''Recollections of the Big Band Era'' is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

recorded in 1962 and 1963 by Bruce Swedien at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago for the Reprise label but not released until 1974 on the Atlantic label.A Duke Ellington Panorama
accessed May 11, 2010 The album features performances of compositions associated with

big bands A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

led by artists such as Count Basie,

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musi ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

and others by the Duke Ellington's Orchestra. The 1989 CD reissue included 11 bonus tracks that originally appeared on '' Will Big Bands Ever Come Back?'' which was released on Reprise in 1965.Hovan, C. A
Duke Ellington:The Reprise Studio Recordings Review
'' All About Jazz'', January 1, 2000.

Reception

The AllMusic review by Bruce Eder awarded the album 3 stars and stated: "The material is done in a smooth, swinging style, more laid-back than what the Count Basie orchestra of the same period would have done with this same stuff but with enough fire and boundless elegance to make it more than worthwhile... this is sort of a concept album, and a rather good one at that".Eder, B. AllMusic Reviewaccessed May 11, 2010

Track listing

# " Minnie the Moocher" (

, Clarence Gaskill,

Irving Mills Irving Harold Mills (born Isadore Minsky; January 16, 1894 – April 21, 1985) was an American music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz artist promoter. He sometimes used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose. Personal Mills was ...

) - 2:47 # "For Dancers Only" ( Sy Oliver,

Don Raye Don Raye (born Donald MacRae Wilhoite Jr., March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985) was an American songwriter, best known for his songs for The Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", " The House of Blue Lights", "Just for a Thr ...

, Vic Schoen) - 3:04 # "It's a Lonesome Old Town (When You're Not Around)" ( Charles Kisco,

Harry Tobias Harry Tobias (September 11, 1895 – December 15, 1994) was an American lyricist. Like his younger brother Charles, he is an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Born in New York City, United States, but raised in Worcester, Massachuset ...

) - 2:20 # " Cherokee" ( Ray Noble) - 2:54 # "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set" ( Dorcas Cochran, Quincy Jones, Henri Salvador) - 3:06 # "Let's Get Together" (

Chick Webb William Henry "Chick" Webb (February 10, 1905 – June 16, 1939) was an American jazz and swing music drummer and band leader. Early life Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to William H. and Marie Webb. The year of his birth is disputed. ...

) - 2:40 # " I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" ( George Bassman, Ned Washington) - 3:25 # "Chant of the Weed" ( Don Redman) - 3:26 # "Ciribiribin" ( Alberto Pestalozza) - 3:28 # "Contrasts" ( Jimmy Dorsey) - 2:45 # "Christopher Columbus" ( Chu Berry,

Andy Razaf Andy Razaf (born Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo; December 16, 1895 – February 3, 1973) was an American poet, composer and lyricist of such well-known songs as " Ain't Misbehavin'" and " Honeysuckle Rose". Biography Razaf was born in Washi ...

) - 3:05 # "

Auld Lang Syne "Auld Lang Syne" (: note "s" rather than "z") is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. By extension, it is also often ...

" ( Robert Burns, Traditional) - 2:19 # " Tuxedo Junction" ( Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, Buddy Feyne) - 3:27 Bonus track on CD reissue # "Smoke Rings" ( Gene Gifford, Ned Washington) - 2:51 Bonus track on CD reissue # "Artistry in Rhythm" ( Stan Kenton) - 3:17 Bonus track on CD reissue # " The Waltz You Saved for Me" ( Gus Kahn, Wayne King) - 2:27 Bonus track on CD reissue # " Woodchopper's Ball" ( Joey Bishop, Woody Herman) - 3:15 Bonus track on CD reissue # " Sentimental Journey" ( Les Brown, Bud Green, Ben Homer) - 2:29 Bonus track on CD reissue # " When It's Sleepy Time Down South" ( Clarence Muse, Leon René, Otis René) - 3:17 Bonus track on CD reissue # " One O'Clock Jump" ( Count Basie) - 7:20 Bonus track on CD reissue # " Goodbye" ( Gordon Jenkins) - 3:04 Bonus track on CD reissue # "Sleep, Sleep, Sleep" ( Earl Lebieg) - 2:45 Bonus track on CD reissue # " Rhapsody in Blue" ( George Gershwin) - 4:47 Bonus track on CD reissue :*Recorded at Universal Recording Studio by Bruce Swedien November 29, 1962 (tracks 6-8, 11, 20 & 21), December 11, 1962 (tracks 3, 9 & 13), December 13, 1962 (tracks 1 & 18), December 14, 1962 (tracks 2 & 19), December 20, 1962 (tracks 10, 22 & 23), December 29, 1962 (track 12), January 3, 1962 (tracks 5, 15 & 17), and January 4, 1963 (tracks 4, 14 & 16).

Personnel

– piano * Ray Nance -

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

, violin on track 17 *

Cat Anderson William Alonzo "Cat" Anderson (September 12, 1916 – April 29, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter known for his long period as a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra and for his wide range, especially his ability to play in the altissimo ...

Roy Burrowes Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin. In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...

- trumpet * Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper - trombone *Chuck Connors -

bass trombone The bass trombone (german: Bassposaune, it, trombone basso) is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to ...

* Jimmy Hamilton -

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, tenor saxophone * Johnny Hodges -

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

* Russell Procope - alto saxophone, clarinet *

Paul Gonsalves Paul Gonsalves ( – ) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist best known for his association with Duke Ellington. At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Gonsalves played a 27-chorus solo in the middle of Ellington's "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue ...

- tenor saxophone *

Harry Carney Harry Howell Carney (April 1, 1910 – October 8, 1974) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinettist who spent over four decades as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He played a variety of instruments but primarily used the baritone saxopho ...

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

, clarinet,

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

* Ernie Shepard -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Sam Woodyard -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control Reprise Records albums Atlantic Records albums Duke Ellington albums 1963 albums