Duke Ellington Never No Lament/The Blanton-Webster Band, 1940-1942 CD

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: Duke Ellington (piano); Ivie Anderson, Herb Jefferies, Ray Nance (vocals); Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams, Ray Nance (trumpet); Rex Stewart (cornet); Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown (trombone); Juan Tizol (valve trombone); Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Ben Webster, harry Carney, Chauncey Haughton (reeds); Billy Strayhorn (piano); Fred Guy (guitar); Jimmie Blanton, Alvin "Junior" Raglin (bass); Sonny Greer (drums).
Includes liner notes by Brian Priestly.
Personnel: Duke Ellington (piano, celesta); Ray Nance (vocals, violin, trumpet); Herb Jeffries, Ivie Anderson (vocals); Fred Guy (guitar); Johnny Hodges (clarinet, reeds, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Harry Carney (clarinet, reeds, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Barney Bigard, Chauncey Haughton (clarinet, reeds, tenor saxophone); Otto Hardwick (reeds, alto saxophone); Ben Webster (reeds, tenor saxophone); Cootie Williams, Wallace Jones (trumpet); Rex Stewart (cornet); Lawrence D. Brown, Joe Tricky Sam Nanton, Lawrence Brown (trombone); Juan Tizol (valve trombone); Billy Strayhorn (piano, celesta); Sonny Greer (drums).
Liner Note Authors: Brian Priestly; Brian Priestley.
Recording information: Chicago, IL (03/06/1940-07/28/1942); Hollywood, CA (03/06/1940-07/28/1942); New York, NY (03/06/1940-07/28/1942).
Photographer: Duncan P. Schiedt.
Arrangers: Duke Ellington; Mercer Ellington; Ben Webster; Billy Strayhorn.
This three-CD set chronicles one of the most storied of the Duke Ellington band lineups, which included saxophonists Ben Webster and Johnny Hodges, bassist Jimmy Blanton, clarinetist Barney Bigard, and trombonist Juan Tizol. Including previously unreleased takes of such numbers as the Webster showcase "Body and Soul" and "Sepia Panorama," NEVER NO LAMENT also features the delightful "Portrait of Bert Williams," Ellington's tribute to the legendary vaudeville performer, and trumpeter Cootie Williams's extended display of musical pyrotechnics, "Concerto for Cootie." Comprehensive and illuminating, this collection forms a welcome consolidation of previously available, yet widely dispersed recordings.
Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band, covering the years 1939-1942 in the great composer and bandleader's career, is essentially the third time that RCA has issued this material on CD. The first was a botched job, appalling even, with its flattened-out, compressed sound, along with a chopped version of "Take the A-Train" and other sonic and editorial errors. The second version was completely remastered and corrected the editorial problems, but featured no alternate takes from the band's performances. Beyond the original 66 tracks, nine additional cuts are featured here, including four brand-new master-take issues of "Another Pitter Patter," "Body and Soul," "Sophisticated Lady," and "Mr. J.B. Blues," as well as alternate takes of "Ko-Ko," "Bojangles," "Sepia Panorama," "Jumpin' Punkins," and "Jump for Joy." All of this material is available on RCA's Complete Duke Ellington and in bits and pieces on imports, but these tracks make this set feel much more complete as a document of Ellington's greatest band. The interplay between Jimmy Blanton's bass, which stood completely out front with its fat, rounded tone -- a revolutionary thing in a big band in those days -- and Ben Webster's shimmering, soulful tenor on the alternate take of "Sepia Panorama," as well as the title track and Webster's signature tune, "Chelsea Bridge," are more remarkable with each listen. The sheer force of Blanton's playing moves the band to a whole different level of intensity, and the contrast between the tones of altoist Johnny Hodges and Webster is one of the most unique and complimentary in the history of jazz. If you are new to this set, it's a fine introduction, with performances of classics such as "Ko-Ko," "Harlem Air Shaft," "All Too Soon," "In a Mellotone," "Warm Valley," "Harlem Airshaft," "Take the 'A' Train," "I GJazzTimes (8/03, p.143) - "...These tracks are among the greatest recordings ever made..."