Duke Ellington - Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band, 1940-1942 Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3

Duke Ellington - Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band, 1940-1942 Disc 1
Styles: Piano Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1940-1942
Time: 79:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 209,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:20) 1. You, You Darlin'
(3:19) 2. Never No Lament
(3:21) 3. Dusk (Take 1)
(2:54) 4. Bojangles
(3:10) 5. A Portrait Of Bert Williams
(3:23) 6. Blue Goose
(3:00) 7. Harlem Air-Shaft
(2:50) 8. At A Dixie Roadside Diner
(3:31) 9. All Too Soon
(2:50) 10. Rumpus In Richmond
(3:27) 11. My Greatest Mistake
(3:17) 12. Jack The Bear
(3:25) 13. Sepia Panorama (Take 1)
(3:13) 14. There Shall Be No Night
(3:17) 15. In A Mellotone
(3:19) 16. Five O'Clock Whistle
(3:09) 17. The Flaming Sword (Take 2)
(3:21) 18. Warm Valley (Take 3)
(2:43) 19. Ko-Ko (Take 2)
(3:18) 20. Morning Glory
(2:54) 21. So Far, So Good
(2:59) 22. Conga Brava
(3:20) 23. Concerto For Cootie
(2:55) 24. Me And You
(3:13) 25. Cotton Tail

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Duke Ellington - Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band, 1940-1942 Disc 2
Time: 78:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 204,8 MB

(3:01) 1. Across The Track Blues (Take 1)
(3:27) 2. Chloe (Song Of The Swamp)
(3:33) 3. I Never Felt This Way Before (Take 1)
(3:15) 4. The Sidewalks Of New York
(3:24) 5. Flamingo
(3:20) 6. The Girl In My Dreams Tries To Look Like You (Take 1)
(2:57) 7. Take The "A" Train
(3:34) 8. Jumpin' Punkins (Take 2)
(3:30) 9. John Hardy's Wife
(3:23) 10. Blue Serge
(3:23) 11. After All
(3:26) 12. Bakiff
(3:06) 13. Are You Stickin'? (Take 1)
(3:36) 14. Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
(3:36) 15. The Giddybug Gallop
(3:03) 16. Pitter Panther Patter (Take 2)
(3:11) 17. Body And Soul (Take 3)
(2:47) 18. Sophisticated Lady (Take 2)
(3:09) 19. Mr. J.B. Blues (Take 1)
(2:40) 20. Ko-Ko (Take 1)
(2:46) 21. Bojangles
(3:24) 22. Sepia Panorama (Take 2)
(3:42) 23. Jumpin' Punkins (Take 1)
(2:56) 24. Jump For Joy (Take 2)

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Duke Ellington - Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band, 1940-1942 Disc 3
Time: 78:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 206,8 MB

(2:56) 1. Chocolate Shake
(3:21) 2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (Take 1)
(3:01) 3. Clementine
(3:11) 4. The Brownskin Gal (In The Calico Gown)
(2:54) 5. Jump For Joy (Take 1)
(3:15) 6. Moon Over Cuba
(3:14) 7. Five O'Clock Drag
(3:09) 8. Rocks In My Bed
(3:07) 9. Bli-Blip
(2:32) 10. Raincheck
(2:48) 11. What Good Would It Do?
(3:17) 12. I Don't Know What Kind Of Blues I Got (Take 1)
(2:56) 13. Chelsea Bridge
(3:10) 14. Perdido (Take 1)
(2:39) 15. The "C" Jam Blues
(3:00) 16. Moon Mist (Take 2)
(3:27) 17. What Am I Here For?
(2:51) 18. I Don't Mind (Take 2)
(3:10) 19. Someone
(3:14) 20. My Little Brown Book
(2:51) 21. Main Stem
(2:43) 22. Johnny Come Lately
(2:36) 23. Hayfoot, Strawfoot (Take 1)
(3:04) 24. Sentimental Lady (Take 1)
(2:58) 25. A Slip Of The Lip (Can Sink A Ship)
(2:38) 26. Sherman Shuffle

Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band is a 2003 three-disc compilation combining the master takes of all the recordings by Duke Ellington's Orchestra during the years of 1940 to 1942 with an additional nine tracks, including five alternative takes and four additional masters. An expanded version of The Blanton–Webster Band, this reissue, according to Allmusic, "truly worth either an initial investment or reinvestment". All About Jazz: New York observed that these performances, from what is often considered "the band in its prime", "not only set the standard for big bands and jazz orchestras, but created an ideal near insurmountable to improve upon". The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this compilation as part of its suggested "Core Collection."

An earlier collection of recordings from this period was first issued in 1986 by RCA Bluebird containing 66 tracks. This 2003 version draws on the 1999 transfers first issued in The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-1973) with an additional nine tracks over the 1986 edition, including the Blanton Ellington duos "Pitter Panther Patter" and "Body and Soul".

Ellington put Blanton front-and-center on the bandstand nightly, unheard of for a bassist at the time, together with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, thus this era of Ellington's ensemble is referred to the Blanton–Webster band.

Bassist Jimmy Blanton was only with the Ellington orchestra for two years, leaving in 1941 due to tuberculosis, and dying the following year at the age of 23. Blanton does not appear on the final 17 tracks of the 2003 collection (CD3 tracks 10-26), having been replaced on bass by Alvin "Junior" Raglin.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_No_Lament:_The_Blanton-Webster_Band

Performance: Duke Ellington – piano, celeste (on track 3.2); Rex Stewart – cornet; Cootie Williams – trumpet; Ray Nance – trumpet, violin, vocals; Wallace Jones - trumpet; Juan Tizol – valve trombone; Joe Nanton – trombone; Lawrence Brown – trombone; Barney Bigard – clarinet, tenor saxophone; Johnny Hodges – alto & soprano saxophone, clarinet; Otto Hardwick – alto saxophone; Ben Webster – tenor saxophone; Chauncey Haughton – clarinet, tenor sax; Harry Carney – clarinet, alto & baritone saxophone; Duke Ellington – piano, celeste (on track 3.2); Billy Strayhorn – piano (on tracks 2.5 & 11, 3.8 & 10–12, 22), celeste (3.20); Fred Guy – guitar; Jimmy Blanton – bass; Sonny Greer – drums; Ivie Anderson – vocals; Herb Jeffries – vocals

Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band, 1940-1942 Disc 1, Disc 2
Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band, 1940-1942 Disc 3

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Rex Stewart - Solid Rock - Swingin' Cornet

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:07
Size: 87,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:20) 1. Solid Rock
(2:47) 2. Rexatious
(2:33) 3. Tea And Trumpets
(2:46) 4. Without A Song
(2:59) 5. Lazy Man's Shuffle
(3:10) 6. My Sunday Gal
(3:04) 7. Mobile Bay
(3:25) 8. Linger Awhile
(4:15) 9. Diga Diga Doo
(4:23) 10. Cherry
(4:18) 11. Bugle Call Rag

Rex Stewart (1907–1967) was an American jazz cornetist best known for his work with the Duke Ellington orchestra.

After stints with Elmer Snowden, Fletcher Henderson, Horace Henderson, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and Luis Russell, Stewart joined the Ellington band in 1934. Ellington arranged many of his pieces to showcase Stewart's half-valve effects, muted sound, and forceful style.

Stewart co-wrote "Boy Meets Horn" and "Morning Glory" while with Ellington, and frequently supervised outside recording sessions by members of the Ellington band. After eleven years Stewart left to lead his own groups. He also toured Europe and Australia with Jazz at the Philharmonic from 1947 to 1951. From the early 1950s on he worked in radio and television and published highly regarded jazz criticism. Jazz Masters of the Thirties is a selection of his criticism.
https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/rex-stewart

Solid Rock - Swingin' Cornet

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Johnny Hodges - Storyville Masters Of Jazz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:02
Size: 173,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(4:13)  2. Passion Flower
(2:56)  3. Perdido
(1:55)  4. All Of Me
(2:30)  5. C Jam Blues
(2:23)  6. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
(7:10)  7. In A Mellotone
(3:42)  8. Cambridge Blues
(4:37)  9. Brute's Roots
(2:51) 10. Bouncing With Ben
(5:16) 11. One For The Duke
(5:49) 12. Walkin' The Frog
(4:52) 13. Rabbit Pie
(4:17) 14. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(3:36) 15. Good Queen Bess
(2:53) 16. The Jeep Is Jumpin'
(5:22) 17. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
(2:34) 18. Jeep's Blues
(4:05) 19. Dooji Wooji

Johnny Hodges is forever associated with Duke Ellington as one of his principle soloists, though he recorded extensively as a bandleader himself beginning in the '50s. This compilation draws from earlier Storyville releases, including a number of features for the alto saxophonist with Ellington, highlighted by "All of Me" and "Jeep's Blues." But the bulk of this CD contains all ten tracks of Hodges' earlier disc, Masters of Jazz, Vol. 9, which features the saxophonist leading two separate groups of all-stars in club settings. Six tracks come from a 1960 set at The Cellar in San Francisco, with Ben Webster providing a perfect foil for Hodges, all originals by the leader. Four selections come from a Norman Granz-sponsored European tour in 1961, where Hodges led a group of fellow Ellington veterans (Harry Carney, Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Aaron Bell and Sam Woodyard, with pianist Al Williams). Hodges' swinging take of "On the Sunny Side of the Street" is brilliant, with the other horn providing lush background and soft rifts for the soloist. In addition to Hodges, Brown also solos in both "Good Queen Bess" and a rousing "Things Ain't What They Used to Be." Highly recommended! ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/masters-of-jazz-mw0000547336      

Personnel: Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Herb Ellis, Fred Guy (guitar); Russell Procope (clarinet, alto saxophone); Harry Carney (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Oett "Sax" Mallard (alto saxophone); Jimmy Hamilton, John Coltrane, Paul Gonsalves, Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Harold Baker, Al Killian, Ray Nance, Rex Stewart, Shelton Hemphill, Francis Williams , Wallace Jones, Cat Anderson (trumpet); Joseph Nanton, Lawrence D. Brown, Juan Tizol, Quentin Jackson, Tyree Glenn (trombone); Victor Feldman, Duke Ellington, Lou Levy, Billy Strayhorn (piano); Gus Johnson , Sam Woodyard, Sonny Greer (drums).

Storyville Masters Of Jazz

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Cootie Williams, Coleman Hawkins, Rex Stewart - Together

Styles: Trumpet, Saxophone and Cornet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:33
Size: 89,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(4:09)  2. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (Concerto For Cootie)
(8:29)  3. Alphonse and Gaston
(4:46)  4. Walkin' My Baby Back Home
(5:11)  5. When Your Lover Has Gone
(4:39)  6. Rex' Time
(4:09)  7. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues

Cootie Williams, one of the finest trumpeters of the 1930s, expanded upon the role originally formed by Bubber Miley with Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Renowned for his work with the plunger mute, Cootie was also a fine soloist when playing open. Starting as a teenager, Cootie Williams played with a variety of local bands in the South, coming to New York with Alonzo Ross' Syncopators. He played for a short time with the orchestras of Chick Webb and Fletcher Henderson (recording with the latter), before joining Duke Ellington as Miley's replacement in February 1929. He was a fixture with Duke's band during the next 11 years, not only recording many classics with Ellington (including "Echoes of Harlem" and "Concerto for Cootie"), but leading some of his own sessions and recording with Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson, and Billie Holiday, in addition to being a guest at Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert in 1938. His decision to leave Ellington and join Goodman's orchestra in 1940 was considered a major event in the jazz world. During his year with B.G., Williams was well-featured with both the big band and Goodman's sextet. The following year he became a bandleader, heading his own orchestra which, at times in the 1940s, featured such up-and-coming players as pianist Bud Powell, tenorman Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, altoist/singer Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, and even Charlie Parker. 

Although he had a hit (thanks to Willis Jackson's honking tenor) on "Gator," by 1948 Cootie had cut his group back to a sextet. Playing R&B-oriented music, he worked steadily at the Savoy, but by the 1950s was drifting into obscurity. However, in 1962, after a 22-year absence, Cootie Williams rejoined Duke Ellington, staying even beyond Duke's death in 1974 as a featured soloist. By then his solos were much simpler and more primitive than earlier (gone was the Louis Armstrong-inspired bravado), but Cootie remained the master with the plunger mute. He was semi-retired during his final decade, taking a final solo in 1978 on a Teresa Brewer record, and posthumously serving as an inspiration for Wynton Marsalis' own plunger playing. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/cootie-williams/id269584#fullText

Together

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Rex Stewart - Story 1926-1945

Styles: Trumpet And Cornet Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:45
Size: 143,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:16)  1. The stampede
(3:00)  2. Rocky road
(3:06)  3. Showboat shuffle
(3:08)  4. Kissin' my baby goodnight
(2:29)  5. Watermelon man
(3:05)  6. Boy meets horn
(3:31)  7. John Hardy's wife
(2:47)  8. Back room romp (A contrapunctual stomp)
(2:35)  9. Swing baby swing (Love in my heart)
(2:35) 10. Sugar hill shim-sham
(2:30) 11. Tea and trumpets
(2:39) 12. San Juan hill
(2:39) 13. Fat stuff serenade
(3:05) 14. Solid old man
(4:26) 15. Cherry
(3:22) 16. Poor bubber
(3:01) 17. Dreamer's blues
(3:16) 18. Shady shade of the street
(3:12) 19. 12th street rag
(2:53) 20. Save it pretty mama

Rex Stewart achieved his greatest glory in a subsidiary role, playing cornet 11 years in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His famous "talking" style and half-valve effects were exploited brilliantly by countless Ellington pieces containing perfect passages tailored to showcase Stewart's sound. He played in a forceful, gripping manner that reflected the influences of Louis Armstrong, Bubber Miley, and Bix Beiderbecke, whose solos he once reproduced on record. Stewart played on Potomac riverboats before moving to Philadelphia. He went to New York in 1921. Stewart worked with Elmer Snowden in 1925, then joined Fletcher Henderson a year later. But he felt his talents were not at the necessary level, and departed Henderson's band, joining his brother Horace's band at Wilberforce College. Stewart returned in 1928. He remained five years and contributed many memorable solos. There was also a brief period in McKinney's Cotton Pickers in 1931, a stint heading his own band, and another short stay with Luis Russell before Stewart joined the Ellington Orchestra in 1934.

He was a star throughout his tenure, co-writing classics "Boy Meets Horn" and "Morning Glory." He also supervised many outside recording sessions using Ellingtonians. After leaving, Stewart led various combos and performed throughout Europe and Australia on an extensive Jazz at the Philharmonic tour from 1947-1951. He lectured at the Paris Conservatory in 1948. Stewart settled in New Jersey to run a farm in the early '50s. He was semi-retired, but found new success in the media. He worked in local radio and television, while leading a band part-time in Boston. Stewart led the Fletcher Henderson reunion band in 1957 and 1958, and recorded with them. He played at Eddie Condon's club in 1958 and 1959, then moved to the West Coast. Stewart again worked as a disc jockey and became a critic. While he published many excellent pieces, a collection containing many of his best reviews, Jazz Masters of the Thirties, came out posthumously. There's also a Stewart autobiography available. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rex-stewart-mn0000888838/biography

Personnel: Rex Stewart (trumpet, cornet); Don Redman, Ivie Anderson (vocals); Django Reinhardt, Brick Fleagle, Fred Guy (guitar); Dave Wilborn, Charlie Dixon (banjo); Buster Bailey (clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Benny Carter (clarinet, alto saxophone); Coleman Hawkins, Prince Robinson (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Barney Bigard (clarinet); Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Pete Clarke, Earl Bostic (alto saxophone); Cecil Scott (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Cootie Williams, Charlie Allen ,Smith, Langston Curl, Louis Bacon, Sidney Bechet, Arthur Whetsol, Wallace Jones (trumpet); Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown , Ed Cuffee, Charlie Green (trombone); Billy Taylor, Sr., Bob Escudero (tuba); Fletcher Henderson, Dave Riviera, Lionel Hampton, Todd Rhodes, Billy Kyle , Earl Hines (piano); Fred Avendorf, Cuba Austin, J.C. Heard, Joseph "Kaiser" Marshall, Sonny Greer, Baby Dodds (drums)

Story  1926-1945

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Rex Stewart - Rex Meets Horn

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:07
Size: 94,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:20)  1. Boy Meets Horn
(3:04)  2. Mood Indigo
(3:12)  3. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
(2:47)  4. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(3:26)  5. Solitude
(2:52)  6. Take The "A" Train
(3:42)  7. Sweethearts On Parade
(3:03)  8. My Blue Heaven
(4:42)  9. Perdido
(3:37) 10. Honeysuckle Rose
(3:09) 11. Organ Grinder's Swing
(4:07) 12. Caravan

Rex Stewart achieved his greatest glory in a subsidiary role, playing cornet 11 years in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His famous "talking" style and half-valve effects were exploited brilliantly by countless Ellington pieces containing perfect passages tailored to showcase Stewart's sound. He played in a forceful, gripping manner that reflected the influences of Louis Armstrong, Bubber Miley, and Bix Beiderbecke, whose solos he once reproduced on record. Stewart played on Potomac riverboats before moving to Philadelphia. He went to New York in 1921. Stewart worked with Elmer Snowden in 1925, then joined Fletcher Henderson a year later. But he felt his talents were not at the necessary level, and departed Henderson's band, joining his brother Horace's band at Wilberforce College. Stewart returned in 1928. He remained five years and contributed many memorable solos. There was also a brief period in McKinney's Cotton Pickers in 1931, a stint heading his own band, and another short stay with Luis Russell before Stewart joined the Ellington Orchestra in 1934.

He was a star throughout his tenure, co-writing classics "Boy Meets Horn" and "Morning Glory." He also supervised many outside recording sessions using Ellingtonians. After leaving, Stewart led various combos and performed throughout Europe and Australia on an extensive Jazz at the Philharmonic tour from 1947-1951. He lectured at the Paris Conservatory in 1948. Stewart settled in New Jersey to run a farm in the early '50s. He was semi-retired, but found new success in the media. He worked in local radio and television, while leading a band part-time in Boston. Stewart led the Fletcher Henderson reunion band in 1957 and 1958, and recorded with them. He played at Eddie Condon's club in 1958 and 1959, then moved to the West Coast. Stewart again worked as a disc jockey and became a critic. While he published many excellent pieces, a collection containing many of his best reviews, Jazz Masters of the Thirties, came out posthumously. There's also a Stewart autobiography available. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rex-stewart-mn0000888838/biography

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone – Hilton Jefferson (tracks: 1 to 6);  Baritone Saxophone – Danny Bank (tracks: 1 to 6);  Cello – Claude Hopkins (tracks: 11);  Clarinet – Danny Bank (tracks: 1 to 6);  Cornet – Rex Stewart;  Double Bass – Arvell Shaw (tracks: 7 to 12), Milt Hinton (tracks: 1 to 6);  Drums – Cozy Cole (tracks: 7 to 12), Osie Johnson (tracks: 1 to 6);  Guitar – Billy Bauer (tracks: 7 to 12);  Piano – Claude Hopkins (tracks: 7 to 12), Hank Jones (tracks: 1 to 6);  Tenor Saxophone – Coleman Hawkins (tracks: 7 to 12);  Trombone – Lawrence Brown (tracks: 1 to 6), Tyree Glenn (tracks: 7 to 12)

Rex Meets Horn

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Dickie Wells & Rex Stewart - Chatter Jazz

Styles: Trombone And Cornet Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:25
Size: 72,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:34)  1. Little Sir Echo
(2:13)  2. Together
(2:23)  3. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
(2:17)  4. Gimme A Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh?
(3:07)  5. Show Me The Way To Go Home
(2:28)  6. Frankie And Johnny
(2:53)  7. Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)
(3:12)  8. I May Be Wrong ( But I Think You're Wonderful)
(2:06)  9. Thou Swell
(2:45) 10. Side By Side
(2:52) 11. Ain't We Got Fun ?
(2:30) 12. Jeepers Creepers

These 1959 sessions paired two potent soloists, trumpeter Rex Stewart (an alum of Duke Ellington's band) and trombonist Dickie Wells (a veteran of Count Basie's orchestra). Backed by pianist John Bunch, bassist Leonard Gaskin, and drummer Charlie Masterpaolo, the two horn players exchange ideas through a series of "conversations" utilizing various mutes, never going for very long without giving time to the other. These friendly studio dates are somewhat low-key but consistently swinging; the only drawback is that the tracks are rather brief, with only two of the 12 songs exceeding three minutes. Highlights include their humorous exchanges in "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "Show Me the Way to Go Home" (featuring some fine stride piano by Bunch). This long unavailable RCA Victor LP is extremely hard to find. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/chatter-jazz-mw0000901126

Personnel:  Bass – Leonard Gaskin;  Cornet – Rex Stewart;  Drums – Charlie Masterpaolo;  Piano – John Bunch;  Trombone – Dickie Wells

Chatter Jazz

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