Duke Ellington: Black and Tan Fantasy (Brunswick)
Track
Black and Tan Fantasy
Artist
Duke Ellington (piano)
CD
Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick and Vocalion Recordings of Duke Ellington, 1926-1931 (Decca/GRP GRD-3-640)
Musicians:
Duke Ellington (piano), Bubber Miley (trumpet), Louis Metcalf (trumpet), Joe ‘Tricky Sam’ Nanton (trombone), Otto Hardwick (reeds), Sonny Greer (drums), Sonny Greer (drums),
Fred Guy, banjo; Mack Shaw, tuba; other personnel unknown
.Recorded: New York, April 7, 1927
Rating: 87/100 (learn more)
A timeless classic of early big-band jazz, this was perhaps the first Ellington tune to really capture the ears of the music industry. It reveals that much of Duke’s compositional character was already in place by 1927: the layering of multiple themes, shifting of moods and tempi, and plenty of freedom for players like Miley and Hardwicke to express their own personalities. This reissue is sullied by poor-quality, scratchy masters that GRP apparently didn’t bother to clean up, but that doesn’t take much away from the enjoyable performance.
Reviewer: Todd S. Jenkins
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Tags: 1920s jazz · big band · black and tan fantasy · harlem · muted trumpet
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