To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death – on May 24, 1974 – I’ve asked a number of jazz musicians and aficionados to share their thoughts and feelings about this titan of the music. Today: the doyen of British bass players, Dave Green. Tomorrow: Bruce Adams
How did you first hear or become aware of Duke Ellington and his music?
I first became aware of Duke Ellington when I was a young teenager, maybe around the age of 15. I used to listen to Willis Conover’s Jazz Hour which was broadcast over the Voice Of America every night at 12.15am on medium wave. The reception wasn’t that good but the music was fantastic. The programme opened up with Willis Conover saying “This is the Voice of America Jazz Hour” followed by Duke playing Take The ‘A’ Train. It was wonderful and mesmerising.
What was your first Ellington record/CD? Or the recording/tune which first piqued your interest?
The first LP that I bought was Duke Ellington At His Very Best on RCA Victor. It was a compilation of various Duke Ellington tracks from the 1940s including Jack The Bear featuring the wonderful young bassist Jimmy Blanton. Of all the great bassists in the history of the music, I still go back to Blanton as my biggest influence.
Which period or periods of Ellington’s career are you fondest of?
My favourite period of Duke’s career is the 1939-41 band known as the Blanton/Webster band.
When you hear his name being mentioned, what springs to mind?
Duke’s name to me represents the peak, in fact the very summit of the music we call Jazz.
Did you ever see him and his band perform?
I went to see Duke at the Hammersmith Odeon on Valentine’s Day 1965. It was an unforgettable experience. To see and hear the band live was sensational. The legendary names of Cootie Williams, Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Johnny Hodges, Russel Procope, Harry Carney were still there. To hear the saxophone section, which included Paul Gonsalves, was alone worth the price of admission. I couldn’t believe the sound of Johnny Hodges’ alto and the baritone of Harry Carney. It was a wonderful evening of Duke’s music which I will never forget.
Which are your favourite recordings?
My favourite recordings are too numerous to mention but here are a few:
- The Duke Ellington Jimmy Blanton duets recorded in October 1940. Jimmy Blanton was a true innovator of the bass. He was just 21 when he recorded these four duets with Duke.
- The legendary live recording from Fargo, North Dakota on 7 November 1940. This recording shows how great the band sounded on a live date. It was Ray Nance’s first night with the Duke.
- From the studio recordings of the 1940/41 band – Sepia Panorama, Jack The Bear, Cottontail, Take The ‘A’ Train, Sidewalks of New York, All Too Soon, Harlem Air Shaft, I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good, Warm Valley, Jumpin’ Pumpkins.
I’ve just picked out a few but I love all the records that were made by the 1940/41 band. From March 1940, when the band started recording for RCA Victor, the band took off. The addition of Jimmy Blanton in the rhythm section and Ben Webster in the saxes spurred Duke onto new heights of inspiration and in 1940 he produced a series of masterpieces one after the other.
– Such Sweet Thunder, released in 1957, which includes the exquisite Johnny Hodges playing The Star Crossed Lovers.
– Black, Brown And Beige – the 1944 RCA Victor recording.
Are there any particular Ellington numbers you like to play?
It’s a constant inspiration to play Duke’s music. Of course, I love to play Take The ‘A’ Train. I also love to play the songs written by Billy Strayhorn or in collaboration with the Duke, such as Isfahan, Day Dream, Passion Flower and Something To Live For.
A few months ago I did a live recording at the Pizza Express, Dean Street with singer Ian Shaw, saxophonist Tony Kofi and pianist Barry Green. The album, which is being released in June on CD and LP on the Pizza’s new label PX Records, is titled An Adventurous Dream and is dedicated to the music of Billy Strayhorn and his collaborations with Duke. Some of the titles we do are Blood Count, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing and Passion Flower. There’s a couple of gigs coming up with the group – the Swanage Jazz Festival on July 12 and the Watermill, Dorking on August 20.
I’m also involved in a couple of other Duke projects with the pianist Alex Webb.The Pocket Ellington is a seven piece band dedicated to playing the music of Ellington small groups. The band includes Alan Barnes, Tony Kofi and drummer Winston Clifford. The debut gig with the band is at the Pizza Express, Dean Street on September 2.
The other project with Alex is a tribute to Ben Webster called Big Ben which we are doing at the Scarborough Jazz Festival on September 29. This involves the same line-up as the seven piece except it has Clark Tracey on drums plus a string quartet to recreate the Ben Webster with strings LP Webster’s Dictionary, which was recorded in London in 1970 and which I was honoured to play bass on.
We’ve already done a couple of gigs with Big Ben, including the London Jazz Festival last November. Tony Kofi does a brilliant job of emulating Ben’s playing and does it with great respect for the great man.
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