The Blanton-Webster Band by Duke Ellington

The Blanton-Webster Band

Duke Ellington

1986

The Blanton-Webster Band is a Jazz album by Duke Ellington, originally released in 1986. On Gatefold: 14 pressings tracked.

Sound DNA

  • Jazz
  • Big Band & Swing
  • warm
  • celebratory
  • festive

About

Duke Ellington had been an established force in the jazz world for more than a decade when the infusion of three dynamic talents ushered in what is largely considered the band’s most rewarding creative period. First was Billy Strayhorn, a young composer and arranger who finagled a backstage meeting with Ellington in Pittsburgh in late 1938 and impressed him enough to earn an invitation to the organization. Next came bassist Jimmie Blanton, who was 21 when Duke hired him in October of 1939 and who possessed a supple, bouncy style that gave the bass a new prominence. Finally, tenor Ben Webster signed on in January of 1940; his vigorous yet emotive tone had made him one of the most sought-after saxophone voices of the swing era. With a handsome new RCA Victor contract in hand, Ellington took his rejuvenated orchestra into the studio for the first time in March of 1940, and in a little more than two years, the orchestra produced these 75 glorious cuts — pop hits, jazz classics, tone poems, high-energy jams, Latin-influenced pieces, and more. With stalwarts including Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart, Juan Tizol, and Barney Bigard already on board, the band delivered a host of riches: “Cotton Tail,” “Never No Lament,” “In a Mellotone,” “Warm Valley,” “I Got It Bad,” and “Sentimental Lady” among them. By 1941, Strayhorn's contributions were having a major impact, including the winsome “Chelsea Bridge,” lively “Raincheck,” and stylish “Take the ‘A’ Train.”

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Tracklist

  1. 1You, You Darlin' (1999 Remastered)3:18
  2. 2Jack the Bear3:15
  3. 3Ko-Ko (Take 2)2:40
  4. 4Morning Glory3:16
  5. 5So Far, So Good2:51
  6. 6Conga Brava2:56
  7. 7Concerto for Cootie3:18
  8. 8Me and You2:52
  9. 9Cotton Tail3:11
  10. 10Never No Lament3:16
  11. 11Dusk (Take 1)3:18
  12. 12Bojangles2:51
  13. 13A Portrait of Bert Williams3:07
  14. 14Blue Goose3:20
  15. 15Harlem Air-Shaft2:57
  16. 16At a Dixie Roadside Diner2:47
  17. 17All Too Soon3:29
  18. 18Rumpus In Richmond2:47
  19. 19My Greatest Mistake3:24
  20. 20Sepia Panorama (Take 1)3:23
  21. 21There Shall Be No Night3:10
  22. 22In a Mellotone3:15
  23. 23Five O'Clock Whistle3:17
  24. 24The Flaming Sword (Take 2)3:06
  25. 25Warm Valley (Take 3)3:21
  26. 2.1Across the Track Blues (Take 1)2:59
  27. 2.2Chloe (Song of the Swamp)3:24
  28. 2.3I Never Felt This Way Before (Take 1)3:30
  29. 2.4The Sidewalks of New York3:13
  30. 2.5Flamingo3:22
  31. 2.6The Girl In My Dreams Tries to Look Like You (Take 1)3:17
  32. 2.7Take the "A" Train2:54
  33. 2.8Jumpin' Punkins (Take 2)3:31
  34. 2.9John Hardy's Wife3:27
  35. 2.10Blue Serge3:20
  36. 2.11After All3:20
  37. 2.12Bakiff3:23
  38. 2.13Are You Stickin'? (Take 1)3:03
  39. 2.14Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'3:33
  40. 2.15The Giddybug Gallop3:30
  41. 2.16Pitter Panther Patter (Take 2)3:01
  42. 2.17Body and Soul (Take 3)3:08
  43. 2.18Sophisticated Lady (Take 2)2:44
  44. 2.19Mr. J.B. Blues (Take 1)3:02
  45. 2.20Ko-Ko (Take 1)2:37
  46. 2.21Bojangles2:43
  47. 2.22Sepia Panorama (Take 2)3:21
  48. 2.23Jumpin' Punkins (Take 1)3:39
  49. 2.24Jump for Joy (Take 2)2:56
  50. 3.1Chocolate Shake2:53
  51. 3.2I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) [Take 1]3:18
  52. 3.3Clementine2:58
  53. 3.4The Brownskin Gal (In the Calico Gown)3:08
  54. 3.5Jump for Joy (Take 1)2:52
  55. 3.6Moon Over Cuba3:13
  56. 3.7Five O'Clock Drag3:12
  57. 3.8Rocks In My Bed3:06
  58. 3.9Bli-Blip3:04
  59. 3.10Raincheck2:29
  60. 3.11What Good Would It Do?2:46
  61. 3.12I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got (Take 1)3:14
  62. 3.13Chelsea Bridge2:53
  63. 3.14Perdido (Take 1)3:07
  64. 3.15The "C" Jam Blues2:36
  65. 3.16Moon Mist (Take 2)2:58
  66. 3.17What Am I Here For?3:25
  67. 3.18I Don't Mind (Take 2)2:49
  68. 3.19Someone3:07
  69. 3.20My Little Brown Book3:12
  70. 3.21Main Stem2:48
  71. 3.22Johnny Come Lately2:40
  72. 3.23Hayfoot, Strawfoot (Take 1)2:33
  73. 3.24Sentimental Lady (Take 1)3:01
  74. 3.25A Slip of the Lip (Can Sink a Ship)2:55
  75. 3.26Sherman Shuffle2:38

Credits

Performers

Rare pressing on Gatefold · 14 pressings tracked on Gatefold