Audio CD review:
Duke Ellington With Johnny Hodges - Side by Side

Duke Ellington With Johnny Hodges - Side by Side

Band: Duke Ellington With Johnny Hodges Title: Side by Side Rating: Release Date: 23 March, 1999 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Stompy Jones 2: Squeeze Me 3: Big Shoe 4: Going Up 5: Just A Memory 6: Let's Fall In Love 7: Ruint 8: Bend One 9: You Need To Rock

Editoral Review One, from 1959, has Hodges and Ellington in a sextet with two great Basie alumni, drummer Jo Jones and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison. The sound of Johnny Hodges's alto saxophone--a tone of ethereal smoothness combined with slyly familiar blues phrasing and a capacity for both wit and romance--may be the most identifiable sonic marker of Duke Ellington's music, and it's much in evidence on the two small group sessions on this CD. The combination generates extraordinary swing, especially on the opening "Stompy Jones," with Ellington's percussive chords and Jones's drums generating enough power to drive a big band. Hodges and Edison maintain the big-band illusion, fuelling one another's solos with supportive riffs, while Ellington seems to revel in the wide-open spaces, soloing on "Going Up" with an expansive and almost casual brilliance. Though Duke is absent from the second date on this CD, featuring a septet recorded in 1958, his alter ego, Billy Strayhorn, plays piano in appropriately ducal fashion. This band has an even stronger Ellington flavor, with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and trombonist Lawrence Brown adding their unique sounds to a joy-filled session that recalls Duke's small group recordings of the '30s. --Stuart Broomer .. You can see a complete list of all Duke Ellington With Johnny Hodges discography, or go back to the Duke Ellington With Johnny Hodges tabs