Part 1, 1924 - 1942

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The sometimes confusing result is that there are at least three separate and somewhat parallel sources of early Ellingtonia: recordings made for Brunswick and Vocalion, now owned by MCA; those made for Columbia, Okeh and others, beginning in March, 1927, now owned by Sony; and beginning in October, 1927, recordings made for Victor, now owned by BMG. Recordings from all three sources are available. Only die-hard collectors will insist of having all of them, but each offers a few gems not found elsewhere.

A French series, The Chronological Ellington, draws from all available sources, and begins with a disc covering the years 1924- 27 (Classics 539). This disc includes ten sides that predate the first Brunswick session, three of which are Ellington co- compositions, interesting but not especially indicative of the genius that would follow.

Every existing recording Ellington made for Brunswick between 1926 and 1931 is included in the three-disc set, Early Ellington (Decca Jazz GRD-3-640), including several alternate takes. A number of the same recordings can be found also on The Brunswick Era, vol. 1 1926-29 (Decca MCAD-42325) and vol. 2 1929-31 (Decca MCAD-42348).

The Columbia holdings are represented by a two-disc set, The Okeh Ellington (Columbia C2K 46177), covering the years 1927-30.

Selected Victor recordings recordings have been released on three CDs: Early Ellington, 1927-1934 (Bluebird 6852-2-RB); Jungle Nights in Harlem, 1927-1932 (Bluebird 2499-2-RB); and Jubilee Stomp (Bluebird 66038-2), which covers 1928-34.

All these collections have much to offer, but the Bluebird Early Ellington disc may be the best starting point. It most closely resembles a "greatest hits" compilation, offering versions -- not necessarily the best versions -- of Duke's most famous early masterpieces. This disc offers Black and Tan Fantasie, East St. Louis Toodle-oo, Black Beauty, The Mooche, Mood Indigo, and Rockin' in Rhythm, each of which can be found on the other labels' offerings. It also includes the superb Creole Love Call, Daybreak Express, Solitude, Delta Serenade, and Stompy Jones, which are not found on the other labels' collections of early material. The longer version of Creole Rhapsody, Duke's first extended composition, is also included. (A slightly shorter version is on The Brunswick Era, vol. 2 and the Decca Early Ellington set.)

However, some listeners have objected to the audio processing used on the Bluebird reissues, which eliminates most traces of the original recordings' surface noise, but may sometimes reduce the impact of the music. In this connection, it's worth noting that the Decca Early Ellington set -- but not the Brunswick Era discs -- takes a very different approach, leaving the surface noise very audible, but allowing the instruments to shine through with startling clarity.

Recordings from this era are also available on Great Original Performances, 1927 - 1934 (BBC CD 643), part of the Jazz Classics in Digital Stereo series produced by Robert Parker. Audio restoration of these recordings is surprisingly good, and they have a spacious sound; however, anyone expecting to hear a realistic stereo sound stage will be disappointed.

Yet another collection of Ellington recordings from 1928-32 is Jazz Cocktail (ASV CD AJA 5024, European). Like the above, this set has been 'reprocessed for stereo', but with less satisfactory results.

The Uphill Climb (1932-1937)

Unless I have overlooked something, the Ellington orchestra's output from the early and mid 1930s is poorly documented on disc. The BMG discs named above contain some material from the early part of this period, but the bulk of his output during these years was recorded for the Brunswick label. Due to some complicated business deals, material recorded for Brunswick and Columbia between 1932 and 1939 now belongs to Sony, and it has not been reissued as thoroughly as Ellington's recordings from other eras. A handful of selections from this period are included on Reminiscing in Tempo (see Retrospective Collections, above), notably the title track, and a few more can be found on The Essence of Duke Ellington (Columbia/Legacy CK 47129).

However, Ellington's small group recordings from this era have been collected on a two-CD set, The Duke's Men: Small Groups, vol. 1 (Columbia/Legacy C2K 46995). As his orchestra grew, Duke continued to record with smaller units, closer to the size of the band in the 1920's, usually under the nominal leadership of one of the band members. Duke often tried out new ideas with the small groups before incorporating them into the full orchestra's repertoire, making these recordings, from the years 1934-37, a valuable resource. Thirteen of these tracks have also been available on Back Room Romp (Portrait RK 44094), along with two tracks from Small Groups, vol 2 (see below) and one track not included on either of these sets.

Despite the lack of official releases covering these years, recordings from this era have been issued by other labels. One example is XXXVI. Duke Ellington (Suisa JZCD 336). It appears to be part of a series called 'the golden age of jazz,' and contains mainly recordings by the full band from 1936 to 1938, along with a few small-group sides and a 1931 version of Rockin' in Rhythm.

At two sessions early in 1932, Ellington recorded a pair of medleys, each almost eight minutes long. These sessions were made using an experimental recording technology, and were not intended for commercial release. Whether intentionally or accidentally, these sessions were also recorded in stereo. BMG, which owns the original masters, has never acknowledged the stereophonic nature of these recordings, and has never released them in that form. However, they occasionally surface on imported releases, such as the French On The Air (MNR 31000), which is filled out with NBC radio broadcasts from 1940. (For comparison, the medleys can be heard in mono on the Bluebird CD, Jungle Nights in Harlem, mentioned above.

At the Peak (1938 - 1942)

Just as the vinyl era was about to come to its sudden and unexpected end, the Smithsonian Institution released a set of four two-LP sets, each devoted to one of the years between 1938 and 1941. No longer available, these sets established the standard by which to judge other reissues of Ellington's work during his most glorious peak.

Of the four Smithsonian albums, only the first has made the transition to compact disc. The two-CD set, Braggin' in Brass -- the Immortal 1938 Year (Portrait R2K 44395) reproduces the Smithsonian set's track selection and sequence, but without Gunther Schuller's scholarly notes. Highly recommended. (Unfortunately, at least one track, I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart, was mastered at the wrong speed and plays a whole tone lower than the original 78 release.)

As with Ellington's recordings from the mid-1930s, the recordings on the Smithsonian's 1939 album do not seem to be readily available. I understand the French series, The Chronological Ellington, covers both periods.

Tracks selected for the Smithsonian 1940 and 1941 albums are fairly well represented on the three-CD set, Duke Ellington: The Blanton-Webster Band (Bluebird 5659-2-RB), which covers 1940-42. This collection contains a number of essential Ellington recordings, including Jack the Bear, Ko-Ko, Concerto for Cootie, Never No Lament, Harlem Air Shaft, Sepia Panorama, In a Mellotone, Warm Valley, Take the "A" Train, Blue Serge, I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good), and Chelsea Bridge. Although the original release of this set was rightly criticized for atrocious sound quality, it was quietly withdrawn. The current version is much better. A single CD, In a Mellotone (RCA 51364-2), contains many -- but not all -- of the best tracks from 1940-41. The Essential Recordings (Le Jazz CD 2, European), an aptly-titled English release, collects 22 of the best tracks from 1940-42.

Take the 'A' Train (Vintage Jazz Classics VJC-1003-2) collects 26 recordings made in 1941 for broadcast by radio stations. These transcriptions include the first recording of several Ellington standards, including the title tune, as well as the only known studio recording of one Strayhorn original and one by Duke. These recordings parallel the Victor recordings from the same time. The Victor sessions have a slight advantage in sound quality, but the transcription performances offer some interesting variations on the more familiar Victor versions of the same tunes.

A two-CD set, The Duke's Men: Small Groups, vol. 2 1938-1939 (Columbia/Legacy C2K 48835), collects Ellington's small-group recordings for the Vocalion label during the early part of this period.

A selection of small-group recordings made in 1940 and 1941, after Ellington's switch to RCA Victor, is on The Great Ellington Units (Bluebird 6751-2RB).

Some solo piano recordings from 1941 and Ellington's innovative 1940 duets with bassist Jimmy Blanton are included on the CD Solos, Duets and Trios (Bluebird 2178-2-RB).

The French Jazz Tribune series includes some good Ellington entries. Number 33 in the series, The Indispensable Duke Ellington, vol. 5/6 (1940) (RCA 07863-66674-2, 2 CDs), combines that year's most memorable sides by the full band with the Ellington-Blanton duets. Number 60, The Indispensable Duke Ellington and the Small Groups, vol. 9/10 (1940 - 1946) (RCA 07863-66471-2, 2 CDs), has the same 22 small group tracks as The Great Ellington Units (above), plus two additional tracks from a 1941 Barney Bigard session, two 1940 solo piano sides, two trio sides from 1945, and two Ellington/Strayhorn duets from 1946.

The two-CD set, Fargo, North Dakota, November 7, 1940 (Vintage Jazz Classics VJC-1019/20-2) presents a nearly complete live set by Duke and the full orchestra at their peak. The sound is surprisingly good. Not to be missed. It's a tough choice, but if I could have only one Ellington recording from all the years before 1950, I think this would be the one.