Showing posts with label Duke Ellington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Duke Ellington. Show all posts
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Ellington on EMusic
Unfortunately I am out of credits for the month, so I haven't actually purchased this two-disc Ellington set yet, but that needn't stop you. 100 tracks for $4.40--including Peckin', which is a favorite around our house--means you should probably snag it before somebody at EMusic notices the typo.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Ellington, Hibbler, and Davis - I Ain't Got Nothing But the Blues
Available (in various versions) on eMusic, Amazon, and iTunes.
I first heard this track on a podcast about Duke Ellington, part of a 4-part series from NPR Jazz Profiles. The podcast is a really great introduction to Duke that I would recommend for any jazz fan, even if the four parts do get a little repetitive. Here's a link to the first part. There's also a podcast that focuses just on Hibbler.
I've never played the track at a dance, and honestly I'm not sure if I would. It's slow, pretty far out stylistically, and the phrases are kind of disjointed. I might play it at a blues late night if there were some creative dancers there that were up for pushing their boundaries. I've also had it in my head lately that it would make for an interesting dance routine (though definitely a challenge to choreograph). But that's not why I'm bothering to mention it.
I'm blogging about it because it's a fascinating piece of music, both as an arrangement/composition and as a performance. Speaking just as a fan (not having any deep knowledge about Ellington's work), it seems to me to really epitomize what Duke does. Here, he takes a really good blues song and juxtaposes it against the sharp, modernist jazz style that his band does so well, turning a popular genre into a much more complex, captivating statement about life. That's what I hear, at least--maybe I'm reading too much into things, it wouldn't be the first time. Take a listen:
After a full-band intro, we hear Harry Carney's deep baritone saxophone simply stating the main melody. In between the breath of the melody, the band plays an odd syncopation--it's jarring to have the slow tempo of the melody rolling gently along while the band plays such an energetic, angular rhythm.
There's an interlude with just piano and bass, and then we hear Blind Al Hibbler singing the main melody: "Ain't got the change of a nickel/Ain't got no bounce in my shoe/Ain't got no fancy to tickle/I ain't got nothing but the blues." The timbre of his voice is pretty similar to Carney's saxophone, and he sounds very melancholy. Behind him, in between each line of the melody, Kay Davis hums a high-pitched, exotic harmony as the band plays the same odd syncopations as before. It gives the impression that nobody in the world notices that Hibbler is singing the blues--life just passes him right by. At the end of the phrase, Hibbler is almost interrupted by a jaunty trumpet, drawing the band back in.
Hibbler continues into a verse, with Davis singing these odd harmonies and a trumpet adding fills. After repeating the chorus, the bari sax comes back in, then there's a big outtro with the whole band rolling over Hibbler. But then no, wait, it's not quite done and it actually ends with the band playing a soft little tag.
The whole thing is disconcerting--each phrase is a different texture, and each voice/instrument heard sounds gorgeous on its own but amazing in combination. It keeps you off guard through the whole piece. In the Jazz Profiles podcast about Hibbler, Kay Davis says that when Ellington was first teaching the song to Hibbler, she was standing around just casually humming along. Ellington heard her, and told her to do the same thing when they performed the number on stage. Davis's wordless harmony hits some really odd notes that sound spooky and beautiful, which make for a very interesting contrast to Hibbler's strong, simple take on the lyrics.
I first heard this track on a podcast about Duke Ellington, part of a 4-part series from NPR Jazz Profiles. The podcast is a really great introduction to Duke that I would recommend for any jazz fan, even if the four parts do get a little repetitive. Here's a link to the first part. There's also a podcast that focuses just on Hibbler.
I've never played the track at a dance, and honestly I'm not sure if I would. It's slow, pretty far out stylistically, and the phrases are kind of disjointed. I might play it at a blues late night if there were some creative dancers there that were up for pushing their boundaries. I've also had it in my head lately that it would make for an interesting dance routine (though definitely a challenge to choreograph). But that's not why I'm bothering to mention it.
I'm blogging about it because it's a fascinating piece of music, both as an arrangement/composition and as a performance. Speaking just as a fan (not having any deep knowledge about Ellington's work), it seems to me to really epitomize what Duke does. Here, he takes a really good blues song and juxtaposes it against the sharp, modernist jazz style that his band does so well, turning a popular genre into a much more complex, captivating statement about life. That's what I hear, at least--maybe I'm reading too much into things, it wouldn't be the first time. Take a listen:
After a full-band intro, we hear Harry Carney's deep baritone saxophone simply stating the main melody. In between the breath of the melody, the band plays an odd syncopation--it's jarring to have the slow tempo of the melody rolling gently along while the band plays such an energetic, angular rhythm.
There's an interlude with just piano and bass, and then we hear Blind Al Hibbler singing the main melody: "Ain't got the change of a nickel/Ain't got no bounce in my shoe/Ain't got no fancy to tickle/I ain't got nothing but the blues." The timbre of his voice is pretty similar to Carney's saxophone, and he sounds very melancholy. Behind him, in between each line of the melody, Kay Davis hums a high-pitched, exotic harmony as the band plays the same odd syncopations as before. It gives the impression that nobody in the world notices that Hibbler is singing the blues--life just passes him right by. At the end of the phrase, Hibbler is almost interrupted by a jaunty trumpet, drawing the band back in.
Hibbler continues into a verse, with Davis singing these odd harmonies and a trumpet adding fills. After repeating the chorus, the bari sax comes back in, then there's a big outtro with the whole band rolling over Hibbler. But then no, wait, it's not quite done and it actually ends with the band playing a soft little tag.
The whole thing is disconcerting--each phrase is a different texture, and each voice/instrument heard sounds gorgeous on its own but amazing in combination. It keeps you off guard through the whole piece. In the Jazz Profiles podcast about Hibbler, Kay Davis says that when Ellington was first teaching the song to Hibbler, she was standing around just casually humming along. Ellington heard her, and told her to do the same thing when they performed the number on stage. Davis's wordless harmony hits some really odd notes that sound spooky and beautiful, which make for a very interesting contrast to Hibbler's strong, simple take on the lyrics.
Monday, September 1, 2008
DJ Battle at the Galaxie 2/16/2008
Lippy and Nicolle organized a DJ battle at the Galaxie last February, inviting six DJs to spin short sets, each representing a single artist or band. The line-up was as follows:
Here's my set:
I found this night really challenging. I'd put a lot of work into it (even digging up and editing some short audio clips of Irving Mills introducing the Ellington band, to play as intros for some of the tracks) and had started with a very long list of possible selections. It was difficult to whittle it down, but perhaps even more difficult to choose tracks that would be accessible and really good for dancing. The acoustics in the room were also hard to deal with, given that I had some pretty low fidelity material, plus stuff that prominently featured Jimmy Blanton's bass lines.
Ellington's music is so spirited, but so challenging, that I'm torn about whether to play it for dances. Many of his tunes have really interesting, unusual rhythms in them, which can be difficult for dancers to deal with. But on the other hand, more advanced dancers probably appreciate the opportunity to give it a shot and try to keep up with the Duke. Duke also uses a very broad pallette of musical colors--more dark or mysterious sounds, more sharp contrasts, and a LOT more dissonance than any other big band.
I can't remember where I read or heard it, but I recall one comment about Duke Ellington that has stuck with me--that his band really transcended the era. The roster featured some of the most amazing talents in the world, and as a group they could be the most amazingly swingin' ensemble anyone had ever heard. At the same time that he created some of the tunes that defined the Swing era, Duke wasn't limited to writing dance music. His tunes capture and portray more of life, and somehow have even more spirit, than just swing. His music is the pinnacle of what Jazz can be.
- Dave "Lippy" Rentauskas representing Helen Humes
- Doug "Doberman" Hillman representing Gene Harris
- me representing Duke Ellington
- Chris "The Man with the Middles" Aubin representing Count Basie
- Riley Wymes representing Ella Fitzgerald
- Kevin Caruso representing Jay McShann
- Nathan Gumley providing warm-up and transitions
Here's my set:
- The Mooche - Duke Ellington - Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick and Vocalion Recordings of Duke Ellington, 1926-1931 - 3:13
- Rockin In Rhythm - Duke Ellington - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 3:01
- Jump For Joy (Alternate Take) - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 2:56
- Perdido - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 3:08
- I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues - Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington - Compact Jazz - 4:42
- Pitter Panther Patter (Take 2) - Duke Ellington - Solos, Duets and Trios - 3:01
- Main Stem - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 2:52
- Cottontail - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 3:15
- Take the "A" Train - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 2:51
I found this night really challenging. I'd put a lot of work into it (even digging up and editing some short audio clips of Irving Mills introducing the Ellington band, to play as intros for some of the tracks) and had started with a very long list of possible selections. It was difficult to whittle it down, but perhaps even more difficult to choose tracks that would be accessible and really good for dancing. The acoustics in the room were also hard to deal with, given that I had some pretty low fidelity material, plus stuff that prominently featured Jimmy Blanton's bass lines.
Ellington's music is so spirited, but so challenging, that I'm torn about whether to play it for dances. Many of his tunes have really interesting, unusual rhythms in them, which can be difficult for dancers to deal with. But on the other hand, more advanced dancers probably appreciate the opportunity to give it a shot and try to keep up with the Duke. Duke also uses a very broad pallette of musical colors--more dark or mysterious sounds, more sharp contrasts, and a LOT more dissonance than any other big band.
I can't remember where I read or heard it, but I recall one comment about Duke Ellington that has stuck with me--that his band really transcended the era. The roster featured some of the most amazing talents in the world, and as a group they could be the most amazingly swingin' ensemble anyone had ever heard. At the same time that he created some of the tunes that defined the Swing era, Duke wasn't limited to writing dance music. His tunes capture and portray more of life, and somehow have even more spirit, than just swing. His music is the pinnacle of what Jazz can be.
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