Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band

Duke Ellington - CD

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Artist: Duke Ellington
Format: CD
Year: 2003, 2006
UPC: 828765085724
Item Number: BLU08572
Release date: 04/01/2003

1. You, You Darlin'
2. Jack the Bear
3. Ko Ko
4. Morning Glory
5. So Far, So Good
6. Conga Brava
7. Concerto for Cootie
8. Me and You
9. Cotton Tail
10. Never No Lament (Don't Get Around Much Anymore)
11. Dusk
12. Bojangles
13. Portrait of Bert Williams
14. Blue Goose
15. Harlem Air Shaft
16. At a Dixie Roadside Diner
17. All Too Soon
18. Rumpus in Richmond
19. My Greatest Mistake
20. Sepia Panorama
21. There Shall Be No Night
22. In a Mellow Tone
23. Five O'Clock Whistle
24. Flaming Sword
25. Warm Valley
26. Across the Track Blues
27. Chloe
28. I Never Felt This Way Before
29. Sidewalks of New York
30. Flamingo
31. Girl in My Dreams Tries to Look Like You
32. Take the "A" Train
33. Jumpin' Punkins
34. John Hardy's Wife
35. Blue Serge
36. After All
37. Bakiff
38. Are You Sticking?

39. Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'
40. Giddybug Gallop
41. Pitter Panther Patter
42. Body and Soul
43. Sophisticated Lady
44. Mr. J.B. Blues
45. Ko Ko [Alternate Take]
46. Bojangles [Alternate Take]
47. Sepia Panorama [Alternate Take]
48. Jumpin' Punkins [Alternate Take]
49. Jump for Joy [Alternate Take]
50. Chocolate Shake
51. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
52. Clementine
53. Brown-Skin Gal (In the Calico Gown)
54. Jump for Joy
55. Moon Over Cuba
56. Five O'Clock Drag
57. Rocks in My Bed
58. Bli-Blip
59. Rain Check
60. What Good Would It Do?
61. I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got
62. Chelsea Bridge
63. Perdido
64. C Jam Blues
65. Moon Mist
66. What Am I Here For?
67. I Don't Mind
68. Someone
69. My Little Brown Book
70. Main Stem
71. Johnny Come Lately
72. Hayfoot, Strawfoot
73. Sentimental Lady
74. Slip of the Lip (Can Sink a Ship)
75. Sherman Shuffle

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Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band by Duke Ellington on CD

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 Got It Bad," "Five O'Clock Drag," "Perdido," "Bojangles," "The C Jam Blues," "Concerto for Cootie," "Cottontail," "Johnny Come Lately," "Sentimental Lady," and many others. The Blanton-Webster Band featured a great many soloists, including Cootie Williams, Ray Nance, Rex Stewart, and vocalist Herb Jeffries. In fact, the only shortcomings on this set are some of the vocals by other performers, but let's face it, there were few truly great jazz singers at the time, and this minor annoyance is easily overlooked. While it is easy to be cynical about the way classic recordings are repackaged and remastered as a way of getting enthusiasts to buy them again and again, this one is truly worth either an initial investment or reinvestment. It may have taken RCA three tries, but they finally got it right. The package is lovely, the notes updated, and the sound stellar. Along with the extra tracks, what more could you want? ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi

Artist: Duke Ellington
Format: CD
Year: 2003, 2006
UPC: 828765085724
Item Number: BLU08572
Release date: 04/01/2003

Label: Bluebird, BMG
Genre: Jazz
Style: Big Band, Classic Jazz, Progressive Jazz, Swing
Album Type: "Best of..." / "Greatest Hits", Instrumental, Box set

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Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band

Duke Ellington - CD

Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band by Duke Ellington on CD

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