''Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band'' is a 2003 three-disc compilation combining the master takes of all the recordings by Duke Ellington's Orchestra during the years of 1940 to 1942 with an additional nine tracks, including five alternative takes and four additional masters. An expanded version of ''

The Blanton–Webster Band ''The Blanton–Webster Band'' is a compilation album that combines the master takes of all the recordings by Duke Ellington's Orchestra during the years of 1940 to 1942, involving bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. Th ...

'', this reissue, according to

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, "truly worth either an initial investment or reinvestment". ''All About Jazz: New York'' observed that these performances, from what is often considered "the band in its prime", "not only set the standard for big bands and jazz orchestras, but created an ideal near insurmountable to improve upon".Donohue-Greene, Laurence. (June 2003
Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band
''All About Jazz: New York''. Accessed September 15, 2007. ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...

'' selected this compilation as part of its suggested "Core Collection." An earlier collection of recordings from this period was first issued in 1986 by RCA Bluebird containing 66 tracks. This 2003 version draws on the 1999 transfers first issued in ''The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-1973)'' with an additional nine tracks over the 1986 edition, including the Blanton Ellington duos "Pitter Panther Patter" and "Body and Soul". Ellington put Blanton front-and-center on the bandstand nightly, unheard of for a bassist at the time, together with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, thus this era of Ellington's ensemble is referred to the Blanton–Webster band. Bassist

Jimmy Blanton James Blanton (October 5, 1918 – July 30, 1942) was an American jazz double bassist. Blanton is credited with being the originator of more complex pizzicato and arco bass solos in a jazz context than previous bassists. Nicknamed "Jimmie," Bla ...

was only with the Ellington orchestra for two years, leaving in 1941 due to tuberculosis, and dying the following year at the age of 23. Blanton does not appear on the final 17 tracks of the 2003 collection (CD3 tracks 10-26), having been replaced on bass by Alvin "Junior" Raglin.

Track list

Unless otherwise noted, all tracks by Duke Ellington.

Disc one

# "You, You Darlin'" (M.K. Jerome, Jack Scholl) – 3:19 # "Jack the Bear" – 3:15 # "Ko-Ko" – 2:39 # "Morning Glory" (Ellington,

Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart drop ...

) – 3:15 # "So Far, So Good" ( Jack Lawrence,

Jimmy Mundy James Mundy (June 28, 1907 – April 24, 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer, best known for his arrangements for Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Earl Hines. Mundy died of cancer in New York City at the age of 75 ...

, E.G. White) – 2:50 # "Conga Brava" (Ellington, Juan Tizol) – 2:54 # "Concerto for Cootie" – 3:19 # "Me and You" – 2:54 # "

Cotton Tail "Cotton Tail" is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. It is based on the rhythm changes from George Gershwin's " I Got Rhythm". The first Ellington recording (4 May 1940) is notable for the driving tenor saxophone solo by Ben Webster. Originally ...

" – 3:08 # "Never No Lament (Don't Get Around Much Anymore)" (Ellington, Bob Russell) – 3:15 # "Dusk" – 3:19 # "Bojangles" – 2:50 # "A Portrait of Bert Williams" – 3:09 # "Blue Goose" – 3:21 # "Harlem Air Shaft" – 2:57 # "At a Dixie Roadside Diner" – ( Joe Burke,

Edgar Leslie Edgar Leslie (December 31, 1885 – January 22, 1976) was an American songwriter. Biography Edgar Leslie was born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1885. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York. He published his first song in 1909, starting a lo ...

) – 2:45 # " All Too Soon" (Ellington, Carl Sigman) – 3:28 # "Rumpus in Richmond" – 2:46 # "My Greatest Mistake" (Jack Fulton, Jack O'Brien) – 3:27 # "Sepia Panorama" – 3:20 # "There Shall Be No Night" (Gladys Shelley, Abner Silver) – 3:05 # "

In a Mellow Tone "In a Mellow Tone", also known as "In a Mellotone", is a 1939 jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington, with lyrics written by Milt Gabler. The song was based on the 1917 standard " Rose Room" by Art Hickman and Harry Williams, which Ellington him ...

" (Ellington,

Milt Gabler Milton Gabler (May 20, 1911 – July 20, 2001) was an American record producer, responsible for many innovations in the recording industry of the 20th century. These included being the first person to deal in record reissues, the first to sel ...

) – 3:19 # "Five O'Clock Whistle" (Kim Gannon, Gene Irwin,

Josef Myrow Josef Myrow (February 18, 1910 – December 24, 1987 in Los Angeles, California) was a Russian Empire-born composer, known for his work in film scores in the 1940s and 1950s. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award: in 1947 for the song "You Do ...

) – 3:18 # "The Flaming Sword" – 3:06 # "Warm Valley" – 3:20

Disc two

# "Across the Track Blues" – 2:58 # "Chloe (Song of the Swamp)" (

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo ...

Neil Moret Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. ...

) – 3:24 # "I Never Felt This Way Before" ( Al Dubin, Ellington) – 3:23 # "The Sidewalks of New York" ( James W. Blake, Charles B. Lawlor) – 3:14 # "

Flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbea ...

" (Edmund Anderson, Ted Grouya) – 3:22 # "The Girl in My Dreams Tries to Look Like You" (

Mercer Ellington Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was Duke Ellington, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death. Biography Early life and education Ellin ...

) – 3:19 # "

Take the "A" Train "Take the 'A' Train" is a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn that was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington orchestra. History The use of the Strayhorn composition as the signature tune was made necessary by a ruling in 1940 by the Americ ...

" ( Billy Strayhorn) – 2:54 # "Jumpin' Punkins" (Mercer Ellington) – 3:33 # "John Hardy's Wife" (Mercer Ellington) – 3:28 # "Blue Serge" (Mercer Ellington) – 3:20 # "After All" (Strayhorn) – 3:19 # "Bakiff" (Tizol) – 3:23 # "Are You Sticking?" – 3:02 # "

Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin' "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'" is a 1941 song written by Billy Strayhorn and Lee Gaines. Notable recordings *Johnny Dankworth - ''The Best of Johnny Dankworth'' (2008) *June Christy - '' Recalls Those Kenton Days'' (1959), ''The Best Of The Capit ...

" (Ellington, Strayhorn,

Lee Gaines Otho Lee Gaines (April 21, 1914 – July 15, 1987) was an American jazz singer and lyricist. Gaines wrote the lyrics for " Take the "A" Train" and "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'", two jazz standards by Billy Strayhorn. Lee Gaines was from Buena Vi ...

) – 3:33 # "The Giddybug Gallop" – 3:29 # "Pitter Panther Patter" – 3:03 # " Body and Soul" ( Frank Eyton, Johnny Green,

Edward Heyman Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul," "When I Fall in Love," and " For Sentimental Reasons." He also contributed to a number of songs for films. Biog ...

Robert Sour The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...

) – 3:11 # "

Sophisticated Lady "Sophisticated Lady" is a jazz standard, composed as an instrumental in 1932 by Duke Ellington. Background Additional credit is given to publisher Irving Mills whose words were added to the song by Mitchell Parish. The words met with approva ...

" (Ellington, Irving Mills,

Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen. Biography Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...

) – 2:47 # "Mr. J.B. Blues" (

, Ellington) – 3:09 # "Ko-Ko" (alternate take) – 2:40 # "Bojangles" (alternate take) – 2:46 # "Sepia Panorama" (alternate take) – 3:24 # "Jumpin' Punkins" (alternate take) (Mercer Ellington) – 3:42 # "Jump for Joy" (alternate take) (Ellington, Sid Kuller, Paul Francis Webster) – 2:56

Disc three

# "Chocolate Shake" (Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) – 2:50 # " I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (Ellington, Webster) – 3:17 # "Clementine" (Strayhorn) – 2:53 # "Brown-Skin Gal (in the Calico Gown)" (Ellington, Webster) – 3:06 # "Jump for Joy" (Ellington, Kuller, Webster) – 2:50 # "Moon Over Cuba" (Ellington, Tizol) – 3:09 # "Five O'Clock Drag" – 2:49 # "

Rocks in My Bed "Rocks in My Bed" is a 1941 song written by Duke Ellington. Harvey G. Cohen in his 2010 book ''Duke Ellington's America'' writes that "Rocks in My Bed" "presents a more honest and adult impression of sexual loneliness than most Swing Era lyrics". T ...

" – 3:06 # "Bli-Blip" (Ellington, Kuller) – 3:03 # "

Chelsea Bridge Chelsea Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames in west London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank, and split between the City of Westminster, the London Borough of Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Kens ...

" (Strayhorn) – 2:52 # "Rain Check" (Strayhorn) – 2:28 # "What Good Would It Do?" (

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

, Buddy Pepper) – 2:44 # "I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got" – 3:13 # " Perdido" (

Ervin Drake Ervin Drake (born Ervin Maurice Druckman; April 3, 1919 – January 15, 2015) was an American songwriter whose works include such American Songbook standards as " I Believe" and "It Was a Very Good Year". He wrote in a variety of styles and his w ...

, H.J. Lengsfelder, Tizol) – 3:08 # " The 'C' Jam Blues" ( Barney Bigard, Ellington) – 2:37 # "Moon Mist" (Mercer Ellington) – 2:58 # "What Am I Here For?" (Ellington, Frankie Laine) – 3:28 # "I Don't Mind" (Ellington, Strayhorn) – 2:49 # "Someone" – 3:09 # "My Little Brown Book" (Strayhorn) – 3:13 # "Main Stem" – 2:47 # "Johnny Come Lately" (Strayhorn) – 2:39 # "Hayfoot, Strawfoot" (Drake, Lengsfelder, Paul McGrane) – 2:30 # "Sentimental Lady" – 2:58 # "A Slip of the Lip (Can Sink a Ship)" ( Luther Henderson, Jr.; Mercer Ellington) – 2:54 # "Sherman Shuffle" – 2:38

Personnel

* Arrangements are by Duke Ellington,

, Billy Strayhorn and Ben Webster.

Performance

– cornet * Cootie Williams –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

Ray Nance Ray Willis Nance (December 10, 1913 – January 28, 1976) was an American jazz trumpeter, violinist and singer. He is best remembered for his long association with Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Early years Nance was the leader of his ow ...

– trumpet,

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

, vocals * Wallace Jones - trumpet * Juan Tizol –

valve trombone A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

* Joe Nanton –

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

* Lawrence Brown – trombone * Barney Bigard – clarinet,

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

– alto & soprano saxophone, clarinet *

Otto Hardwick Otto James "Toby" Hardwicke (May 31, 1904 – August 5, 1970) was an American saxophone player associated with Duke Ellington. Biography Hardwick began on string bass at the age of 14, then moved to C melody saxophone and finally settled o ...

– alto saxophone *

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

– tenor saxophone * Chauncey Haughton – clarinet, tenor sax * Harry Carney – clarinet, alto & baritone saxophone * Duke Ellington –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, celeste (on track 3.2) * Billy Strayhorn – piano (on tracks 2.5 & 11, 3.8 & 10–12, 22), celeste (3.20) * Fred Guy –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

– bass * Sonny Greer – drums *

Ivie Anderson Ivie Anderson (sometimes Ivy) (January 16, 1904 – December 28, 1949) was an American jazz singer. Anderson was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more than a decade. Personal life Anderson was born on January 16, 1904, in Gilroy, ...

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

Herb Jeffries Herb Jeffries (born Umberto Alexander Valentino; September 24, 1913 – May 25, 2014) was an American actor of film and television and popular music and jazz singer-songwriter, known for his baritone voice. He starred in several low-budget "ra ...

– vocals

Production

Orrin Keepnews Orrin Keepnews (March 2, 1923 – March 1, 2015) was an American jazz writer and record producer known for founding Riverside Records and Milestone Records, for freelance work, and for his work at other labels. Biography Early life Keepnews ...

– producer * Steve Lasker – producer, digital transfers, restoration, liner editor, discography * Charles Harbutt – compilation mastering *

Brian Priestley Brian Priestley (born 10 July 1940)Many sources list Priestley's year of birth as 1946, but this is inaccurate. See Priestley's entry in ''The Rough Guide to Jazz'' anon his revised Charlie Parker study. is an English jazz writer, pianist and a ...

– liner notes, annotation * Ben Young – compilation supervisor * Erwin Gorostiza – design * Andrew Homzy,

John Chilton John James Chilton (16 July 1932 – 25 February 2016) was a British jazz trumpeter and writer. During the 1960s, he also worked with pop bands, including The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Escorts. He won a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes in 1 ...

, Tony Russell – liner editors * Scott Haag and Cynthia Sesso – photo research * Duncan P. Schiedt – photography * Joshua Sherman – A&R

References

{{Duke Ellington Duke Ellington albums 2003 compilation albums Albums produced by Orrin Keepnews Bluebird Records compilation albums RCA Records compilation albums