Duke Ellington 70th Birthday Concert CD

Recorded live at Colston Hall, Bristol, England on November 25, 1969 and Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England on November 26, 1969. Includes original liner notes by Derek Jewell.

Each of Ellington's brilliant sidemen, including Cat Anderson, Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, and the great Paul Gonsalves, gets his own solo spotlight, but as always with the Ellington Orchestra, the real treat is hearing so many great talents working together under the direction of the finest arranger/composer in jazz history. As usual, Ellington's most popular tunes, from "Prelude to a Kiss" to "Caravan," are squeezed into one 16-minute medley, one that is performed with joy and grace.

Recorded at Manchester, England's Free Trade Hall on November 26, 1969 (actually almost seven months after Duke Ellington's 70th birthday), this legendary concert captures one of the final lineups of Ellington's touring band performing a retrospective program that touches on all eras and styles of the composer's long and prolific career. Included here is everything from timeless early Cotton Club classics like "Rockin' in Rhythm" to later, more complex compositions like "Black Swan."

Personnel: Duke Ellington (piano); Norris Turney (flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Harold Ashby (flute, tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Paul Gonsalves (tenor saxophone); Cootie Williams, Mercer Ellington, Rolf Ericson, Cat Anderson (trumpet); Lawrence Brown , Chuck Connors (trombone); Wild Bill Davis (organ); Rufus "Speedy" Jones (drums).

Recording information: Colston Hall, Bristol, England (11/25/1969-11/26/1969); Free Trade Hall, Manchester Eng (11/25/1969-11/26/1969).

Photographer: David Redfern.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Cootie Williams; Harry Carney; Johnny Hodges; Lawrence Brown ; Paul Gonsalves; Wild Bill Davis; Cat Anderson.

Personnel: Duke Ellington (conductor, piano); Norris Turney (alto & tenor saxophones, flute, clarinet); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Harold Ashby (tenor saxophone, flute); Paul Gonsalves (tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet); Cat Anderson, Cootie Williams, Rolf Ericson, Mercer Ellington (trumpet); Lawrence Brown, Chuck Connors (trombone); Wild Bill Davis (organ); Victor Gaskin (bass); Rufus "Speedy" Jones (drums).

Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.

Jazziz (12/95, p.33) - "...it does a superior job of summing up Ellington's remarkably productive career....these performances are consistently inspired. This is a release that belongs in all serious jazz collections and serves as proof that Duke Ellington never did get around to declining..."