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THE INTERNATIONAL DEMS BULLETIN DUKE ELLINGTON MUSIC SOCIETY 08/2 August-November 2008 Our 30th Year of Publication FOUNDER: BENNY AASLAND |
Voort 18b, 2328 Meerle, Belgium
Telephone: +32 3 315 75 83
Email: dems1@telenet.be
NEW
RELEASES AND RE-RELEASES
Duke Ellington - Live at
Carnegie Hall, December 1944
DEMS 08/2-26
This is a release by a
company, Pristine Audio, which specializes in cleaning and sonically improving
early Classical music. They have also issued a few Jazz and Blues items,
including this Ellington and a really remarkable Louis Armstrong issue.
Full details at: http://www.pristineclassical.com
You may already be aware of this issue but I don't recall noting anything in
DEMS Bulletin or in the discussion group. It actually seems to be track for
track reissue of part of the Prestige Carnegie Hall 1943-1944 Concerts but they
claim to have made speed corrections after picking up a residual 60mHz mains
hum. However, on a short listen, I don't notice a difference. Perhaps a
parallel listen will show it up. What I will say however is that there does
seem to be an immediacy that isn't present, to me, in the Prestige release. I
have to say though that their Louis Armstrong issue is revelatory. I hadn't
expected to hear better than the Frémeaux et Associés release of early King
Oliver and Armstrong tracks but the XR system certainly seems to extract far
more than other systems have managed.
Marcus Girvan
Retrieval 79053
Swing Is the Thing
DEMS 08/2-27
According to a review in VJM 148 (Winter 2007), the recently-released CD
anthology "Swing is the Thing, a Decade of Classic Recording 1932-42"
(Retrieval 79053) contains a "fresh" Ellington take: Creole Love
Call mx. BX11264B (11Feb32).
Steven Lasker
The rather rare take B of St. Louis Blues by Bing Crosby from the same
session is also on this nice CD. For me it's the first time I found Bing's take
B on a CD. Harry Coster did a great job with the audio restoration. The liner
notes are by Dick Sudhalter.
It may not surprise you at first sight, but then again it may. The total time
of this CD is 70 min. but it has only 16 tracks. All the recordings are taken
from original 12 inch 78 rpm’s. They brought back nice memories from the time
when I started collecting before I concentrated on Duke Ellington.
Here is a listing of the tracks:
Ellington, 11Feb32, originally on Brunswick 20105:
1. St. Louis Blues take -B
2. Creole Love Call take –B
Fats
Waller, originally on Victor 36206:
3. Honeysuckle Rose 9Apr37 take -1
6. Blue, Turning Grey
over You 9Jun37 take -1
Tommy Dorsey, originally on Victor 36207:
4. Stop, Look and Listen 15Apr37 take -1
5. Beale Street Blues 26May37 take -2
Benny Goodman, 6Jul37, originally on Victor 36205:
7&8. Sing, Sing, Sing (Parts 1 and 2) take -2
Bunny Berigan, 7Aug37, originally on Victor 36208:
9. I Can’t Get Started take -1
10. The Prisoner’s Song take -1
Bob Crosby, 16Nov37, originally on Decca 15038:
11. South Rampart Street Parade take –A
12. Dogtown Blues take –A
Artie Shaw, 17Dec40, originally on Victor 36383:
13&14. Concerto for Clarinet (Parts 1 and 2) take -1
Bob Crosby, 17Feb42, originally on Decca 15064:
15. Chain Gang take –A
16. Ec Stacy take -A
Sjef Hoefsmit
Storyville 903 9013
The Treasury Shows Volume 13
DEMS 08/2-28
See DEMS 05/3-46
It has taken quite a while after Volume 12 for Volume 13 to appear. Nicely
timed for the 2008 conference in London, Volume 13 has come out 63 years after
I heard some of this music through the Armed Forces Radio Network in Germany in
the programs "Date with the Duke" #54, #55 and #56; and 26 years
after the first broadcast came out on the DETS LP 24 (see DEMS 82/5-2) and 25
years after the second broadcast on DETS LP 25 (see DEMS 83/1-1). Thus, another
generation has passed. Let's hope that the series will be re-issued yet again
for my great-grandchildren after another quarter of a century. The music is
classic and for all generations. With the release of these DETS broadcasts,
Jerry Valburn with the help of Jack Towers, erected the biggest statue possible
for Ellington.
My dear friend Lance Travis wrote the liner-notes, and he did a great job. I
have read his original manuscript and I wonder why some of his texts have been
mutilated to the extent that they have become baloney. On the first page of his
liner-notes you find: “This performance I hazard to suggest was the only time
on one specific day that influenced Duke to write a suite.” It should have
read: “This performance I hazard to suggest was the only time one specific day
was to influence Duke to write a suite.”
Shortly thereafter we read in the booklet: “Originally intended only for Her
Majesty’s music collection, gratefully, we all have this music now in our
collections.” This should have been: “Originally intended only for Her
Majesty’s music collection, the Duke kept a copy, and, gratefully, we all have
now this music in our collections.”
If you insert “changed to Victory Bonds. Duke recorded, amongst others – “
between War Bonds and The Perfume Suite in the second column on
the second page of the liner-notes it will make more sense. You will
find these words just a little further on with again a mention of the same
titles, this time between quotation marks. I can very well understand that
Lance is upset because of this horrible treatment of his manuscript resulting
in garbage like: “At the movies you could watch “The Bells “King” Of St Mary’s”
and…”
There are many more errors in the liner-notes, but this seems enough. Here I
continue with my own remarks about the long awaited release. If you want to
read the original notes as written, I can send you as an attachment Lance’s
text.
The opening selection, Someone, starts a bit awkwardly. Comparing it
with a tape recording from the Joe Igo collection, I find that the reason is
the fact that the acetate was damaged at the start. This part was deleted on
both the original DETS LP and also on this CD.
Since there has been some rumour about the quality of a few of these DETS CDs,
I can assure you that this Volume 13 is superb. It could not be any better. But
more importantly, the music is overwhelmingly great.
Sjef Hoefsmit
We would like to congratulate Jack Towers on a superb result. As you know Jack
is not only famous for the Fargo recordings but also for producing master tape
works for many big companies, both in the USA and in Europe. We are fortunate
to have him handling the Treasury Shows.
Benny Aasland (in DEMS 82/5-2)
Storyville 101 8402
Duke Ellington . New York New York
DEMS 08/2-29
Another tremendous CD consisting entirely of unissued material from the
stockpile (76.5 minutes!), selected and annotated by Bjarne Busk. Thanks to
Bjarne who made it possible for our Italian friends to include these recordings
in their New DESOR, we can give you the DESOR number for each selection.
1. REXT -42 27Apr70 7034z
2. Flute -10 8Jun70 7043k
3. SOFT - 8 15Jun70 7044d
4. MIXT -26 15Jun70 7044s
5. Alerado - 4 9Jul70 7053c
6. Afrique - 2 9Jul70 7053e
7. Second Line 23Jul70 7061d
8. R.T.M. - 2 9Dec70 7089b
9. Sophisticated Lady - 3 9Dec70 7089c
10. Big Luv -12 9Dec70 7089j
11. I Got It Bad -11 11Dec70 7090p
12. Looking for My Man -39 3Feb71 7105d
13. No Title -38 11Feb71 7106am
14. Pretty Girl -37 5May71 7126b
15. Dreaming by the Fire -47 5May71 7126l
16. Pat Your Feet -53 5May71 7126o
17. Mood Indigo - 3 12Jun72 7225g
18. I'm Afraid (nc) -15 5Sep72 7245q
(nc) I'm Afraid (coda) -22 5Sep72 7245z
19. New York, New York -25 5Sep72 7245ac
Track 1. The discographical notes for the first selection are not completely
correct. According to the New DESOR halfway through the session (before the
start of Aristocracy à la Jean Lafitte) Mercer Ellington took over from
Money Johnson. Also, it was not Malcolm Taylor who played in the trombone
section, but his namesake Dave Taylor, who played the bass trombone. See DEMS
05/2-37p1497 and 05/3-57, correction on page 570.
Track 3. Erik Wiedemann believed that SOFT is part 12 of "The
River", although Duke mentioned The Spring as the last part.
Track 5. The title is dedicated to Alexandre Rado who supervised recordings in
Paris on 6Jul70 with Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson, Norris Turney, Wild Bill
Davis (as Prince Woodyard), Joe Benjamin and Art Taylor. The LP that came out
was titled "Paul Gonsalves and his All Stars". Track 3 was titled Alerado,
composed by Wild Bill Davis (see Alexandre Rado's obituary, written by François
Moulé and published in DEMS Bulletin 97/3-2).
Track 8. Many tape collectors have given the name Rhythmal Roof to R.T.M.
It seems to mean: Rufus Jones, Norris Turney, and Malcolm
Taylor.
Track 9. The take of Sophisticated Lady, which was issued on Pablo, is
not from this session, but from 11Dec70.
With the exception of tracks 9, 18 and 19, all the recordings have been used
for different broadcasts over the Danish Radio. In the broadcast, track 13 was
not complete at the start. Only tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been
"released" in the past on DEMS cassettes. Fanatic collectors may have
acquired through DEMS on cassettes some of these recordings, but as fanatic
collectors, they will doubtless not miss the chance to replace their vulnerable
cassettes with this very tastefully presented CD. A second compelling reason to
buy this beautiful CD is the simple fact that our market for Ellington releases
is so small that we should support one of the few record producers who still
takes the risk to release this valuable music.
Sjef Hoefsmit
Duke Ellington in London
1958
Ellington 2008 commemorating double CD
DEMS 08/2-30
For the occasion of the 20th Duke Ellington Conference on
22-26May08, the organizing committee released a double CD, which contains a
copy of the double LP, released in 1988 for the Ellington Conference in Oldham.
The order in which the selections were copied is exactly the same as on the
double LP, which means that it is not the same order in which the selections
were played. The sound is unimproved; the earlier 1988 release on the double LP
was also over-recorded. It is a pity that
some of the unreleased selections missing from the old double LP did not replace
some of the released ones. See for titles and comments on the double
LP DEMS Bulletin 88/5 pages 4 and 5.
The price of the double CD was very reasonable: only 10 GBP. They are still
available for 14 GBP including mailing expenses for any destination. Go to
www.ellington2008.org.
DEMS
Mixed feelings about new
"The Best of Duke Ellington" 4 CD set
DEMS 08/2-31
During my regular check of Amazon for new Ellington CD's I came across a new
"The Best of Duke Ellington". Most of the time I skip these. But this
one caught my attention as the cover said 1932-1939, 4 CD set and it has the
Columbia and RCA logo's on the cover. This made me look at the track list. CD's
1, 3 and 4 no surprises. But CD 2 has track: 1. Ebony Rhapsody
(Rehearsal for "Murder at the Vanities") and track 2. Ebony
Rhapsody pt. 2.
The other 93 tracks are from ARC-Brunswick and Daybreak Express from
Victor. There are 100 sides in total because the two parts of both versions of Ebony
Rhapsody and the four of Reminiscing in Tempo are presented as one
track each. There are 95 tracks. All selections are by the orchestra. The sound
quality is excellent.
At 9,99 Euro's I ordered the set immediately and it arrived the next day
(BOL.com in the Netherlands). This set has been issued by Sony BMG. It is
produced by Michael Brooks. The 78 rpm transfers are by Harry Coster and Matt
Cavaluzzo. Digital sound restoration: Harry Coster. The liner notes are by
Bruce Talbot. (There is a mistake in the notes; it says that Ellington's
contract with ARC-Brunswick ended with Country Gal but after the session
of 16oct39 there were 3 more ARC-Brunswick sessions: 22Nov39, 14Fev40 (last
with the orchestra) and 15Feb40.)
The two Ebony Rhapsody versions are in the New DESOR as 3403a and 3403b.
These recordings have been discussed in the DEMS bulletins 03/2-7/2 and
03/3-18/1.
But now my mixed feelings. For whom is this collection intended? The folder (no
proper booklet) has a short survey of the period but no discographical data at
all, except some information on the four "unissued" tracks. Is this
for the more or less casual buyer or the seasoned Ellington collector? It seems
to aim at both categories. Will a casual buyer be interested in two takes of
any tune? Does an Ellington collector need 4 CD's, for just 2 or 3 tracks? I
have nothing against compilations in themselves. There must be different
editions for different types of listeners.
Another concern is whether this set will get in the way of a future Mosaic set
on the 1932-1940 period.
The other "unissued" tracks have previously been issued:
On CD1 track 6 is Creole Love master (mx BX11264-B). This was issued
last year on "Swing Is The Thing" a collection of 12" recordings
by various bands (Retrieval 79053).
On CD 4 track 21 is Grievin' (mx WM1064-A). Issued on LP Raretone 23004
"Duke Ellington 1939", CBS (F) 88521 "The Complete Duke
Ellington vol. 14" and on CD Classics 780 "1939 vol.2".
A small bonus: Scattin' at the Cotton Club is with the trumpet
introduction. This was previously only on the Franklin Mint LP set.
Remco Plas
I have very recently acquired a copy of a 4 CD set released by Sony/BMG called
"The Best of Duke Ellington (1932 - 1939)". It features
"Original Masters", mostly Columbia but with 2 previously unissued
RCA Victor tracks of rehearsals for "Murder at The Vanities". Both
are described as Ebony Rhapsody - part 2 and are differing versions of
the same basic material. The first lasts 5m 20s, the second 5m 03s. They were
given matrix numbers 73093 - 1 and 73094 - 1, respectively. I cannot remember
seeing anything about these rehearsals before except, of course, in Stratemann
and I suppose they must date from 26 Feb 34.
The only Columbia piece on the CDs that is "new" is take -B of the
Feb 1932 Creole Love Call. Well, it was new to me!
Ron Malings**
If you go to the Correction-sheets on the depanorama web-site (see 08/2-34) you
will find on sheet 1053 the new session 3403 from 26Feb34 and on sheet 2004 the
descriptions of these four takes. The matrix numbers 79093 - 1 and
79094 - 1 belong to 3403 a and b respectively. I guess that you made a slight
typo. The two (still unreleased) takes c and d carry the matrix numbers 79105 - 1 and 79106 - 1.
DEMS**
AVID Jazz AMSC 937 (2CD)
Duke Ellington: Three Classic Albums & More
Historically Speaking - The Duke;
Duke Ellington Presents; Ellington 55
plus 11 tracks from Apr53
DEMS 08/2-32
The Bethlehem album “Historically Speaking – The Duke” had 12 tracks. Its
companion album “Duke Ellington Presents” had 11 tracks. The album Ellington
’55 had 8 tracks. The 11 tracks from Apr53 are 2 tracks from 6Apr (Satin
Doll, Cocktails for Two), 5 from 7Apr (Three Little Words, Stardust, My
Old Flame, I Can’t Get Started, Stormy Weather) and 4 from 9Apr (Warm
Valley, Liza, Flamingo and Boo-Dah).
Previously released Bethlehem CDs have been mentioned in DEMS 88/1-1 and
TDES Newsletter of Sep90. An “Ellington ’55” re-release on CD was mentioned in
99/5-19/2, but with 8 tracks, not 10. Of course, all the Capitol selections
were included in the 96 tracks Mosaic 5 CD box MD5-160 last mentioned in 07/3-22.
DEMS
ELLINGTONIA
Jo Stafford
DEMS 08/2-33
The popular Jo Stafford died
on 16Jul08. Because she never appeared with Ellington, we have not put that sad
news in the beginning of this Bulletin. She has however made three sessions on
15Jul, 1Aug and 10Aug60 with a group of five Ellingtonians: Ray Nance, Lawrence
Brown, Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster and Harry Carney and seven other musicians:
Don Fagerquist and Conte Condoli; Russ Freeman, Jimmy Rowles, Bob Gibbons, Joe
Mondragon and Mel Lewis.
The titles: Just Squeeze Me, For You, Midnight Sun, You’d Be So Nice To Come
Home To, The Folks Who Live on the Hill, I Didn’t Know About You, What Can I
Say after I Say I’m Sorry, Dream of You, Imagination, S’posin’, Day Dream
and I’ve Got the World on a String. These recordings are still available
on her own label Corinthian, CD 108 “Jo + Jazz”. If you have it, or if you have
the 1977 re-release on LP Corinthian 108 or even if you have the original
Columbia CL 1591 release, you should listen to Day Dream. It’s marvellous.
DEMS**