The seventh two-CD set in the important
Treasury Shows
series that reissues
Duke Ellington
's radio broadcasts of his Treasury shows of 1945-1946 has more than its share of worthy music. Reissued in full are the broadcasts of June 30 and July 7, 1945, plus additional material performed at
the Cafe Zanzibar
on October 7 and 17 of the same year. Although this particular edition of
the Ellington Orchestra
has long been underrated,
Duke
's 1945 band had 11 major soloists in addition to the full-time writing of
Billy Strayhorn
.
Ellington
's promos are a bit difficult to sit through and one of them inexcusably comes in the middle of a four-song
Strayhorn
medley, but in general those can be skipped. It is worth it for the valuable music, which includes such numbers as
"Caravan,"
"Honeysuckle Rose,"
a transformation of
"One O'Clock Jump,"
a revival of
"Old King Dooji,"
"Blue Belles of Harlem,"
"The Perfume Suite,"
and
"Ring Dem Bells."
"Diminuendo in Blue"
"Crescendo in Blue,"
which at the 1956
Newport Jazz Festival
would sandwich a marathon
Paul Gonsalves
tenor solo, in this setting are bridged by
"Carnegie Blues."
Of the many soloists, tenor saxophonist
Al Sears
and trombonist
Tricky Sam Nanton
are standouts, as are altoist
Johnny Hodges
and the many trumpeters. All of the entries in this valuable series are well worth acquiring by
fans. ~ Scott Yanow