The Volokh Conspiracy
[Orin Kerr, August 25, 2007 at 2:33pm] Trackbacks
The Duke Ellington Orchestra Plays "Mood Indigo":
A very good performance by a wonderful band, with a particularly strong Jimmy Hamilton Russell Procope clarinet solo. (Incidentally, I would date the performance from 1950-53 based on the introductory card stating that it is a "Snader Telescription.")
Johann:
Unusual amount of solo space for Duke, yes? The blues album with Hodges and "Money Jungle" are the albums that pop to mind where Duke shows his chops.
8.25.2007 3:57pm
RR Ryan (mail):
Ellington could be really generous to his players with solo space. An excellent example is the extended solo on Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue performed live at Newport. It was released as Ellington Live in Newport 1959(or thereabouts) It was available on vinyl, so i suspect that it's probably on CD. Enjoy!
8.25.2007 5:06pm
steve (mail):
An excellent example is the extended solo on Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue performed live at Newport.

By Paul Gonsalves. Great solo. Ellington At Newport 1956 is
on CD.
8.25.2007 9:46pm
Bruce:
All this Fourth Amendment stuff is fine, Orin, but your real talent is finding great jazz videos on YouTube.
8.26.2007 12:52am
Grover Gardner (mail):
Actually that's Russell Procope on clarinet. The year is probably '51 based on the presence of Willie Smith in the sax section.
8.26.2007 1:12am
Bruce:
P.S. This version of "Caravan" is good too, and seems to have been shot in the same studio:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0U-_gMpdXBI
8.26.2007 1:25am
OrinKerr:
Thanks, Bruce. And Grover, that's great -- will correct, as I thought it was Hamilton.
8.26.2007 1:53am
Siona Sthrunch (mail):
How is this "fair use" - you're just reposting the entire performance.
8.26.2007 8:46am
david palmquist (mail) (www):
The Mood Indigo is one of several "Snader Transcriptions," made for television broadcast in March 1952. The trio consists of Booty Wood and Quentin Jackson on trombone and the great baritone saxophonist Harry Carney on bass clarinet. The clarinet soloist is indeed Russell Procope, and the trumpet solo is by Willie Cook.

I have a list of several other Ellington on-line videos here:
http://ellingtonweb.ca/Main-YouTubes.htm but haven't updated it for a while. Some may have disappeared by now.
8.26.2007 1:59pm
dearieme:
Thanks, dp: I wondered what that odd instrument was.
8.26.2007 4:53pm
Grover Gardner (mail):
Great site, David. I love the eight-minute "Jamboree" short, from one of my favorite Ellington periods. What a Rolls Royce of a band, that was.

The confusion over Procope and Hamilton is understandable, since the comments to the video go on and on about Hamilton. Odd.
8.26.2007 6:41pm
david palmquist (mail) (www):
Dearieme, there's nothing odd about a bass clarinet! (grin - I've been playing one for 40+ years)

Everyone, I'm sorry I misled you - that's Britt Woodman, not Booty Wood. I misread the discography I was using. Both were trombonists, but Wood didn't actually join until 1959. Both recorded with Ellington quite a number of times after that, but I doubt they were actually in the band at the same time. I've never thought to check.

Grover, thank you. I didn't see the comments on Youtube. Both were with Ellington a long time - Procope 1946-1974, Hamilton 1943-1968. Procope on alto doubled clarinet and played a fantastic soprano sax in Controversial Suite. Hamilton was the featured clarinetist after Bigard left, playing more of a Goodman legit style.
8.26.2007 7:25pm

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