:
- Duke Ellington: piano
- Harry CarneyHarry CarneyHarry Howell Carney was an American swing baritone saxophonist, clarinetist, and bass clarinetist mainly known for his 45-year tenure in Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Carney started off as an alto player with Ellington, but soon switched to the baritone. His strong, steady saxophone often served as...
: baritone saxophone - Johnny Hodges: alto saxophone
- Ben Webster, Otto HardwickOtto HardwickOtto James "Toby" Hardwicke was a saxophone player associated with Duke Ellington.-Biography:Hardwick started on string bass at the age of 14, then moved to C-melody sax and finally settled on alto saxophone. A childhood friend of Duke Ellington's, Hardwick joined Ellington's first band in...
: tenor saxophones - Barney BigardBarney BigardAlbany Leon Bigard, aka Barney Bigard, was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, though primarily known for the clarinet....
: clarinet - Ray Nance, Wallace Jones: trumpets
- Rex Stewart: cornet
- Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Juan TizolJuan TizolJuan Tizol was a Puerto Rican trombonist and composer.He was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Music was a large part of his life from an early age. His first instrument was the violin, but he soon switched to valve trombone, the instrument he would play throughout his career...
, Lawrence Brown: trombones - Jimmy Blanton: bass
- Sonny GreerSonny GreerSonny Greer was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with Duke Ellington.Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and played with Elmer Snowden's band and the Howard Theatre's orchestra in Washington, D.C. before joining Duke Ellington, who he met in 1919...
: drums - Fred GuyFred GuyFred Guy was an American jazz banjo player and guitarist.Guy was raised in New York City. He played guitar and banjo with Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra, and in 1925 he joined Duke Ellington's Washingtonians, replacing Elmer Snowden...
: guitar - Ivie AndersonIvie AndersonIvie Anderson was an American jazz singer. She was best-known for her performances with Duke Ellington's orchestra between 1931 and 1942....
, Herb Jeffries: vocals
Songs
Songs from the performance that receive critical note include "Ko-Ko," "Mood IndigoMood Indigo
"Mood Indigo" is a jazz composition and song, with music by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard with lyrics by Irving Mills.-Disputed authorship:In a 1987 interview, Mitchell Parish claimed to have written the lyrics:...
," "Harlem Airshaft," "Warm Valley," "Caravan
Caravan (song)
"Caravan" is a jazz standard composed by Juan Tizol and first performed by Duke Ellington in 1937. Irving Mills wrote the lyrics, but he sometimes is not credited on the many instrumental versions. Its exotic sound interested exotica musicians; Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman both covered it. Woody...
," "Sepia Panorama," "Rockin' in Rhythm," "Sophisticated Lady
Sophisticated Lady
"Sophisticated Lady" is a jazz standard, composed as an instrumental in 1932 by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills, to which words were added by Mitchell Parish. The words met with approval from Ellington, who described them as "wonderful—but not entirely fitted to my original conception".That...
," and "Cotton Tail
Cotton Tail
"Cotton Tail" is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. It is based on the rhythm changes from George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm". The first Ellington recording is notable for the driving tenor saxophone solo by Ben Webster. Originally an instrumental, "Cotton Tail" later had lyrics written for it by...
".
The Duke at Fargo 1940: Special 60th Anniversary Edition track listing
CD 1- "It's Glory" (Duke Ellington) – (0:47)
- "The Mooche" (Irving MillsIrving MillsIrving Mills was a jazz music publisher, also known by the name of "Joe Primrose."Mills was born to Jewish parents in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. He founded Mills Music with his brother Jack in 1919...
, Duke Ellington) – (5:23) - "The Sheik of Araby" (Harry B. SmithHarry B. SmithHarry Bache Smith was a writer, lyricist and composer. The most prolific of all American stage writers, he is said to have written over 300 librettos and more than 6000 lyrics. Some of his best-known works were librettos for the composer Victor Herbert...
, Ted SnyderTed SnyderTheodore Frank Snyder , was a U.S. composer, lyricist, and music publisher . His hits include "The Sheik of Araby" and "Who's Sorry Now?" . In 1970, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame...
, Francis Wheeler) – (2:55) - "Sepia Panorama" (Duke Ellington) – (1:15)
- "Ko-Ko" (Duke Ellington) – (2:22)
- "There Shall Be No Night" (Abner SilverAbner SilverAbner Silver was an American songwriter who worked primarily during the Tin Pan Alley era of the craft. He was born on December 28, 1899, in New York....
, Gladys ShelleyGladys ShelleyGladys Shelley was an American lyricist and composer.-Early life:Born in Lawrence, New York, Gladys Shelley began writing at an early age...
) – (3:09) - "Pussy Willow" (Duke Ellington) – (4:34)
- "Chatterbox" (Rex StewartRex StewartRex Stewart was an American jazz cornetist best known for his work with the Duke Ellington orchestra....
, Irving Mills, Duke Ellington) – (3:22) - "Mood IndigoMood Indigo"Mood Indigo" is a jazz composition and song, with music by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard with lyrics by Irving Mills.-Disputed authorship:In a 1987 interview, Mitchell Parish claimed to have written the lyrics:...
" (Irving Mills, Barney BigardBarney BigardAlbany Leon Bigard, aka Barney Bigard, was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, though primarily known for the clarinet....
, Duke Ellington) – (4:15) - "Harlem Air Shaft" (Duke Ellington) – (3:42)
- "Ferryboat Serenade" (Harold AdamsonHarold AdamsonFor the Toronto Police Chief see Harold Adamson Harold Adamson was an American lyricist during the 1930s and 1940s.- Biography :...
, Eldo DiLazzaro) – (1:33) - "Warm Valley" (Duke Ellington) – (3:36)
- "Stompy Jones" (Duke Ellington) – (2:42)
- "ChloeChloe (song)"Chloe " is a popular song and jazz standard with music by Neil Moret and lyrics by Gus Kahn.-External links:*...
" (Gus KahnGus KahnGustav Gerson Kahn was a musician, songwriter and lyricist.-Biography:Kahn was born in Koblenz, Germany in 1886. The family emigrated from there to the United States and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1890...
, Neil MoretNeil MoretCharles N. Daniels , was a composer, occasional lyricist, and music publishing executive. He employed many pseudonyms, including Neil Moret, Jules Lemare, L'Albert, Paul Bertrand, Julian Strauss, and Sidney Carter...
[Charles N. Daniels]) – (4:03) - "Bojangles" (Duke Ellington) – (4:02)
- "On the Air" (Duke Ellington) – (5:08)
- "Rumpus in Richmond" (Duke Ellington) – (2:36)
- "Chaser" (Duke Ellington) – (0:15)
- "The Sidewalks of New YorkThe Sidewalks of New York"The Sidewalks of New York" is a popular song about life in New York City during the 1890s. It was created by lyricist James W. Blake and vaudeville actor and composer Charles B. Lawlor in 1894. The song proved successful afterwards, and is often considered a theme for New York City...
" (James W. Blake, Charles B. LawlorCharles B. LawlorCharles B. Lawlor was an American vaudeville performer and composer of popular songs. He was born in Ireland and emigrated to the United States in 1869....
) – (5:07) - "The Flaming Sword" (Duke Ellington) – (4:59)
- "Never No Lament (Don't Get Around Much Anymore)Don't Get Around Much Anymore"Don't Get Around Much Anymore" is a jazz standard with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by Bob Russell. The tune was originally titled "Never No Lament" and was first recorded by Ellington in 1940 as a big band instrumental...
" (Duke Ellington, Bob RussellBob Russell (songwriter)Sidney Keith "Bob" Russell, was an American songwriter born in Passaic, New Jersey.In 1968, Russell along with songwriting partner Quincy Jones was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Song category...
) – (4:21) - "CaravanCaravan (song)"Caravan" is a jazz standard composed by Juan Tizol and first performed by Duke Ellington in 1937. Irving Mills wrote the lyrics, but he sometimes is not credited on the many instrumental versions. Its exotic sound interested exotica musicians; Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman both covered it. Woody...
" (Irving Mills, Duke Ellington, Juan TizolJuan TizolJuan Tizol was a Puerto Rican trombonist and composer.He was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Music was a large part of his life from an early age. His first instrument was the violin, but he soon switched to valve trombone, the instrument he would play throughout his career...
) – (3:44) - "Clarinet Lament (Barney's Concerto)" (Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington) – (3:28)
CD 2
- "Slap Happy" (Duke Ellington) – (3:24)
- "Sepia Panorama" (Duke Ellington) – (5:11)
- "Boy Meets Horn" (Rex Stewart, Duke Ellington) – (5:36)
- "Way Down Yonder in New OrleansWay Down Yonder In New Orleans"Way Down Yonder In New Orleans" is a popular song with music by John Turner Layton, Jr. and lyrics by Henry Creamer. First published in 1922, Creamer and Layton advertised it as "A Southern Song, without A Mammy, A Mule, Or A Moon", a dig at some of the Tin Pan Alley clichés of the era.It was...
" (Henry CreamerHenry CreamerHenry Creamer was an American popular song lyricist. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, often collaborating with Turner Layton, with whom he also appeared in vaudeville.Creamer was a co-founder with James Reese...
, Turner LaytonTurner LaytonTurner Layton , born John Turner Layton, Jr., was an American songwriter, singer and pianist. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1894, he was the son of John Turner Layton, "a bass singer, music educator and hymn composer." After receiving a musical education from his father, he attended the Howard...
) – (1:27) - "Oh, Babe! Maybe Someday" (Duke Ellington) – (2:17)
- "Five O'Clock Whistle" (Josef MyrowJosef MyrowJosef Myrow was a Russian-born composer known for his work in film scores in the 1940s and 50s. He was nominated for an Academy Award twice: in 1947 for the song "You Do" from the film Mother Wore Tights and in 1950 for "Wilhelmina" from the film Wabash Avenue...
, Kim GannonKim GannonJames Kimball "Kim" Gannon was an American songwriter, more commonly a lyricist than a composer. He was born in Brooklyn, New York but grew up in New Jersey where he attended Montclair High School and was a member of The Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity. He graduated from St...
, Gene Irwin) – (2:00) - "Fanfare" (Duke Ellington) – (0:32)
- "The Call of the Canyon/All This and Heaven Too" (Billy HillBilly Hill (songwriter)Billy Hill was an American songwriter, violinst, and pianist who found fame writing Western songs such as "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree", "The Last Roundup", "Wagon Wheels", and "Empty Saddles"...
, Eddie DeLangeEddie DeLangeEddie DeLange was an American bandleader and lyricist. Famous artists who recorded some of DeLange's songs include Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman.-Biography:...
, Jimmy Van Heusen) – (1:33) - "Rockin' in Rhythm" (Irving Mills, Harry CarneyHarry CarneyHarry Howell Carney was an American swing baritone saxophonist, clarinetist, and bass clarinetist mainly known for his 45-year tenure in Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Carney started off as an alto player with Ellington, but soon switched to the baritone. His strong, steady saxophone often served as...
, Duke Ellington) – (4:54) - "Sophisticated LadySophisticated Lady"Sophisticated Lady" is a jazz standard, composed as an instrumental in 1932 by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills, to which words were added by Mitchell Parish. The words met with approval from Ellington, who described them as "wonderful—but not entirely fitted to my original conception".That...
" (Irving Mills, Duke Ellington, Mitchell ParishMitchell ParishMitchell Parish was an American lyricist.-Early life:Parish was born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky to a Jewish family in Lithuania. His family emigrated to the United States, arriving on February 3, 1901 on the SS Dresden when he was less than a year old...
) – (5:11) - "Cotton TailCotton Tail"Cotton Tail" is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. It is based on the rhythm changes from George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm". The first Ellington recording is notable for the driving tenor saxophone solo by Ben Webster. Originally an instrumental, "Cotton Tail" later had lyrics written for it by...
" (Duke Ellington) – (3:06) - "Whispering GrassWhispering Grass"Whispering Grass " is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher. The song was first recorded by Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra in 1940. The Ink Spots also recorded it the same year....
" (Fred FisherFred FisherFred Fisher was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher. Fisher founded Fred Fisher Music Publishing Company in 1907. He was born as Albert von Breitenbach in Cologne...
) – (2:29) - "Conga Brava" (Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol) – (4:07)
- "I Never Felt This Way Before" (Al DubinAl DubinAlexander "Al" Dubin was an American lyricist. He became known through his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren.-Life and works:...
, Duke Ellington) – (5:29) - "Across the Track Blues" (Duke Ellington) – (6:44)
- "Honeysuckle RoseHoneysuckle Rose (song)"Honeysuckle Rose" is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, whose lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller's 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999....
" (Fats WallerFats WallerFats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
, Andy Razaf) – (5:08) - "Wham" (Eddie DurhamEddie DurhamEddie Durham was an American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer and musical arranger of the swing music medium born in San Marcos, Texas, probably best known for his work with musicians like Cab Calloway, Willie Bryant, Andy Kirk, Glenn Miller, Jimmie Lunceford and Count Basie, among others...
, Taps Miller) – (2:49) - "StardustStardust (song)"Stardust" is an American popular song composed in 1927 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics added in 1929 by Mitchell Parish. Originally titled "Star Dust", Carmichael first recorded the song at the Gennett Records studio in Richmond, Indiana...
" (Hoagy CarmichaelHoagy CarmichaelHoward Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
, Mitchell Parish) – (4:15) - "Rose of the Rio Grande" (Harry WarrenHarry WarrenHarry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
, Ross Gorman, Edgar LeslieEdgar LeslieEdgar Leslie was an American songwriter. His first song Lonesome in 1909 was an immediate success, recorded by the Haydn Quartet and again by Byron G. Harlan. Other notable artists he worked with are:...
) – (3:33) - "St. Louis Blues" (W. C. HandyW. C. HandyWilliam Christopher Handy was a blues composer and musician. He was widely known as the "Father of the Blues"....
) – (5:39) - "Warm Valley" (Duke Ellington) – (0:50)
- "God Bless AmericaGod Bless America"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....
" (Irving BerlinIrving BerlinIrving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
) – (0:28)
External links
- "Jack Towers on Restoring his Award-Winning Duke Ellington Recording, in 1980". Audio Interview at NPR.org. (08:54) Retrieved 1 January 2011.