Hometown: Washington, DC
First Recordings: 1926

Band:
Cat Anderson, Shorty Baker, Clark Terry -trumpets
Ray Nance -trumpet, violin
Quentin Jackson, Bootie Wood, Britt Woodman, John Sanders, Matthew Gee -trombones
Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Johnny Hodge -reeds
Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn -piano
Jimmy Woode -bass
Sam Woodyard, Jimmy Johnson -drums

Notes:
Without question, Duke Ellington's place in jazz is unparalleled. A master composer, deft arranger, underrated pianist, and insightful band leader, Ellington remained creative and relevant through an entire 50-year career. As a songwriter, he was as prolific as the Gershwins or Cole Porter. He absorbed all styles and trends in jazz, adding elements of each to his compositions, and his varied uses of the blues structure seemed limitless. He inspired his soloists to heights unreachable without his guidance, always aware of how best to capture a musician's talents. He made complex and sophisticated arrangements sound simple, almost instinctive.

Following his legendary appearance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival--30 years after his first recordings--Duke Ellington enjoyed something of a rebirth. The war years coupled with the emergence of bebop had greatly weakened the impact of swing in the jazz world, but Ellington returned to prominence in the late 1950s, producing some of his most enduring work. Blues in Orbit finds the Ellington band in peak form, bolstered by superb arrangements from Ellington and partner Billy Strayhorn. In a sense, it is a concept album: Most songs share a mysterious, floating quality (see title) and the production is atmospheric and sparse.

The first three tracks, recorded in February of 1958, include the slow-moving blues of the title track, on which Ellington's eerie piano fills answer the statements of the full band. "Track 360" is a dramatic aural representation of a train wreck. The remainder of the album was recorded at two midnight sessions in December of the following year. Ray Nance (the only trumpet because of band restructuring) and Johnny Hodges offer the most rewarding solo contributions. On "Three J's Blues," tenor Jimmy Hamilton captures the gritty tone of former Ellingtonian Ben Webster. Billy Strayhorn takes over the piano chair on his own "Smada." Hodges' seductive alto handles both delicate and driving passages with aplomb while Nance belts out the bridge. Ellington's typically devilish piano introduces "Pie Eye's Blues," followed by a mighty chorus from Nance and a surging finish by Hamilton on tenor with the band urging him on. The band also revisits classics from the Ellington songbook: Nance shows his violin prowess on "C Jam Blues" before growling through "In a Mellotone." The ballad "Sentimental Lady" is in Hodges' capable caress. Quentin Jackson's muted trombone takes center stage on the airy slow blues "Sweet and Pungent" while Hamilton's clarinet runs playfully around the ensemble. The moody "Blues in Blueprint" and the melancholy "The Swingers Get the Blues Too," featuring an opening duet with only bass and baritone horn, add to the spacey ambience of the recording.

If you like Duke Ellington, check out:
Duke Ellington The Far East Suite
Duke Ellington Money Jungle
Duke Ellington At Newport
Count Basie April in Paris

psst...you might wanna check out our swing links for more features on swing artists.

-- Marc Greilsamer