Search results for "Arthur Whetsol"

Duke Ellington: Mood Indigo (1930) (Rating: 97/100) posted in Music November 06, 07

Duke Ellington, photo by Herb Snitzer "Stan Kenton can stand in front of a thousand musicians and make a dra...

Duke Ellington: Cocktails for Two (Rating: 83/100) posted in Music November 20, 07

Among Duke Ellington's 7 singles and 2 albums enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame, the 2007 choice is least explicab...

Duke Ellington: Caravan (1937) (Rating: 97/100) posted in Music October 24, 07

Ellington’s early contribution to the Latin jazz canon is a collaboration with valve trombonist Juan Tizol. “Caravan...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: TWELVE LATIN JAZZ CLASSICS

         Percussionist,  artwork by Suzanne Cerny Editor's n...

Duke Ellington: Jungle Nights in Harlem (Rating: 97/100) posted in Music November 05, 07

"The grotesque spectacle of Harlem nightclubs for all-white audiences," historian Ted Gioia believes, "served to miti...

Duke Ellington (featuring Bubber Miley): The Mooche (Rating: 96/100) posted in Music November 26, 07

Duke Ellington once described Bubber Miley as "the epitome of soul and a master of the plunger mute." In time, M...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: TWELVE TRUMPETERS YOU NEED TO KNOW ON A FIRST NAME BASIS

We all know about Dizzy & Miles, Louis & Wynton, Bix & Brownie. Some trumpeters are so famous, that even a single na...

Duke Ellington: It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) (Rating: 96/100) posted in Music December 03, 07

As Gunther Schuller points out in The Swing Era, the composer of this song that named its era was hardly dogmatic abo...

Duke Ellington: Sophisticated Lady (Rating: 91/100) posted in Music December 03, 07

During his illustrious 50-year recording career, Duke Ellington led >1,000 sessions, each yielding multiple tracks. W...

Duke Ellington: Daybreak Express (Rating: 100/100) posted in Music March 15, 09

Unquestionably one of Duke Ellington’s masterpieces, “Daybreak Express” is one of the most thrilling train rides ever...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: TWELVE TRAIN TRACKS

For big bands in the thirties, trains were the logical upgrade from the drudgery of the band bus. Airplanes wer...

Duke Ellington: Limehouse Blues (Rating: 92/100) posted in Music September 15, 09

"Limehouse Blues" is not a blues, but it was inspired by the London neighborhood. When Duke Ellington recorded the so...

Duke Ellington: The Blues With a Feelin' (Rating: 91/100) posted in Music March 15, 09

"The Blues With a Feelin'" is an apt title for this track. With the Ellington band's usual fine backing, there are su...

Tizol, Juan (Juan Vincente Martinez) posted in Encyclopedia July 17, 09

Juan Tizol, one of the first prominent jazz musicians of Hispanic descent, brought his Puerto Rican heritage and ex...

Lonnie Johnson with Duke Ellington: Move Over (Rating: 92/100) posted in Music March 09, 09

This track was the second recording on which Lonnie Johnson joined Duke's band, adding a virtuoso guitar part. The ba...

Duke Ellington: Rockin' in Rhythm (Rating: 91/100) posted in Music March 09, 09

This standard for the Ellington band came, as Duke said, "as close as an arrangement gets to sounding spontaneous," w...

The Mills Brothers with Duke Ellington: Diga Diga Doo (Rating: 94/100) posted in Music March 09, 09

This song, written for the significant early black musical Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1928, is best characterized as ...

Duke Ellington: Beggar's Blues (Rating: 88/100) posted in Music March 15, 09

The elegant Duke Ellington band is a rather surprising source for a track titled "Beggar's Blues." Yet with this tune...

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