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Personel: Duke Ellington (arranger, piano); Johnny Hodges (soprano & alto saxophones); Harry Carney (alto & baritone saxophones, clarinet); Otto Hardwick (alto & bass saxophones); Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams (trumpet); Rex Stewart (cornet); Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Lawrence Brown (trombone); Juan Tizol (valve trombone); Barney Bigard (clarinet); Fred Guy (guitar); Billy Taylor (bass); Sonny Greer (drums). Recorded in New York, New York bewteen December 21, 1938 and March 20, 1939. Includes liner notes by Anatol Schenker. Personnel: Duke Ellington (piano); Cootie Williams, Louis Bacon (vocals, trumpet); Jean Eldridge (vocals); Brick Fleagle, Fred Guy (guitar); Johnny Hodges (clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Harry Carney (clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Barney Bigard (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Otto Hardwick (alto saxophone, bass saxophone); Wallace Jones (trumpet); Rex Stewart (cornet); Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Lawrence Brown (trombone); Juan Tizol (valve trombone); Sonny Greer (drums). Liner Note Author: Anatol Schenker. Recording information: New York, NY (12/21/1938-03/??/1939). Director: Duke Ellington. Unknown Contributor Role: Juan Tizol. Arrangers: Duke Ellington; Brick Fleagle. The title is a slight misnomer--this album features Ellington, but not always as a leader of the band--or bands, in this case. Often Ellington's bandmembers would put together groups of their own, as "side projects" (just as many rock players do, without leaving their "main organization") with Duke often in the role of The Piano Player, and sometimes composer and arranger. This is a collection of such "projects": Cootie Williams & His Rug Cutters, Johnny Hodges, and Rex Stewart & His 52nd Street Stompers, along with a few songs by Ellington's own band, and two of his piano solo pieces. While not always scaling the heights of brilliance of the Duke at his best, this set does come close, and there's a sense of relaxed (though never sloppy), irreverent fun to many of these songs. Sample titles: "Ain't That Gravy Good," "Swingin' On the Campus," "Slap Happy" and "I'll Come Back for More." Most of the Duke's offshoots were smaller groups, giving his men a chance to stretch out a bit. A plus is the songs are not exactly well-known (sadly), making this a find for hardcore Ellington fans and those who like small-band jazz of this era.
