Duke Ellington appeared in a series of broadcasts during World War II to support the sale of war bonds by the U.S. Treasury Department. This is the tenth two-CD volume of these live performances. Gathered in this compilation are two complete broadcasts from August 1945, along with two airchecks from the same year. In the first Treasury Show, the band plays swinging treatments of
"What Am I Here For," "Midriff," and
"Harlem Air Shaft," along with
pop tunes of the day
"Blue Is the Night" and
"Out of This World" (which has long since become a
standard). There is a bit of minor fluctuation in the volume from the transcription discs that served as the source material, but otherwise, the sound is remarkably clear and free of defects. The second Treasury Show in this two-CD set starts with several excerpts from his extended suite
Black, Brown and Beige, with singer
Marie Ellington showcased in
"The Blues," while the
spiritual-influenced
"Come Sunday" is played as an instrumental with alto sax great
Johnny Hodges taking a prominent solo. Other favorites include
"Subtle Slough," with its saucy muted horns (later retitled
"Just Squeeze Me" when lyrics were added to it), a vocal duet by
Al Hibbler and
Kay Davis of
"I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues," along with
"Bugle Breaks," a humorous feature for trumpeter
Rex Stewart that was never recorded commercially. The tracks recorded at
the New Zanzibar include a number of memorable performances. The brisk take of
"Stompy Jones" has fine solos by clarinetist
Jimmy Hamilton, trombonist
Lawrence Brown, baritone saxophonist
Harry Carney, and trumpeters
Ray Nance and
Cat Anderson, as well as the leader. The languid
"Carnegie Blues" and the driving
"Fancy Dan" (which was never commercially recorded by
Ellington) are also highlights of this date. The brief set from
the 400 Restaurant in New York City is primarily a showcase for vocalists, though
Lawrence Brown's sensual trombone solo in the
pop ballad "I Miss Your Kiss" is yet another tune never commercially recorded. Engineer and longtime
Ellington collector
Jerry Valburn contributed the detailed liner notes for this compilation, which will be of great interest to fans of
Duke Ellington. ~ Ken Dryden
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